DJ Moore’s breakout game highlights Maryland’s Week 11 NFL performances

Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver DJ Moore came onto the scene and had his breakout game Sunday in Detroit.

Moore caught seven passes on eight targets, totaling 157 yards. He caught an eight-yard touchdown and broke free for an 87-yard reception, finishing the day averaging 22.4 yards per catch. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton got banged up on a play in the third quarter, but stayed in the game and kept his connection with Moore going strong. The rookie led all players in receiving yards in the game and totaled 100 more than any of his teammates. Moore did all of this in a Panthers loss, as Carolina dropped to 6-4 on the season and lost a game in the standings to the Saints.

Moore had been coming off two straight quiet performances. Against the Buccaneers in Week 9, he totaled one catch for 16 yards and had one rush for 32 yards. In Week 10 against the Steelers, he caught four passes for 20 yards and rushed once for five yards. For the season, Moore has 23 receptions on 31 targets, and has 317 receiving yards with one touchdown. He also has eight rushing attempts for 122 rushing yards.

Here’s how the rest of the Maryland alumni in the NFL did in Week 11:

• Moore’s teammate, Torrey Smith, was ruled out and missed his fourth straight game this week with a lingering knee injury. Panthers fifth-round pick Jermaine Carter Jr. did not register any statistics at Detroit.
• Stefon Diggs had himself a night on Sunday Night Football against the Bears. He had 13 receptions on 18 targets and went for 126 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 9.7 yards per catch and his longest reception was 25 yards in the Vikings’ 25-20 loss in Chicago. Diggs, like Moore, led all receivers on both teams in the game.
• Steelers safety Sean Davis totaled eight tackles and six of them being solo tackles in the win over the Jaguars. Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey did not register any statistics in this weeks’ match.
• Yannick Ngakoue totaled one tackle, which was a sack against Ben Roethlisberger, and he also had a total of three quarterback hits in the game. Ngakoue was one of two players to sack Roethlisberger this week.
• Vernon Davis, the veteran tight end of the Redskins, was targeted twice but did not have any receptions in the loss against the Texans.
• On Thursday Night Football, Seahawks defensive end Quinton Jefferson had one total tackle and 0.5 tackles for loss of yards against the Packers.
• Titans lineman Darius Kilgo totaled three tackles—two solo—against the Colts. This was by far Kilgo’s best game of the season, considering his previous season high was one tackle in a game.
• Patriots rookie corner JC Jackson did not play this week, as New England was on a bye.

No former Terps will play on Monday Night Football between the Chiefs and the Rams. All of the current NFL alumni of Maryland will play in Week 12, including a meeting between Moore, Smith and Carter’s Panthers and Jefferson’s Seahawks.