ATLANTA -- The ball sailed between two Atlanta defenders and ricocheted off the right arm of Carolina Panthers rookie receiver DJ Moore. It went up in the air no more than a foot before cornerback Robert Alford swatted it down.
All in the end zone.
With a chance to tie on the final play.
The Panthers may look back on Sunday's 31-24 loss later this season as a missed opportunity, perhaps the difference between winning the NFC South or even making the playoffs.
In a game in which the run defense was, in the words of coach Ron Rivera, "terrible," and the number of dropped balls and mental mistakes "disappointing," Carolina still had a chance to steal a victory.