Yet perhaps more damning than all of that was how two Panthers, cornerback Chris Gamble and safety Chris Harris, felt he wasn't going all-out on every play. That seemed especially true on a Tom Brady first-quarter interception in which Moss appeared to run a lazy route that contributed to the miscue.

"We knew he was going to shut it down," Gamble told the Boston Globe after the game. "That's what we wanted him to do. That's what we did ... He'd just give up a lot. Slow down, he's not going deep, not trying to run a route. You can tell, his body language."

Gamble continued: "I know everyone who plays against him, they can sense that. Once you get into him in the beginning of the game, he shuts it down a little bit."

This was one of the big questions of the week, how the sensitive Moss would respond to adversity. He was one of four players sent home for being late to an 8 a.m. meeting on Wednesday -- along with defensive end Derrick Burgess and linebackers Adalius Thomas and Gary Guyton -- when snowy and icy conditions made for a longer-than-anticipated commute.

According to running back Kevin Faulk, who is one of Moss' closest friends on the team, the receiver was deeply affected by the decision.

"He was really hurt about the situation, getting sent home, but at the same time he knew that's what Bill's wishes were and he had to respect Bill, and that's what he did," Faulk told ESPNBoston.com.

Faulk felt Moss turned the page upon his return to practice Thursday and didn't let it linger. This is where Faulk feels that Moss, who started Sunday and was on the field for every play but four, might be misunderstood.

"He loves football too much; this is what he loves to do and nobody understands that," he said.

Moss skipped out of the locker room without addressing reporters Sunday, deciding to let his play do the talking for him. It didn't always look good on the field. Or on the sidelines for that matter, such as when Brady came over to offer encouragement and Moss kept staring ahead.

The book seems to be out on Moss. Get to him early and he's easily rattled.

"The key for playing Moss is that you have to be physical with him," Harris told ESPNBoston.com. "Our goal was to get our hands on him every single time we could and not just let him run up on our safeties. I think we did a great job of that. If you can get to him early, it shows. He gets frustrated and might not complete 'go' routes sometimes and things of that nature."

Harris explained to the Globe: "I don't want to say he quits, but he kind of doesn't run the routes the way they're supposed to be run. If you get a jam on him, he'll just ease up. He had the one catch, and he fumbled. ... We stayed on top of him. We were not gonna let him catch a deep pass. That's his game. If he can't get it going, he gets out of sync."

Gamble described Moss as a sneaky player, because at times it might look like he's not giving a top effort, attempting to lull a cornerback into thinking he isn't part of the play before suddenly shifting into top gear. Yet Gamble said there was little deception with Moss on Sunday. Instead, he was telegraphing the Patriots' offensive intentions.