DJ Moore, Curtis Samuel forming dynamic duo Panthers need

Over the course of this season, wide receivers DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel have provided the Panthers with a legitimate 1-2 punch.

Throughout training camp, one of the biggest story-lines was the development of Curtis Samuel. His improved route-running, catch radius, and excitement he brought to the team stole the spotlight. Following two lackluster, injury-riddled seasons, the emergence of Samuel couldn’t have come at a better time.

Often lost in the headlines, though, was Samuel’s position mate, DJ Moore. Moore showed consistent improvement over the second-half of last season, but he had yet to really solidify himself as the Panthers’ number-one receiver. Fortunately for Carolina, Moore has blossomed in Year Two in the NFL, and Samuel has proved to be a valuable second option.

Spanning the last two games, the pair has combined for 23 receptions for 320 yards and two touchdowns.

The duo has been a huge component of the Carolina offense over the past two games, and has been a key reason for the team’s success. Over that period, Samuel has 99 yards, and has caught two touchdowns, including the first score in Sunday’s game.  Spanning the same time frame, Moore has been even better. He has 16 catches for 221 yards, and has recorded back-to-back 100-yard receiving games for the first time in his career.

During the Panthers’ attempt at a game-tying drive against the Packers, the duo was responsible for 40 of the team’s 88 yards, including key third and fourth-down conversions from Moore to keep the game alive. Since taking over for the injured Cam Newton, it has been clear that the more Kyle Allen and Moore play together, the more productive the connection becomes. As far as the Allen-Samuel connection goes, all four of Samuel’s touchdowns this season have come from the second-year quarterback.

Moore and Samuel have the potential to form the most prolific receiving duo since Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad.

Through nine games, Moore is on pace for over 1,200 yards, while Samuel is tracking towards almost 900 (786 receiving) yards of total offense and nine touchdowns. With that being said, Carolina could be looking at its best 1-2 punch at receiver since they had Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad in the 2000s.

Excluding tight ends, the Panthers haven’t had two receivers finish with more than 760 yards since 2008 when Smith and Muhammad combined for 2,344 yards on 143 receptions. The last time Carolina had a wide receiver finish with at least 1,000 yards was Kelvin Benjamin in 2014 (Greg Olsen, a tight end, did it three times from 2014-2016). The last Panther to catch for more than 1,200 yards was Smith all the way back in 2011. Moore is right on track to change both of those statistics. As for Samuel, no Carolina receiver has scored more than nine touchdowns since Ted Ginn scored 10 in 2016.

During the same 2008 season in which Smith and Muhammad each had monster campaigns, the Panthers rode the duo to a division title and to the playoffs. If the Panthers hope to do the same this season, it’ll likely be in large part to the successes of their young receivers. Christian McCaffrey is an MVP candidate for a reason, but he can’t carry the team alone. Moore and Samuel each have the ability to make any ordinary play a big one, and may well be the catalysts to a postseason run in 2019.