Panthers linebacker faces surgery but expects to play

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — All-Pro linebacker Thomas Davis had surgery Monday morning on his broken right forearm, but is expected to play in the Super Bowl on Feb. 7.

“My understanding is if everything goes well it is something he can mostly certainly play with,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Monday. “So we are excited about that possibility.”

Rivera did not know which forearm bone Davis broke.

He said the 11-year NFL veteran may need to wear a brace on his arm similar to the one worn by New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Davis broke his arm in the second quarter of Carolina’s 49-15 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in the NFC championship. Davis said after the game he fully expected to play in the Super Bowl in about two weeks.

Rivera said if anybody can play through the pain, it would be Davis, who has battled back from three torn ACLs in the same knee to play at an All-Pro level.

“He said (he was going to play) with the same type of sincerity he said to me when he told me he was coming back from the third ACL,” Rivera said. “There is something about his conviction and I think that’s what makes him who he is today. So I have no doubt that as long as everything continues to heal the way it’s supposed to, he’ll be out there.”

Players were not made available for comment on Monday.

Davis’ wife posted an Instagram photo of her husband wearing a hospital shower cap on Monday and thanked well-wishers.

Davis said after the game Sunday he planned to play in the Super Bowl.

“It hurt. It was painful,” Davis said Sunday. “At the same time I believe in our training staff and I believe in the process. If it is at all possible I know they are going to get me back and I will do my part to make sure I’m ready.”

Davis was dominant early in the NFC title game recording six tackles, including two for losses. He had several jarring hits that set the tone for the Panthers to build a 17-0 lead.

But he broke his forearm while trying to break up a pass in the second quarter and was taken to the locker room for observations. He returned to the sideline in the second half wearing a sling on his right arm.