At the half: All tied up

[Laetitia]

There are moments, rare moments, when the Carolina Panthers look like they know what they're doing with the ball.

QB Matt Moore has actually converted some third-down passes, and the Panthers are very much in this game. It's tied 10-10 at the half, after Moore hit David Gettis for an 18-yard touchdown late in the second quarter.

No, really.

The Gettis play capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive which was helped along by a pair of third-down pass interference calls on the 49ers.

Coupled with an earlier near-miss, the Panthers may be shaking out of their season-long offensive funk.

WR Steve Smith volunteered for punt return duty (he wants to do something), and after muffing his first one, he popped a 32-yarder on his next try. They followed up with a 20-yard pass to Gettis (who's having a breakout game), and the building was pretty fired up.

Then DeAngelo Williams fumbled on a cut-back run, and the 49ers drove for a field goal that gave them a 10-3 lead.

-- Darin Gantt

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