NFL Hall of Famer explains why Panthers' D.J. Moore should not have been penalized for infamous helmet off celebration 

In Sunday's overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers wide receiver D.J. Moore caught an improbable 62-yard Hail Mary. This happened at the end of the game and tied the score at 34 apiece. He was subsequently flagged for taking off his helmet in celebration, which pushed back the extra point 15 yards. Kicker Eddy Pineiro missed and the game headed into overtime.

NFL Hall of Famer Tony Dungy believes that Moore should not have been penalized. He tweeted at the official referee's account asking about it:

"The Carolina Panthers were penalized after scoring a TD in the last minute. D.J. Moore took his helmet off and a flag was thrown. Panthers missed the extra point and lost in OT. But Moore was off the field when he removed his helmet. @NFLOfficiating was this call correct?"

They did not respond, but Dungy returned the tweet to say that the NBC rules analyst that he works with confirmed that the rule was incorrectly applied. Since he removed his helmet when he was not on the field, it should not have been a penalty.

In overtime, following the Falcons' brief and unsuccessful drive to end regulation, Pineiro missed another game-winner. This gave the Falcons new life. They marched down and kicked a field goal to win with less than two minutes remaining.

The loss puts the Panthers in last place in the NFC South and the Falcons in first. The Panthers could have taken first place had they won, but the penalty and the ensuing missed kicks cost them that chance.

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Will the Carolina Panthers trade D.J. Moore at the deadline?

The trade deadline is looming and the Panthers have been having a firesale. They have already traded wide receiver Robby Anderson and running back Christian McCaffrey. Teams have shown interest in several pieces the Panthers have, including D.J. Moore and edge rusher Brian Burns. They turned down two first-round picks for Burns earlier.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Carolina Panthers

The Panthers view their wide receiver as a franchise building block. They don't have any plans to trade him, though an offer could come in that totally blows them away. However, that seems unlikely.

It is very likely that he remains a Panther through the deadline as they shape their offense around him this offseason. Anything can happen, but the front office wants to keep him around for at least a little while longer.