Panthers roundup: DJ Moore avoids fine, teammate doesn’t; RB, DB elevated vs. Bengals
Carolina Panthers receiver DJ Moore won’t face further consequences for the fourth-quarter unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he received following his 62-yard touchdown completion in last week’s overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons, a league source confirmed Saturday.
Moore was flagged for taking his helmet off in celebration following his game-tying touchdown catch in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. The penalty led to a 48-yard extra-point attempt for kicker Eddy Piñeiro, who missed the kick wide left, sending the game to overtime.
Although there has been an ongoing social media debate over whether Moore was in the field of play when he was penalized, photos from the game also revealed that Moore’s teammate, tight end Stephen Sullivan, sprinted down the field and took his helmet off as well.
While Moore avoided a financial hit, Sullivan was fined $4,583 for removing his helmet against Atlanta, a league sourced confirmed. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was the first to report Sullivan’s fine and Moore’s avoidance of a financial penalty.
It’s been a rough week for Sullivan in general. The tight end will be held out of Sunday’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals due to an illness. He was listed as questionable for the game on Friday but was ruled out on Saturday.
Panthers elevate pair of players from practice squad
The Panthers tinkered with their game-day roster ahead of the matchup against the Bengals at Paycor Stadium.
The team elevated safety Marquise Blair and running back Spencer Brown from the practice squad. Blair and Brown will replace safety Juston Burris (concussion) and running back Chuba Hubbard (ankle), respectively.
Players can receive three standard elevations from the practice squad before they are pushed onto waivers. Blair has reached that limit this weekend, while Brown has only been elevated for two consecutive games.
Blair is likely to play mostly on special teams, while Brown could see some carries. Last week, Brown ran for 27 yards on six carries against the Falcons.
At running back, the Panthers are expected start D’Onta Foreman, who has rushed for 118 yards in each of the past two games. Myles Hartsfield will start at safety opposite veteran Xavier Woods.
