Texans vs. Panthers: First half reactions

The Houston Texans didn’t have the best overall half in the first two quarters against the Carolina Panthers.

Looking at the first half of the Houston Texans facing the Carolina Panthers at NRG Stadium, the home team didn’t have the best two quarters, but still managed to make it a competitive game thanks to the defense.

Houston’s defense held quarterback Kyle Allen, running back Christian Mccaffrey and the rest of their unit to just 10 points in the first two quarters. The problem was the Texans scored only three points in the same quarters, making for a halftime deficit of 10-7 for Houston.

The offensive line is battling injuries in the game with Zach Fulton injured with a back issue. Also on offense, wide receiver Kenny Stills left with a hamstring injury after catching a pass for a first down.

Those two injuries were big for the Texans as they can’t seem to stay healthy on the offensive line and wide receiver, as guard Seantrel Henderson was already inactive before the start of the game with an illness.

One big standout in the game was late in the second quarter when Whitney Mercilus had a sack and forced fumble on the same play against Allen, with Carlos Watkins recovering the loose ball.

Following the forced turnover, the Texans were driving downfield, and then came a turnover of their own. For some reason, the Texans went for a trick play where DeAndre Hopkins threw a wide receiver pass for an interception by Ross Cockrell of the Panthers taking the ball to Houston territory.

To be honest, that play call was pointless, especially in the second quarter when your team has one of the better quarterbacks in the entire league, Deshaun Watson. For the first half Watson finished 11-of-17 for 81 yards passing with no touchdowns or interceptions.

The attempt to be tricky by the Texans resulted in seven points for Carolina. The defense of the Texans was left in poor field position to start the drive, and the Panthers scored a touchdown off a run by Mccaffrey.

First half numbers for the Texans include Duke Johnson leading the Texans with four carries for 51 yards, including one run of 40 yards. Carlos Hyde has eight carries for 42 yards.

The wide receivers of the Texans are led by Stills with two receptions for 24 yards, while Will Fuller had two receptions for 18 yards. Hopkins also has two receptions for 14 yards.

The first half as a whole for the Texans was a solid performance by the defense with two forced turnovers, but the offense needs to get to a higher level if they want to win this game in the second half.