SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The banged-up Carolina Panthers will be without star linebacker Luke Kuechly and two other key defenders Sunday while their playoff hopes hang by a thread.The 2015 All-Pro Kuechly and safety Kurt Coleman have been ruled out at Seattle (7-3-1 ) with concussions. Defensive end Mario Addison, the teams leader with 6 1-2 sacks, will miss his second straight game with a foot injury. Ron Riveras team desperately needs a win to hang in a crowded race for a playoff spot in the NFC.Kuechly traveled with the team to the Bay Area for practice at San Jose State; the team stayed on the West Coast to cut down on travel time. The Panthers lost to the Raiders last week 35-32, after surrendering an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter.I thought he did a really nice job, Rivera said of Kuechly, who spent the week in the concussion protocol. (He) just talked to the guys, was in communication with them. Well see how it goes.Kuechly will miss his second straight start after suffering a scary head injury in a victory over the Saints on Nov. 17. Fourth-year linebacker A.J. Klein will likely make his second straight start in place of the perennial Pro Bowler.Rivera said Klein, practiced really well during the week. Shaq Thompson, a first-round pick in 2015, could also rotate in. Michael Griffin and Tre Boston are expected to start at safety with Coleman out.Klein, a fifth-round pick in 2013, replaced Kuechly in three games early in 2015 after sustaining a concussion in the season opener. Klein had a forced fumble and five tackles against the Raiders, but was in coverage on a 47-yard completion to wide receiver Michael Crabtree, which set up the winning field goal in the fourth quarter.Perception is unfair because of what happened. The perception is he got beat. said Rivera. Theres more to the game and thats what I think people need to understand.Carolina is three games behind the NFC South-leading Atlanta (7-4) and behind the Washington Redskins (6-4-1) for the final wild-card spot. Five teams enter the weekend within a game of the final seed with five weeks left.The Panthers (4-7) have been decimated by injuries along the offensive line, and lately on defense, after remaining mostly injury free during their run to Super Bowl 50 last season. But Rivera likes his teams mindset despite 2016 not going to plan.I think its very good, I really do, Rivera said. They seem to be relaxed, loose and have good energy, which I think is important. So well see.The Panthers play the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field this week after getting two wins against them in the 2015 season, including the divisional round of the playoffs 31-24.Carolina will also be without right tackle Daryl Williams after suffering a left ankle injury in the second quarter against the Raiders. Right guard Trai Turner replaced Williams at tackle in the second half after not playing the position since high school.Additionally, the Panthers this week placed their top two centers Ryan Kalil (shoulder) and his backup Gino Gradkowski (knee) on injured reserve. Tyler Larsen is expected to make his first career start at center after playing his first offensive snaps last week against the Raiders. The only member of the offensive line playing in the same position he started the season is left guard Andrew Norwell.I thought theyve done well, Rivera said of the offensive line. I thought Trai Turners handled it very nicely. Its a real plus to have a guy like that.The Seahawks vaunted defense ranks first in scoring and seventh overall. Safety Earl Thomas (hamstring) and lineman Michael Bennett (knee) are listed as probable. Thomas missed his first career start last week when Seattle lost in Tampa Bay, 14-5. Bennett missed the last five games after having surgery on his knee.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Nike Air Vapormax For Sale .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Cheap Air Vapormax Wholesale . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. http://www.cheapvapormaxforsale.com/ . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Cheap Nike Vapormax China .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Cheap Vapormax For Sale . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Nothing could stifle Dan Paynes spirits Tuesday, not even the U.S. teams heartbreaking 17-14 loss in rugby sevens when Argentina scored after the siren.The CEO of USA Rugby expects a big boost in the sports popularity in the U.S. with the mens gutsy performance coming on the heels of a surprisingly strong showing by the womens squad.The Olympics is what we understand in the United States, more than anything, Payne said. Its just a pleasure for these guys to be able to play the game that they love in front of a strong crowd.And really for us its about competing here, but its also about that 8- to 9- to 10-year-old boy and girl at home watching it. We want them to aspire to be future rugby Olympians and share that goal, and that really helps the game grow and fills the stands.Player Nate Ebner, who learned the game from his late father, who played college rugby, has similar hopes for the sport.I hope it does worlds for rugby. I hope it changes the game, Ebner said after the Americans followed the loss in the opener with a 26-0 shutout of host Brazil. We can kind of be trailblazers for something great in the United States and obviously thats our hopes and dreams for this sport.I love this sport. I want to see it have tremendous success, but thats ultimately up to the people back in the United States and how they embrace the game and how many people get involved, added Ebner, whose fulltime job is as a safety for the New England Patriots.Rugby sevens is a fast-paced version of the time-honored sport that was last played at the Olympics in 1924. The Americans won the gold in that 15-a-side tournament back when boxing and horse racing were the big pastimes, baseball was blossoming and the NFL wasnt even around.Rugby sevens features two seven-minute halves divided by a two-minute halftime plus any stoppage time kept by the referee. The games are over in 20 minutes tops.One thing thats helping grow the sport in the U.S. are fears of head injuries that are driving plenty of of parents to steer their kids away from football. Some youths are taking up rugby, where head-to-head hits are rare and the cardiovascular and aerobic benefits are more like soccers.What I can say safely is that growth is taking off exponentially, especially in that age group. So, whatever the reasons are, I like to say that theres multiple contributing factors, Payne said. But eeven just watching that (first slate of games) and being around that energy is probably the primary driving factor.ddddddddddddBut contrary to popular belief, its a very safe game, Payne added.There was only one player in the 24 womens matches who was taken off the pitch for concussion protocol and she returned in the second half.So, the rules are around keeping it safe. And when you dont have the helmet and you dont have the pads, you have to do things very technically, and thats in how you carry the ball and in how you tackle, Payne said.In youth rugby in the U.S. kids 5 to 12 play with flags just like flag football, and when contact starts with the teenagers, the first season is dedicated to learning body control, safety and proper tackling technique where the head is protected and players hit with a shoulder as they wrap up, he said.Youre seeing it in football where theyve started to do a lot of the rugby tackling in a lot of the NFL camps and colleges, Payne said. So, its a very safe game and I think people will see it and watch and theres the contact. Especially in America, we love the physical contact, theres that. But its in a very safe and controlled way.Rugby can be played by all sorts, the big, the tall, the squat, the fast, the slow.The greatest thing about the game? Payne said. Whatever position you are, you have a chance to carry the ball, which is what we love.Americans that know the most obscure of NFL rules, however, have a difficult time with rugbys rules.So, what does Payne tell his confused compatriots?Youre not alone, he said with a chuckle. Its like anything: you have to do some research on it but you also just have to sit next to somebody that knows the game, Payne said. Its pretty quick to pick up, but youre right, it looks like a little bit of chaos but its a controlled chaos. Theres a rhyme to the reason.Just then, the Brazilians made a good play on the pitch against powerhouse Fiji and the stadium shuddered.That was amazing, Payne said. There was just goosebumps on my arms, just hearing that crowd and the energy.He wants to have that feeling back home, too.---AP Summer Games website: http://summergames.ap.org---Follow AP Sports Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '