3 fearless reasons the Houston Texans can upstage the Carolina Panthers in primetime

The Houston Texans are in for a slugfest against the Carolina Panthers.

After taking the Cleveland Browns to the limit in Week 2, the Houston Texans return home on a short week to take on the surging Carolina Panthers. If the league hasn’t noticed by now, the Houston Texans can compete with some of the best teams in the league. The fact that Carolina only beat the New York Jets by five points is one of the few reasons that Houston can pull off this win.

It’s early and two games don’t make a season (yet). How do we know for sure which Panthers team will show up to play in primetime on Thursday Night? Sam Darnold hasn’t really fared all that well in primetime in his career. Is his 2-0 start a stroke of luck or a sign that Darnold himself has actually turned the corner in his career?

Can either team trust their Kicker to hit a crunch-time field goal when it matters? Will Houston’s defense continue to force turnovers? It’s a more interesting TNF matchup than most people think.

The NFL world may just see Deshaun Watson play this week after Tyrod Taylor got hurt. Davis Mills is going to be heading into his first-ever primetime game, and the nerves will definitely be present for a critical game for the Texans. Starting 2-1 will do wonders to keep any sort of playoff dreams alive.

The Texans currently sit tied for first in the division. If it wasn’t for a comeback win by the Titans, they would be all alone. Let’s see if the Texans can keep their first-place status come Thursday Night.