What It Means:

Rivera held Allen out of the NFC Championship game because the team was not sure Allen could play a full complement of snaps with a broken bone in his foot. Rivera admitted his decision was a tough one, and Allen will have another two weeks of recovery under his belt before the Super Bowl. Unless he suffers a setback, the veteran pass rusher should be in uniform against the Denver Broncos.

A midseason acquisition, Allen made 32 tackles with two sacks in 15 regular season games this year. His return isn't likely to be a huge boost to the Panthers' defense, but it's he gives them another capable pass rusher to rotate in on defense.