Panthers’ DJ Moore talks unsportsmanlike penalty against Falcons

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Moore was at Bank of America Stadium on Friday when he looked up at the television and saw himself as No. 1 on the “SportsCenter” list of “Not Top 10 Plays Of The Week.”

“I was like, ‘Whatever … I guess nobody ever got emotional and did something out of emotion,'” Moore said as the Panthers (2-6) prepare to face the Cincinnati Bengals (4-4) on Sunday. “Granted, I don’t show emotion, but that was like an emotional thing.”

Moore’s decision to take his helmet off after scoring on a game-tying 62-yard touchdown catch with 12 seconds left in Sunday’s 37-34 overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty that made what would have been the winning 33-yard extra point attempt a 48-yarder for kicker Eddy Pineiro.

He missed.

To make matters worse, Pineiro also missed a 32-yard field goal in overtime. So instead of celebrating a victory that would have put the Panthers in a four-way tie atop the NFC South at 3-5, Moore joined Pineiro as a goat for a loss that dropped Carolina to last place.

Despite the outcome, Moore said he probably would do the same thing again.

“Regrets? Nah,” he said on Friday. “Not to that extent. Should I not have done it? No. Did I do it? Yeah. And I own up to that. It was just like in the moment type of deal. Can I say if I would do it differently in that moment? Nah, probably not.”

To be fair, NFL senior vice president of football and international communications Michael Signora said the unsportsmanlike penalty was called because Moore and tight end Stephen Sullivan took their helmets off after the touchdown. Moore got the blame because television cameras caught him ripping his headgear off as he left the back of the end zone and then caught his expression after Pineiro missed the extra point.

The penalty and loss overshadowed the touchdown pass from quarterback PJ Walker that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said on Twitter was the “throw of the year.”

Has to be the best throw of the year and not even close! 🎯🎯🎯 https://t.co/NW4TdwWBpU

— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) October 30, 2022

And while Walker received accolades for the throw that Carolina defensive end Brian Burns called a “dot,” Moore didn’t receive any positive feedback about the way he beat two Atlanta defenders to make the catch.

“That I should have just kept my helmet on,” Moore said of the messages he received. “That was the only response at all. It just like negates the pass.

One could argue Moore should not have been penalized because he was out of the end zone and field of play — where the rule comes into effect — when he took his helmet off. He also reentered the end zone helmetless after jumping into the stands.

But one can understand why Moore was so emotional. He was upset after dropping a fourth-down pass on the previous series that could have eliminated the late-game drama had Carolina gone on to score. So does Moore think the rule should be changed?

“I don’t care,” he said. “At the end of the day, whether I was off the field or on the field, it shouldn’t have mattered. I don’t think it was excessive, but it is what it is.”