Houston at Carolina NFL Week 1 Preseason Odds

The 2017 NFL Preseason brings a new opportunity for every team in the league. For Cam Newton and the Panthers, this is a chance to rebuild from their nightmare 2016 season. For the ‘new-look’ Houston Texans team, the post season opens up the opportunity to prove that they are a solid post season contender. While the starters for both teams won’t see much action in this preseason opener, both teams have a bevy of very good backups that should make for an entertaining affair. Besides, the 2017 NFL betting odds are up, and football action is back, and that’s something that all fans should be excited about. If you’re looking for some great betting opportunities, then you should definitely take a look at our prediction for this match.

A Closer Look at the Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers NFL Week 1 Preseason Odds

  When: Wednesday, August 9 at 7:30 PM ET Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina TV: NFLN Live Stream: NFL Game Pass NFL Week 1 Odds: Carolina -3 / Total: 37

Why Bet the Houston Texans Odds at +3

The Texans are a good bet in this preseason opener simply because they play sound football on both sides of the ball, no matter what time of year it is. Houston will start this contest and the regular season with veteran Tom Savage under center, but really, the future for the Texans is all about rookie signal-caller Deshaun Watson. Expect Watson and veteran backup Brandon Weeden to see the vast majority of playing time while rookie running back D’Onta Foreman and veteran Alfred Blue share the majority of the game time after starter Lamar Miller departs, likely after a series or two at most. Right now, Houston is looking for some quality depth at wide receiver behind starters DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller so expect to see Jaelen Strong and Braxton Miller play a bunch. On the other side of the ball, head coach Bill O’Brien is looking for more depth at linebacker and in the secondary and probably at nose tackle.

HOUSTON TEXANS TEAM STATISTICS

Offensive total yards: 311.83 Average Score For: 17.89 Offensive rush yards: 116.00 Defensive total yards: 300.17 Offensive passing yards: 195.83 Defensive rush yards: 97.72 Average Score Against: 20.89 Defensive passing yards: 202.44

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Why Bet the Carolina Panthers Odds at -3

The Panthers are a good bet in this scrimmage opener mostly because they want to immediately distance themselves from last year’s stinker of a campaign. Carolina will be looking to keep cam Newton upright and healthy after the former league MVP suffered through an injury-filled 2016 campaign that wasn’t very pretty at all. Still, don’t expect to see newton play more than two series at best as veteran Derek Anderson, Joe Webb and Garrett Gilbert get the majority of playing time in this opener. You should also expect to see gifted rookie running back Christian McCaffrey and to a lesser degree, Ohio State wideout Curtis Samuel play a bunch, along with other skill position backups like Russell Shepard, Damiere Byrd and Keyarris Garrett vie for playing time behind starters Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess. On defense, Carolina will be looking for solid performances from their secondary first and foremost while looking to add quality depth behind the starters on the d-line and at linebacker.

CAROLINA PANTHERS TEAM STATISTICS

For me, it’s all about Carolina looking to get the bad taste out of their mouths from last season’s uninspiring 6-10 campaign. While you won’t see the Panthers play their starters longer than they normally would, I think head coach Ron Rivera is putting a bit more emphasis on getting the win in this one than Houston’s Bill O’Brien. Carolina wins a thriller to narrowly cover the spread while the final score plays just over the total.

NFL Week 1 Pick: Carolina 24 Houston 17