5 most important Carolina Panthers players at the Texans in Week 3

Sam Darnold – Carolina Panthers QB

Sam Darnold is set to make his first prime time game as a member of the Carolina Panthers. Many eyes will be on him Thursday night and the signal-caller gets the opportunity to perform under the bright lights at the Houston Texans.

Darnold has two weeks of successful football under his belt in Carolina. He has been nothing short of great under center and this can continue in Week 3.

The offensive line has done a good job of protecting Darnold, for the most part, and the unit must continue this play against the Texans. His weapons have been a big help as we all expected.

Christian McCaffrey has been his best friend for the first two games. We also saw Darnold scramble and throw a dart to tight end Dan Arnold for a good gain, which is another security blanket across the middle to assist the quarterback.

Once again, the primary focus will be on Darnold. The critics will be preparing their Friday morning topics about the former USC star, but we’ve seen plenty to suggest the Panthers made the correct call by bringing him to the organization from the New York Jets.

He is more than prepared for the challenge of the Texans on Thursday Night Football and is also generating some crucial early momentum along the way.