Super Bowl: Panthers' Davis to start despite broken arm

Carolina Panthers' Thomas Davis, broken arm and all, intends to play in his first Super Bowl this weekend.

Davis broke his right forearm in the NFC championship game against the Arizona Cardinals when he tackled tight end Darren Fells in the second quarter. He underwent surgery the next day to have a plate and about a dozen screws inserted into his arm.

Despite the recent procedure, Davis was a full participant in practice all week and wore a protective device to keep his arm secure.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera says not only will the linebacker be playing, he could also be starting Super Bowl 50 on Sunday against the Broncos.

"Yes, yes I do [expect Davis to start] based on everything I'm seeing from him right now and what the doctors have talked about," Rivera told NFL.com. "They talk about him every day and we go over everything he's done and what they're seeing.

That's been a huge plus. He actually took a shot in the arm yesterday and said 'I'm fine. That felt pretty good.'"

Davis endured three torn anterior cruciate ligament injuries between 2009 and 2011, but has recorded at least 100 tackles in each of the last four seasons and was selected to his first Pro Bowl this season.

The 32-year-old is a career Panther, a first-round pick by the franchise in 2005, and wants nothing more than to help his team hoist the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in franchise history.