Carolina Panthers vs Houston Texans Prediction, Pick and Preview, September 21 (9/21): NFL Week 3

Carolina Panthers vs Houston Texans Prediction, Pick and Preview, September 21 (9/21): NFL Week 3

  • Ajay
  • Ajay
  • Sep 22, 2021, 12:38:21 AM

Credit: photo by Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

 
Odds
Time 8:20 p.m. EST
Panthers money line -333
Panthers spread -7.5
Texans money line +320
Texans spread +8.0
Over / under 44

 

2021 season stats
  Panthers Texans
Record 2-0 1-1
Road / home record 0-0 1-0
Points per game 22.5 29.0
Points allowed per game 10.5 26.0
Pass yard per game 282 255
Rush yards per game 100 121
Total yards per game 392 380
Total yards allowed per game 231 389
Turnover ratio +1 +3

 

Preview

The Carolina Panthers are a surprising 2-0 to start the season and are leading the NFC South ahead of Tampa Bay.  Week 3 sees the Panthers traveling to Houston to play the 1-1 Texans.  After beating the Jets in Week 1 by one score, Carolina hammered the Saints 26-7 with Sam Darnold completing 26 of 38 attempts for 305 yards and 2 TDs with one pick.

The Texans lost in Week 2 to the Browns to drop them to 1-1 but also lost their starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor to a hamstring injury.  Head Coach David Culley confirmed that 2021 third-round draft pick Davis Mills will start for Houston on Thursday night.

Offensive matchup

Christian McCaffrey is getting back to his best as he's already leading the Panthers in receptions and carries through the first two weeks.  He has 154 yards in the air - only 5 yards shy of team leader D.J. Moore - and 170 yards on the ground but only has 1 TD so far.  Sam Darnold has been getting his former Jets teammate Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore involved in the offense.  Darnold himself has a 100.5 passer rating so far.  

The Texans now have a committee backfield with Mark Ingram, David Johnson and Phillip Lindsay, but Ingram seems to be the favorite of the bunch leading with 40 carries over 2 games; more than Lindsay ad Johnson combined.  Brandin Cooks emerged as the primary target for Tyrod Taylor in the first two weeks with 14 receptions and 210 yards.  They added former Patriot Danny Amendola to their roster just before the start of the season.  With Tyrod Taylor now out, Mills will step in under center having made 18 attempts and completing 8 this season so far.

Defensive matchup

The Panthers currently have the best defense in the league, having given up an average of 10.5 points per game in the first two games.  Linebacker Shaq Thompson leads the team with 14 tackles and 1 interception.  Defensive Coordinator Phil Snow has gotten the best out of the Carolina defense in their first two games.

Houston sits closer to the bottom of the league in points per game given up with 26.  They've surrendered more than 30 points in both games and both quarterbacks faced have had a passer rating of over 100.  They did do well to limit Nick Chubb to less than 100 yards rushing in Week 2 however.  The defense will need to keep McCaffrey quiet in order to limit the Panthers' offense.

Prediction

Houston started off the season well with their win over Jacksonville and could have made it a closer game if they didn't lose Tyrod Taylor.  Having a rookie QB coming into the fold in a short week doesn't bode well even for a home game.  The Panthers are looking solid as a unit and Sam Darnold has been managing games well enough without sole reliance on Christian McCaffrey.  This situation doesn't look good for Houston. 

PICK: Panthers -7.5 (-111)

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