Adam Thielen avoids injury on sideline hit, frustrated with Lions players

Carolina Panthers receiver Adam Thielen avoided injury after taking a hit to the ribs in Friday’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions.

Thielen, who stayed down before being taken to the medical tent, returned to the game shorty thereafter. The 33-year-old wasn’t happy with the Lions, however, and exchanged words with defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

Adam Thielen went down on the Detroit side of the field.

As he was walking off of the field, he was jawing with the Lions, specifically C. J. Gardner-Johnson).pic.twitter.com/A7OFHYi3ah

— The Comeback (@thecomeback) August 26, 2023

Thielen would get the last laugh following his return to the game, as well as a bit of history. He hauled in the first-career touchdown pass from rookie quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young — a 16-yard connection to give Carolina a 10-0 lead with the PAT.

Thielen finished with four receptions for 48 yards and the score in the final tune-up ahead of Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 10. With injuries to fellow receivers D.J. Chark, Terrace Marshall Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr., Thielen projects to be the top target for Young early on.

Thielen, who inked a three-year, $25 million deal with the Panthers this offseason, is coming off his most unproductive full-time season since 2015. In 17 games with the Minnesota Vikings, he hauled in 70 receptions for 716 yards and six touchdowns.

Bryce Young excited to work with Adam Thielen in rookie season

Young has described Thielen as the ultimate “safety net.”

“It’s super helpful having someone like Adam, who’s done it for a long time and had a lot of success, and he is a real pro. [He’s] super consistent, and he’s seen it all,” Young said last month. “For me as a young guy having a safety net like that where you know exactly where he’s gonna be, he understands the play… He’s always where he’s supposed to be, and that’s really important for me. It’s helped me a lot.”

Speaking recently with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Thielen complimented Young’s “feel for the game.”

“It’s his ability to kind of feel for the game,” Thielen said. “A lot of times, it takes time to get that feel. For him, it seemed to come pretty natural. … It’s the timing mixed with feel and comfort… Being able to make the defense do what you want them to do, but still do it in timing. A lot of times, guys, they want to do that. So they do all those things, then they’re late because they’re trying to do too much. There’s a lot more feel to it. … You start seeing things with him, you’re like, OK, that’s different in a good way.”