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          PJ Walker connects with DJ Moore for Panthers' first offensive touchdown in seven quarters

          DJ Moore scored the first offensive touchdown of the Steve Wilks era in Carolina. Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images
          • David Newton, ESPN Staff WriterOct 23, 2022, 06:26 PM
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              David Newton is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Carolina Panthers. Newton began covering Carolina in 1995 and came to ESPN in 2006 as a NASCAR reporter before joining NFL Nation in 2013. You can follow Newton on Twitter at @DNewtonespn.
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          CHARLOTTE -- DJ Moore 's 20-yard touchdown catch from Carolina Panthers quarterback PJ Walker with 29 seconds left in the first half of Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was good enough on its own. Moore had to time his steps perfectly to catch the bullet from Walker in the back of the end zone to give Carolina a 7-0 lead.

          But what made it more significant was it the first Carolina offensive touchdown in seven quarters going back to the third quarter of an October 9 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

          And it kept this from being the first time since a 2019 game between the 49ers and Washington Commanders that neither team scored.

          For Walker, it made him 3 of 4 with a touchdown pass on throws of 20-plus yards in the air for the afternoon, one week after his average completion in a 24-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams was minus-2.5 yards. Since entering the NFL in 2020 as a former XFL star he was 5-for-21 with no touchdowns and three interceptions on such throws.

          The grab was Moore's his sixth catch for 59 yards. He entered the day with only 20 catches in six games.