Cardinals cut Panthers lead to 20-17 just before halftime

The Cardinals got off to a slow start in Charlotte on Sunday, but things took a positive turn for them over the last few minutes of the first half.

James Conner ran for a touchdown with just under six minutes to play in the second quarter and the Cardinals forced a quick Panthers punt to give themselves another scoring chance. Kyler Murray hit running back DeeJay Dallas for a one-yard score with seven seconds left to make it a 20-17 Carolina lead at halftime.

Both scores were helped by Panthers penalties. Panthers linebacker Jacoby Wildmon became the first player to receive an in-game penalty for a hip-drop tackle ahead of Conner's score and cornerback Jaycee Horn was flagged for interfering with Cardinals tight end Trey McBride in the end zone ahead of the Dallas touchdown. The Cardinals also committed eight penalties, so sloppiness was an issue on both sides.

Conner ran 12 times for 111 yards and caught three passes for 47 yards, so stopping him should be a Panthers priority in the final 30 minutes. The Panthers will get the ball first, though, so they'll hope for the same kind of success they had to kick off the game.