Luke got hurt. Luke cried. So did we.

The shocking injury to Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly – who was being evaluated for a concussion following Carolina’s 23-20 victory over New Orleans Thursday night – is causing a rare emotional reaction in many fans. Here are five reasons I think it is so intense:

1. The tears.

Kuechly was sobbing and having trouble catching his breath going off the field. He looked a lot like a kid who had just gotten badly hurt and had no idea what was wrong but needed his parents to scoop him up. To see one of the finest players the Panthers have ever had uncontrollably crying like that was a stunner.

2. NBC’s coverage.

Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth are two of the best announcers in the game. They picked up quickly on Kuechly crying, and Collinsworth spoke for many as he talked over the pictures and NBC’s merciless (but effective) zooming cameras. Collinsworth said Kuechly looked “just broken-hearted.”

“He was sobbing out on the field,” Collinsworth said on-air. “I don’t know what’s going on here.... Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I mean nobody loves the game of football and is loved by this city and is loved by his teammates more than that guy.”

3. The cart.

If Kuechly had walked off -- and remember, he had been limping just the play before -- this would have had a different feel.

I am sure he really wanted to walk off. Every NFL player has pride. No one wants to be carted off. But Kuechly was. The cart’s long journey onto the field – and then its long journey back off, with the fans standing, clapping and yelling “Luuuuke” – stretched the emotion even further. So did the fact that so many players came up to check on Kuechly, including New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees and several other Saints.

4. The game situation.

The Panthers already had their fans in knots, and those fans were due for an emotional outpouring.

If this had been the second play of the game, that would have been one thing. But Carolina had already let a 23-3 lead get cut in half to 23-13 when the injury occurred with 4:41 left in the game. Everybody in Bank of America Stadium was anxious, hoping the Panthers weren’t about to blow another close one. Instead, this injury happens. And then the Panthers do win, which has pushed the team’s other problems to the background and brought Kuechly’s injury even more to the fore.

5. Kuechly’s remarkable popularity.

Just before the Super Bowl, Kuechly’s No. 59 was revealed to be the second-best selling jersey in all of America, trailing only Tom Brady (Cam Newton was fifth at the time).

While some fans – particularly the older generation – are less than enamored with Newton’s look-at-me celebrations, Kuechly receives universal praise from everyone. He is “Saint Luke.” In the Panthers’ stadium, there are more No. 59s than No. 1s every week – and a lot of that is due to the fact Kuechly is handsome and that a lot of women choose to wear his jersey.

So when you’re wearing a No. 59 and No. 59 is down and crying on the field, there is a visceral reaction. That feels like part of you down there, and that’s what happened Thursday night to thousands of Panthers fans.

Let’s hope he’s OK.

This story was originally published November 18, 2016 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Luke got hurt. Luke cried. So did we.."