Texans 100: Facts and figures for Panthers on Thursday Night Football

The Houston Texans take on the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football to kickoff Week 3 across the NFL.

The Texans are coming off a loss to the Cleveland Browns wherein injuries affected frontline starters, including quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who is now on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

Enter Davis Mills, the rookie third-rounder from Stanford, who will make his first career start against a 2-0 Panthers squad that features a stout defense.

“I think they’ve got some pretty stout guys in the middle,” guard Tytus Howard said. “Some pretty fast edge rushers outside. Yeah, they have a pretty talented front seven, powerful inside. Linebackers are fast, edge guys are fast. Going to be a challenge.”

Here are 100 facts about the matchup to get ready for Thursday night.

Series facts

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1. The Texans are 1-1 for the sixth time in team history. Only one of those previous five teams made the playoffs (2019), although the 2009 team finished with a winning record. 2. The Panthers are 2-0 for the eighth time in team history. Six of those previous seven teams made the playoffs (1996, 2003, 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017). 3. Since 1990, 74.8% (116/155) teams that started 3-0 made the playoffs compared to 53.9% (174/323) that started 2-1. 4. Since 1990, 53.9% (174/323) teams that started 2-1 made the playoffs compared to 24.8% (80/323) teams that started 1-2. 5. The Texans are 6-7 on Thursdays with a 4-7 record on Thursday nights. 6. The Texans are 2-3 all-time against the Panthers with a 1-2 record at home. 7. The Texans’ 2-3 record against the Panthers is tied with the Falcons for their second-best against a NFC South opponent: Buccaneers: 4-1 Falcons: 3-2 Panthers: 2-3 Saints: 2-3 8. The Texans are 28-38 in September with a 15-16 record at home. 9. Houston is 104-125 in early afternoon games with a 65-57 record at home. 10. The Panthers are 32-46 in the Central Time Zone with a 24-35 record in the early afternoon time slot.

Davis Mills facts

(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

11. Mills is the 18th different Texans starting quarterback. Here is how the other 17 fared: David Carr: 1-0 Tony Banks: 1-0 Dave Ragone: 0-1 Matt Schaub: 1-0 Sage Rosenfels: 1-0 Matt Leinart: 1-0 T.J. Yates: 1-0 Case Keenum: 0-1 Ryan Fitzpatrick: 1-0 Ryan Mallett: 1-0 Brian Hoyer: 0-1 Brandon Weeden: 1-0 Brock Osweiler: 1-0 Tom Savage: 1-0 Deshaun Watson: 1-0 A.J. McCarron: 0-1 Tyrod Taylor: 1-0 12. Mills is the fifth rookie to start at quarterback for Houston. Here is how the other four fared: David Carr: 1-0 Dave Ragone: 0-1 T.J. Yates: 1-0 Deshaun Watson: 1-0 13. Mills is the first Stanford quarterback since Andrew Luck to make a start in the NFL (last: Jan. 12, 2019 at Kansas City Chiefs, AFC divisional). 14. Mills is the fourth quarterback from the 2021 NFL draft class to make a start. Mac Jones owns the only win to date. However, Mills could become the first to win his first start. 15. Among non-starters this season, only Jacoby Brissett has more passing yards than Mills’ 102 with 169. 16. Among non-starters this year, Mills’ 102 passing yards per game are the highest in the NFL. 17. Mills is already 1/28 quarterbacks to have thrown a touchdown pass inside the 10-yard line. 18. Mills has the third-highest intended air yards per pass attempt at 12.1. 19. Mills is tied with Baker Mayfield for the eighth-highest yards after catch per completion at 7.0. 20. Mills and Trey Lance are the only quarterbacks who have thrown a touchdown this season without starting a game. 21. Technically, Mills has a better passer rating than Trevor Lawrence: 58.1 to 57.1. 22. Mills’ 42.9 completion percentage on third down was tied for the fourth-lowest in the NFL in Week 2.

Sam Darnold facts

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23. Sam Darnold is 0-1 against the Texans. On Dec. 15, 2018, as a rookie, he started for the New York Jets in a 29-22 loss at MetLife Stadium. 24. Darnold’s 100.5 passer rating is his best through two games to start a season. 25. Darnold had the fourth-highest passer rating on third down last week at 140.6. 26. Darnold also had the fifth-highest third down completion rate last week at 87.5%. 27. Darnold has thrown for 32 first downs, the sixth-most in the league. 28. Darnold has benefited from 302 yards after the catch, the ninth-most in the NFL. 29. Darnold has been blitzed 25 times, tied with Mac Jones and Justin Herbert for the fifth-most in the NFL. 30. Darnold has been pressured 23 times, the eighth-most in the league. 31. Darnold and Tom Brady are tied for the sixth-most pass attempts on play-action with 17. 32. Darnold has the eighth-most passing yards out of play-action with 153. 33. Of the eight first-round quarterbacks the New York Jets have taken, Darnold is 1/6 to have finished his career elsewhere. Sandy Stephens never played a down for the team, and the other is Zach Wilson.

