Line as at 10 am ET Thursday Morning: Panthers -8
Picks:
Predictor: Panthers
Matt: Panthers +1
The 2-0 Carolina Panthers take their act on the road, going to NRG Stadium to face the 1-1 Houston Texans. The Panthers come off an impressive win against the Saints, which followed the Sam Darnold revenge game against the Jets. The Panthers defense has looked dominant the first two weeks of the season, and held the Saints to 128 total yards in Week 2. The team will be without pass rushing specialist Yetur Gross-Matos and reserve G Pat Elflein.
The Texans come back home after losing the game in Cleveland, but it got worse for Houston as they lost their starting QB Tyrod Taylor to a thigh injury that has since landed him on the IR. Third round draft pick QB Davis Mills from Stanford steps in to the main spot in Houston, as the estranged Deshaun Watson continues to live in limbo following the sexual misconduct allegations against him. Mills’ backup for this game is expected to be former Broncos QB Jeff Driskel. The team will also be without WRs Danny Amendola and rookie Nico Collins, along with CB Terrance Mitchell.
The question on this pick boils down to: Do you trust a rookie QB making his first career start in a short week or (an admittedly improved) Sam Darnold on the road?