Know your opponent: How Carolina Panthers match up with CJ Stroud-led Houston Texans
Most of the talk ahead of the Week 8 matchup between the Carolina Panthers and the Houston Texans will be about the rookie quarterbacks.
And understandably so.
But just like the Panthers’ 0-6 start isn’t all on Bryce Young — who has looked more and more comfortable of late — there’s a lot more to the Texans’ 3-3 start than CJ Stroud’s stardom.
Here’s a quick scouting report on the Texans, who will play the Panthers at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
The basics on CJ Stroud and Houston’s passing offense
Panthers head coach Frank Reich was quick to dismiss any attempts Monday to get him to compare Young and Stroud — the top two picks in the 2023 draft who have had two very different seasons to date.
But it’s undeniable: Stroud has been great.
An average day for Stroud means throwing for 276.7 passing yards and 1.5 touchdowns and completing 59.6% of his passes. He threw an NFL record 192 passing attempts before throwing his first pro interception, and after suffering 11 sacks his first two weeks, he’s only been sacked twice in the following four.
That’s all while leading the team to wins over Jacksonville, Pittsburgh and New Orleans — all of which have lauded defenses.
Stroud’s impressive rookie season to date has elevated the team’s passing offense. The team is a Top 5 passing offense in the league, per TeamRankings.com, and Stroud is on pace to contend for the rookie passing yards record (held by former Colt Andrew Luck, who set the record in 2012 at 4,374 yards).
He’s spreading the ball around, too. His top target is third-year player Nico Collins, who has 29 receptions on 42 targets for 547 yards and three touchdowns. But veteran Robert Woods is having a bit of a renaissance with Stroud throwing him the ball, and tight end Dalton Schultz has 34 targets and a tied-for-team-best three receiving scores.
Texans rushing offense a question mark
If there’s an uncertainty for this Texans offense, it’s in the backfield. Dameon Pierce leads the team in rushing yards with 281, but he and Devin Singletary essentially carried a 50-50 load against the Saints, with Singletary outrushing Pierce.
Some of that is a change in coaching staffs this offseason. The Texans now mostly use an outsize zone running scheme, which asks the backs to read the defense at the line of scrimmage and take what the defense gives them. It’s a bit different than the power-running gap scheme that Pierce, a powerful between-the-tackles back, flourished in a year ago as a rookie.
Pierce has stayed positive through his slow start. And so has his coaching staff. Still, the Texans are 12th in rushing attempts per game, 25th in rushing yards per game, 28th in rushing first downs per game and 28th in rushing touchdowns per game.
This could be a nice change of pace for a Panthers defense that has faced back-to-back rushing juggernauts and sit 31st in rushing yards allowed.
Defensive strengths: Steven Nelson
How should you characterize the Houston defense? It can be a tricky endeavor.
The Texans give up 354 yards a game — 25th in the league — but are also Top 10 in scoring defense by only allowing 18.8 points per game. (The scoring defense stat is aided a ton by the fact that they’re tied for the league best in takeaways with San Francisco — something the last-ranked Panthers scoring defense can’t empathize with.)
The names to know, though, are pretty straightforward. The Texans boast a front seven that flies around the ball, which is led by Jonathan Greenard (3.5 sacks on the year). Ninth-year veteran cornerback Steven Nelson leads the team with three interceptions.
Can Panthers exploit Texans secondary?
If there’s one place the Panthers could shine this week, it could be in the passing game. Houston is 26th in the league in passing yards — giving up 245.5 passing yards on average, which is close to Young’s career high — and 31st in sacks per game.
This could be an opportunity for Young to emerge and build on the notable positives he’s provided despite the team’s 0-6 start. And with the extra spotlight on him — with Stroud vs. Young debaters likely to tune into this one — a breakout game would come at a welcomed time.
This story was originally published October 24, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
