Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Moore is as cool and collected as they come. So even though he made an improbable, miraculous, once-in-a-lifetime game-tying 62-yard touchdown reception on Sunday, it was a bit surprising to see his emotions take over.
And it was probably surprising to interim head coach Steve Wilks, who told reporters that his team—and not just Moore—needs to learn from Sunday’s heartbreaking 37-34 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Buy Panthers Tickets“I think, as a whole, we gotta do better as a team,” Wilks said. “And DJ is smart enough to understand that that’s something to learn from. Very talented player. Glad he’s on our team. But moving forward, that’s something we’ll learn from and not make that same mistake.”
That mistake came right after Moore’s score, one that knotted up the hotly-contested divisional battle at 34 with 12 seconds remaining in regulation. The fifth-year veteran ripped off his helmet during a frenzied celebration, resulting in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty.
On the ensuing extra point try, which would’ve all but sealed the contest for Carolina, kicker Eddy Piñeiro missed a much tougher attempt—pushing the game to overtime and an eventual loss.
Moore finished the outing with a season-high 152 receiving yards and one painful learning experience.
