Carolina Panthers inside linebacker Jared Norris (52) causes a fumble on Houston Texans tight end Evan Baylis (81) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Wednesday, Aug. Watson runs for TD, leads Texans over Bengals 13-9 in debut. Deshaun Watson ran 49 yards for a touchdown in his first NFL start and led the Houston Texans' depleted offense to a late clinching.

Carolina Panthers' Steve Smith (89) breaks the tackle of several Houston Texans players for a 74-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Panthers' 34-21 loss to the Texans in an NFL football. But the Texans couldn't do much on the ensuing drive, which included two sacks, and had to punt it away. The Panthers took a 3-0 lead on a 48-yard field goal with about 2 1/2 minutes left in the. The Carolina Panthers take on the New Orleans Saints during Wild Card Weekend of the 2017 NFL Postseason.Watch full games with NFL Game Pass: https://www.nfl.

The Carolina Panthers begin their preseason campaign in just a few hours when they host the Houston Texans. Even though it’s a practically meaningless game, there’s plenty of reasons to tune in.

Here’s our predictions for the general flow of the game and which players will stand out on both sides of the ball.

The first preseason game of the year usually isn’t the prettiest football that you’re ever going to watch. It takes time for teams to shake off the rust of the offseason and we’ll mostly be seeing backups and third-stringers on the field. In other words? Don’t expect a shootout.

With Derek Anderson, Joe Webb, Garrett Gilbert, Tom Savage, Brandon Weeden and Deshaun Watson expected to play at quarterback, this matchup is probably going to get ugly at some point.

Both Houston and Carolina have tough defensive front sevens, which should keep this one a low-scoring affair.

He may not be in the game too long, but rookie running back Christian McCaffrey’s debut in the NFL is not something you’ll want to miss.

McCaffrey has been making remarkable plays at Panthers training camp and even forcing some of the best linebackers in football to miss him over and over again when he gets into space.

Coach Ron Rivera says McCaffrey will play about a quarter and a half tonight. We’re expecting somewhere between 50-75 yards from scrimmage and a couple of punt return reps as well.

On the other side of the ball, look for second-year defensive tackle Vernon Butler to get plenty of playing time.

Starters Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei will likely only play a few series, which should give Butler a chance to show what he can do after an injury-shortened rookie season.

Butler has a knack for batting down passes (and field goal attempts) but he has to improve on his run defense. A sack and a couple tackles for a loss for Butler would be a nice start to the preseason.

With No. 2 wide receiver Will Fuller out with a shoulder injury, Houston needs someone else to step up. At least in the first half of the game, we’re expecting that to be third-year receiver Jaelen Strong.

Texans Vs Panthers 2019

Strong has the size (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) and speed to get over the top against some of Carolina’s backup corners. He should provide a good test for those young Panthers defensive backs hoping to earn a spot behind James Bradberry and Daryl Worley.

Houston’s most famous rookie is Watson, but don’t sleep on their second-round pick Zach Cunningham.

According to our Texans Wire editor, Cunningham has looked strong on the practice field so far. He’s great at shooting gaps and stopping plays in the backfield. Cunningham also has a wide tackle radius and a sharp eye for diagnosing the offense, not unlike Luke Kuechly.

Texans Vs Panthers 2018

Not that it matters, but Vegas is favoring Carolina by three points for this game and we see no reason to bet against them.