Through the air and on the ground McCaffrey made it happen for Carolina

McCaffrey dominates Texans to lead Panthers to win

McCaffrey dominates Texans to lead Panthers to win
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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.

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 Astros host the Mets on Opening Day. Composite Getty Image.

Framber Valdez is going to start for the Houston Astros on opening day — again.

Manager Joe Espada told reporters on Sunday that Valdez will take the mound when the Astros host the New York Mets on March 27. The left-hander is making his fourth consecutive opening-day start.

The 31-year-old Valdez went 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA in 28 starts for the AL West champions last year. He finished seventh in balloting for the AL Cy Young Award.

He struck out six while pitching four scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League game against Miami on Saturday.

Valdez made his big league debut with Houston in 2018. He helped the Astros win the World Series in 2022.

He is 68-41 with a 3.30 ERA in 157 big league games — all with Houston.

Valdez allowed three runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings against the New York Yankees on opening day last year. He received a no-decision in Houston's 5-4 loss.

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