Through the air and on the ground McCaffrey made it happen for Carolina
McCaffrey dominates Texans to lead Panthers to win
Sep 29, 2019, 3:39 pm
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Christian McCaffrey
The best player on the field Sunday was without a doubt Christian McCaffrey. The Houston Texans had no answers for the all-purpose wonder as he led the Panthers to a 16-10 victory in Houston.
McCaffrey would finish the day with 179 total yards. Through the air he was the Panthers leading receiver catching 10 passes for 86 yards. He had a key third down reception to keep a drive alive and though the Panthers didn't score, they flipped the field on the Texans.
He caught that?!
Christian McCaffrey is unreal 😳 #CARvsHOU #KeepPounding @run__cmc
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Bill O'Brien would challenge the above play but to no avail it would stand as called.
On the ground, the Panthers star back was equally hard to solve but the Texans had a little more success slowing him down on the ground. He carried the ball 27 time for 93 yards which is a 3.4 yards per carry average. He did score the only touchdown of the day for Carolina as he scampered in from three yards out.
"He's a great player. You have to know where he is on every play," said head coach Bill O'Brien.
14 of the 37 touches for McCaffrey went for 6-plus yards as he was the only thing really working on any consistent basis for the Panthers. More than a few times he got a free release from the Texans offense making his catch easy. He was a nightmare matchup for Zach Cunningham in coverage.
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The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!