After remaining stuck in neutral on offense for much of the first half of their match-up with the St. Louis Rams the Carolina Panthers stormed downfield for a late field goal, narrowing the gap to 10-3. Quarterback Matt Moore, who’d had just five passing attempts all afternoon, immediately threw three consecutive completions for 39 yards to get them in field goal range, including two for 31 yards to much-maligned wide receiver Steve Smith.
From there the Rams’ defense finally found its footing, but the Panthers were near enough for John Kasay, who sank a 44-yard field goal with 30 seconds left in the first half. The Panthers had covered 43 yards in just a minute and a half after picking up just 15 in the first 28 minutes of game-time, and Matt Moore had shown once more the form that pushed him back ahead of Jimmy Clausen on this rebuilding team’s depth chart.
The Rams’ kick return was botched by a penalty and they took a knee, leaving the score 10-3 at halftime.