Nine-year veteran Kerrigan to miss first NFL game after 139 successive starts

Ryan Kerrigan's streak of consecutive NFL starts will end at 139 as the Washington Redskins linebacker has been ruled out of Sunday's game due to concussion.

Washington's interim head coach Bill Callahan confirmed on Friday that nine-year veteran Kerrigan would miss the 2-9 Redskins' game with the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.

Four-time Pro Bowler Kerrigan was a first-round draft pick of the Redskins in 2011.

He has 89 sacks in his career, 4.5 of which have come this season.

Kerrigan had the fourth-longest active streak for NFL starts, trailing only Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (215 games), Baltimore Ravens cornerback Brandon Carr (183 games) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh (148 games).

"I can't even begin to express how much he's meant to this organisation, what he's contributed, what he means to his team-mates and the type of pro he is," Callahan told reporters.

"There's no better example of what a pro should be in the NFL than Ryan Kerrigan."