CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Matt Moore got into the huddle late in the first half Sunday and froze.
“I just couldn’t get the play out of my mouth,” Moore said. “Guys were like, ‘Come on! Come on!’ ”
Becoming the fourth quarterback to start for the Panthers this season, Moore kept his mistakes in the huddle by engineering three scoring drives in the fourth quarter and outplaying two-time Pro Bowler Matt Hasselbeck, as the Panthers stunned the Seattle Seahawks 13-10.
“I would bet most people didn’t give us a chance to win,” defensive end Mike Rucker said.
Not with Moore forced into duty with Vinny Testaverde sidelined by soreness in his 44-year-old body, and with Carolina (6-8) having lost six of seven games. And not with the Seahawks (9-5) riding a five-game winning streak a week after they wrapped up the NFC West title.
“We didn’t play very inspired football,” Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said.
Hasselbeck’s career-best season took a detour with a lackluster performance, which included a fumble with just under two minutes left that ended Seattle’s chances.
