SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Carolina Panthers have an off day Tuesday, enabling them, in the words of head coach Ron Rivera, to “enjoy the Super Bowl experience.”
But key defensive players such as defensive end Jared Allen and all-pro linebacker Thomas Davis continued to get treatment as they prepare for Super Bowl 50 on Sunday against the Broncos.
“I feel great,” said Allen, who’s battling a foot injury that forced him to miss the NFC Championship game. “Honestly, I feel, hopefully, I’ll be a tremendous factor in this game. So, as far as physically, 100 percent ready to go, just preparing like normal.”
Allen practiced Monday and came through in good shape. So did Thomas, who broke his arm in the NFC title game against Arizona and now has a metal plate and 12 screws holding together his right arm where one bone broke into two.
Rivera has been delaying a decision on playing Allen against the Broncos, saying Allen will have to make it through the week in order to face the Broncos. But Rivera indicated Tuesday that Allen will likely play.
“Going into this game having a veteran guy like Jared will pay dividends,” Rivera said. “I think having an extra week off is huge for him. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, having those extra four, five or six days has helped his foot. He practiced very well on Monday and looked good.
“He will get an opportunity to show me that he’s ready to roll. Come Friday, it will still be really important that I like the path that he’s on.”
While Allen is no longer the pass rusher who’s compiled 136 career sacks, he still provides the Panthers’ pass-rush rotation added pop. He ranks No. 9 all-time in sacks.
As for Thomas, he was scheduled to receive multiple treatments on Tuesday.
“I thought he looked really good in practice,” Rivera said. “He used that hand and that arm well. One of the concerns was how he would react if he had to deliver a blow with that arm. He seemed to weather that well and practiced very nicely.”
Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or @psaundersdp
