Steve Smith’s methods may be cruel and unusual, but he gets results.
Just days after Smith called out the Panthers wide receivers, they played their best game of the season. While the group as a whole had not lived up to expectations, it was clear most of Smith’s criticism was directed at 2018 first-round pick D.J. Moore. Moore responded with a breakout performance against the Titans, totaling 101 receiving yards on seven catches. One of them was the best of his young career.
Watch Moore make a brilliant contested catch along the sideline despite his defender getting a hand on the ball.
Moore was always going to be a dangerous YAC threat in the NFL. He’s had a lot of room to improve though, specifically his route running and ball skills. His tape against Tennessee showed excellent promise in both of those areas.
It was past time that one of the Panthers receivers stepped up and made a name for themselves. Moore may finally be hitting that next level in his development and could be in for an extremely productive second half of the season.
