Prime-Time First TD Bets — Sunday Night Football, Week 16
Alex Christenson
The Carolina Panthers are one of the few 2-0 teams entering Week 3, and despite having to travel on a short week, they’ve got potentially the easiest matchup they can ask for when they face the Houston Texans for Thursday Night Football. The Texans are 1-1 and although they gave the Browns a good run in Week 2, they’ll be reduced to having to play rookie Davis Mills at quarterback with starter Tyrod Taylor ruled out with injury. The Texans opened as 4.5-point home underdogs for their matchup with the Panthers.
Carolina Panthers vs. Houston Texans Week 3 odds
Date/Time: September 23, 8:20 p.m. ET
Arena: NRG Stadium
How to watch: NBC
Opening odds: Panthers -4.5 | O/U 43.5 (BetMGM)
Latest Panthers-Texans odds
Looking for the latest odds for this matchup? Here they are.
Opening odds – Panthers vs. Texans
After opening as 4.5-point favorites heading into Thursday Night Football, the Panthers’ spread moved to -7.5 following the news of Tyrod Taylor missing the Week 3 matchup. The majority of early bets and handle are on the Panthers to cover the spread with the general public not banking the Texans can excel with a rookie quarterback.
As for the total, it’s hovering around 43.5 with early bets on the OVER. Bettors have seen enough of taking UNDERs in primetime with the first five primetime games of 2021 season going over the closing total.
Quarterback analysis – Sam Darnold vs. Davis Mills
After being cast off from the New York Jets, quarterback Sam Darnold has been decent in two starts with Carolina. 584 passing yards and only one interception, Darnold is starting to show why he was so touted coming out of USC and being away from head coach Adam Gase should do wonders for his career. Look for Darnold to have another above-average outing vs. the Texans in Week 3.
As for the Texans, this space was going to be reserved for starter Tyrod Taylor, but instead we’ll need to focus on rookie Davis Mills. The former Stanford product has had no snaps as a starter in the NFL, coming into the game in Week 2 after Taylor left with injury. Mills managed to find Brandin Cooks in the end zone to get his first NFL TD pass, but he looked tight in his brief time on the field finishing, 8-of-18 passing with 102 yards and an interception. With how opportunistic the Panthers defense is, it could be a rough first official start for Mills with the Texans.
Latest Panthers betting news & info
After a back-and-forth Week 1 with the Jets, bettors weren’t really sure what to make of the Carolina Panthers for Week 2. Well, after scoring 17 points and shutting out the Saints in the opening half, the Panthers let everyone know in the NFC that they’ve got some weapons to contend with.
Running back Christian McCaffrey is the engine that makes this offense go as he finished with 137 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown while wide receiver DJ Moore continued to be a target machine and had eight catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.
As long as QB Sam Darnold doesn’t implode or make a cavalier throw outside of the offensive scheme, the Panthers are going to be competitive in nearly every game because their defense is underrated. Four sacks and two interceptions in Week 2 to add to their Week 1 totals of six sacks and an interception.
Latest Texans betting news & info
On the surface, you would think the Texans got dominated when they lost 31-21 in Week 2 to the Browns, but they were tied at 14-14 at halftime. That’s because Taylor’s steady hand was keeping Houston in the game and allowing the Texans offense to keep pace. Unfortunately, after Taylor went down in the third quarter, the Texans defense went off a cliff. The Browns scored 10 points in the third quarter and never looked back.
The Texans will hope their offensive line continues to hold up as they’ve only allowed two sacks through two games, but the Panthers pass rush has 10 sacks through two games.
Panthers vs. Texans betting picks – NFL Week 3
Most of the public action is on the Carolina Panthers -7.5, and I tend to agree with them. Rookie quarterbacks tend to not do well in their first start, especially in primetime and it could get ugly Thursday. The Texans lost by 10 with Davis Mills playing most of the second half and the Panthers defense could have a field day facing the rookie.
Here are our betting picks for Panthers vs. Texans in Week 3.
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