Sunday is a crucial day for Panthers rookie D. J. Moore

D.J. Moore will get the start on Sunday.

Sunday is a big day for the Carolina Panthers. They get to face off against the Baltimore Ravens who handled them nicely the last time these two teams played. Even more so, it’s a big game for wide receiver D.J. Moore. With Torrey Smith not being able to play on Sunday due to injury, Moore will get the start opposite Devin Funchess per multiple media reports.

So far this season, Moore has recorded 13 catches for 191 yards, and a touchdown. His best game came on September 16 against the Atlanta Falcons. In that contest, he caught two passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. After getting into a nice little groove over the past couple of games, he came alive again last Sunday when he set a career-high for receptions. He caught five passes for 29 yards, averaging 9.7 yards per catch. A 16-yard grab was his longest of the afternoon.

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There is no doubt he possesses the skillset to be an explosive playmaker. He just needed more of an opportunity to see the field. He will get that on Sunday with Smith out. This is a huge opportunity to show what he is made of at the professional level. We all saw what he could do while at Maryland. Now, he needs to prove that his skills can transfer over to the National Football League.

This isn’t the most ideal situation for him. Although the Baltimore secondary is not the best, their defensive line is. That could make it difficult for quarterback Cam Newton to get D.J. Moore the football. As far as the rookie going against the secondary, I am not too worried about that. He has the talent to find holes in the secondary and make plays. As long as he has the football in his hands, I feel confident that he can get the job done.

It will be interesting to see what plays he excels at and what plays he struggles with. This will be a nice test for him to see if he remembers the majority of the playbook. I’m not expecting him to be perfect. However, the less mistakes he makes, the better it is for him. The more the coaches feel comfortable with him on the field, the more playing time he will get. It is as simple as that.

If he does well, this could mean trouble for Smith. It is not like Smith has contributed a ton for the Panthers to this point. He has caught 16 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Those are numbers that can easily be eclipsed. He may be a great veteran presence for the locker room, but he is just not getting it done on the field. If Moore can show he can succeed in the starting role, that could mean more opportunities will come his way. I know that I have been wanting the rookie to get extended playing time as have many others. This might force Ron Rivera’s hand into playing him a bit more.

What will D.J.  Moore’s statistics look like on Sunday? I would say somewhere along the line of six catches for 75 yards would be an appropriate estimate. Getting in the end zone would be nice as well, but if Moore can show he can be a reliable target in his first start, I would definitely be happy with that. I would expect a lot of deep tries down the field as his speed is a tremendous asset. If he can get behind the cornerbacks, he will be very difficult to stop.

The DJ Moore era is here (at least for one game.) Here’s to hoping he makes the best of it.