DJ Moore’s Celebration Penalty After A 62-Yard TD Catch Led To A Missed Extra Point To Win The Game

The Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons met on Sunday with first place in the NFC South on the line somehow despite being a game between 2-5 and 3-4 teams.

While it wasn’t the marquee game on paper, it became the game of the day as the two teams traded leads in the fourth quarter with some outrageous playmaking in the final minutes. The biggest play came from PJ Walker and DJ Moore, as Walker uncorked a bomb that traveled 70 yards in the air, with Moore somehow getting over the top of the defense to catch what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown.

However, DJ Moore ripping his helmet off in celebration earned him a 15-yard penalty, which made the extra point a 48-yard attempt. Naturally, that got tugged just wide left and a Panthers win became 10 more minutes of football — with the Falcons naturally winning the toss to get the ball in overtime.

It’s a miserable way to have a win taken away from you, particularly considering how great a play that was from Walker — who threw an all-time great pass on the money — and Moore. That said, the rule about not being able to remove your helmet on the field has been in the NFL for a very long time, so this isn’t something new that Moore would be surprised by. Moore was shown with a sheepish smile on the sideline after the missed extra point, as he could only hope to get a chance to atone for his mistake (again, after a great play) in overtime if the Panthers could get a stop on defense.

Luckily, the defense did him one better, picking off Marcus Mariota on a terrible deep shot attempt and then returning it inside the red zone, allowing the Panthers to set up the game-winning field goal with three runs. However, Eddy Pineiro again missed wide left from 34 yards, giving the Falcons life once again.

Naturally, the Falcons marched down the field to set up their own game-winning kick and Younghoe Koo didn’t miss.

It is a dismal way for the Panthers to lose, with Moore and Pineiro both feeling sick after an incredible effort to have two chances to win the game. The Falcons, meanwhile, continue to win games somehow and are now first in the NFC South at 4-4, a game ahead of the Saints and Bucs.