Carolina Panthers: 3 Texans to watch against the Panthers.

The Carolina Panthers need to watch out for these players on Sunday.

It feels great to know the Carolina Panthers got their first win of the season. After two home losses they finally took care of business the right way. Now it’s just a matter of going out and doing it thirteen more times, which is easier said than done. This week will feature a match up against a Houston Texans team that is missing a couple of teeth after trading shots with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Believe it or not the Texans have a lot of the same boons and banes that the Panthers have. They both have offensive lines that leave a lot to be desired, they both score most of their touchdowns through the air, and they both have fairly solid defensive lines. The one main difference is (arguably) that the Houston Texans have a legitimate number one receiver in DeAndre Hopkins. His reputation precedes him so he requires no introduction, but there are a couple of other people you can expect to make a few splashes.

#88, Jordan Atkins

This man had himself a game last week with three receptions for seventy-three yards and two touchdowns. He, coincidentally, is a tight end who wears the number eighty-eight much like our very own “Mr. Reliable”. Even stranger on the list of coincidences is that they both went to college in Florida and had two touchdowns last week. This week they’ll have the chance to go toe-to-toe and see who is truly more reliable.

Hopkins is undoubtedly the Texan’s number one receiver, but just about every team knows that now and Watson has developed a habit of spreading the ball around. If Chadberry makes an appearance or if Jackson manages to make Hopkins a non-factor for the better part of the game, expect Watson to look towards Atkins for an answer.

#23, Carlos Hyde

Last week the Panthers were missing an important piece of the front line. Short’s absence arguably led to a bigger hole in the defense than usual. Currently the Panthers rank twenty-fourth in rushing defense, which is concerning considering how much they’ve invested in their defensive line. This week they’ll have to play up to par if they want to win again.

Carlos Hyde is the second running back on the depth chart behind Duke Johnson, but don’t count him out right away. He currently leads the Texans in rushing yards, in fact he has more than double of what anybody else on the team has. He’s also had the most rushing touches on the team, so expect him to be slugging away at us a lot.

#59, Whitney Mercilus

This man has been on a tear since the beginning of this year. Texans fans might have been hurt after Jadeveon Clowney left, but Mercilus is making them forget all about him. Mercilus won AFC Player of the Week in week two, he leads the team in sacks, AND he leads the team in interceptions. Yes, you read that right, a defensive end has the most interceptions on the team. Let’s hope this week our offensive line keeps Lovey Dovey upright.