Vikings rookie linebacker Anthony Barr and defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd didn't finish the Sunday's game due to knee injuries in the 31-13 victory over the Panthers at TCF Bank Stadium.

Barr said his knee locked up at halftime, causing him to miss most of the second half. He aggravated his knee during the first half and left with 6:35 left in the third quarter following linebacker Chad Greenway's deflection on third down.

The rookie was replaced by Gerald Hodges for the rest of the game. Barr said he initially injured his knee two weeks ago against the Bears.

"It's been bugging me for a little bit, but it didn't bug me as much as it did today," Barr said. "…I was able to play through it for most of the first half, then it kind of locked up on me in the second half."

Floyd didn't start the game. Instead, rookie defensive tackle Shamar Stephen made his second consecutive start with Floyd dealing with a knee injury for a second straight week. He was still active, however, in the first half as a third down pass rusher.

On his first snap during the Panthers' opening drive, Floyd recorded a sack on third down and proved to be disruptive when he entered on third downs up until halftime. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said Floyd pulled something in his leg, and the team cautiously shut him down for the day with a commanding 28-6 at the time.

"We attacked it like we did pretty much last game," defensive tackle Tom Johnson said. "We knew Sharrif would probably get warmed up and see what he could do. We started him at third downs, and he came in and made an impact. We seen that the game was getting away, and he wasn't feeling it, felt a little pull. Coach said to give him his time, sit down and just let the rest of us handle the game."