Did officials rob Panthers of win with costly mistake?

Carolina Panthers wide receiver DJ Moore made a boneheaded mistake after he came up with a huge play on Sunday, but one former NFL official says it should not have drawn a flag.

The Panthers were trailing the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 with 8 seconds left in regulation when Moore caught a 62-yard touchdown pass from PJ Walker to tie the game. Moore decided to celebrate by removing his helmet, which drew a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. NFL rules prohibit players from intentionally removing their helmets in the field of play. You can see Moore’s catch and the penalty here.

According to NBC rules analyst and former NFL referee Terry McAulay, Moore technically did not violate the helmet rule. As you can see in the screenshot below, he was not in the field of play when he began removing his helmet:

Our NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay says according to the written rule this should not have been called a penalty because Moore was not on the field when he took off his helmet. https://t.co/MgxvckwDlv

— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) October 31, 2022

Moore was penalized for excessive celebration. He also jumped into the stands at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The official who made the announcement did not specify why the flag was thrown, though it is highly unlikely that the penalty stemmed from the leap into the stands. It seemed obvious that it was the result of Moore removing his helmet.

The penalty moved the extra point back to the 30-yard line from the 15. That made it a 48-yard attempt for Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro, and he missed it wide left.

Even if Moore did not technically break the rules, all of this could have been avoided if he simply kept his helmet on.