David Culley facts

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34. Culley is facing the Panthers for the first time. Here is how O’Brien’s record compares to the rest of the Texans’ coaches: Kubiak: 1-1 Capers: 1-0 O’Brien: 1-1 35. Culley is 1-1. The only other Texans coach that started 1-1 in his first season was Dom Capers. Gary Kubiak was 0-2 in 2006, and Bill O’Brien was 2-0 in 2014. 36. A win would join Culley with Capers and Kubiak as Texans coaches who won their first primetime game. A loss would join him with O’Brien. 37. Culley is the first Texans coach to start two different quarterbacks within his first three career games with Houston. 38. A win would make Culley the first Texans coach since Gary Kubiak in 2007 to win his debut Thursday Night Football game. 39. Culley is coaching in his first Thursday night game. Here are how other Texans coaches fared on Thursdays: Gary Kubiak: 2-3 Bill O’Brien: 3-4 Romeo Crennel: 0-1 40. Culley and the other members of the 2021 coaching class have yet to throw the challenge flag.

Matt Rhule facts

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41. Ron Rivera had the best record against the Texans at 3-0. John Fox was 0-2. 42. Rhule joins Dom Capers, John Fox, and Ron Rivera as the only Panthers coaches to start 2-0. 43. Rhule is the only member of the 2020 coaching class to start 2-0 this season. 44. Rhule is 2-3 against the AFC with a 1-1 record on the road. 45. Rhule is 0-2 in primetime with an 0-1 record on the road. 46. Rhule is 3-2 in September with a 1-1 record on the road. 47. Rhule was 3-5 on the road last season. 48. Rhule is 0-4 in the Central Time Zone. 49. Rhule is the only Big 12 Coach of the Year to eventually coach in the NFL. 50. The last bowl game Rhule won at Baylor was the 2018 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium when the Bears beat Vanderbilt 45-38. 51. Rhule is 3/6 on challenges for his career. 52. Rhule is the only Panthers coach who did not come from a background where his most recent job was as a defensive coordinator.

Alex Kemp facts

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53. The Texans are 1-2 when Kemp referees their games: 2018 – @WAS, 23-21 – W 2019 – @RAV, 7-41 – L 2020 – @OTI, 36-42 – L-OT 54. The Texans have had fewer penalties in every game with Kemp: 2018 – WAS: 7/40; HTX: 6/43 2019 – RAV: 8/65; HTX: 5/60 2020 – OTI: 7/73; HTX: 4/46 55. In 2020, Kemp was tied for the highest home team winning percentage: Alex Kemp: .688 Ron Torbert: .688 Craig Wrolstad: .625 Land Clark: .600 John Hussey: .563 Jerome Boger: .563 Bill Vinovich: .533 Shawn Smith: .533 Brad Allen: .500 Clete Blakeman: .467 Brad Rogers: .417 Adrian Hill: .412 Tony Corrente: .400 Carl Cheffers: .400 Shawn Hochuli: .357 Clay Martin: .333 Scott Novak: .200 56. In 2020, Kemp was tied for the fourth-lowest percentage of home teams having fewer penalties: Jerome Boger: .750 John Hussey: .688 Clete Blakeman: .667 Clay Martin: .667 Carl Cheffers: .600 Shawn Smith: .600 Ron Torbert: .600 Adrian Hill: .588 Scott Novak: .533 Brad Allen: .500 Craig Wrolstad: .500 Shawn Hochuli: .500 Tony Corrente: .467 Alex Kemp: .438 Bill Vinovich: .400 Brad Rogers: .333 Land Clark: .267 57. The Panthers are 1-2 with Kemp. Here are the results: 2019 – JAX, 34-27 – W 2019 – @CAR, 31-34 – L 2020 – @GB, 16-24 – L 58. Carolina has had fewer penalties 2/3 times with Kemp: 2019 – JAX: 9/84; CAR: 8/70 2019 – NO: 12/123; CAR: 3/25 2020 – GB: 5/50; CAR: 7/66 59. Kemp’s games were tied for the second-lowest sacks per game in 2020: Smith: 5.8 Corrente: 5.1 Clark: 5.0 Martin: 5.0 Vinovich: 4.9 Hill: 4.8 Rogers: 4.8 Torbert: 4.8 Allen: 4.3 Blakeman: 4.2 Cheffers: 4.1 Hussey: 4.0 Wrolstad: 4.0 Boger: 3.9 Novak: 3.9 Kemp: 3.9 Hochuli: 3.8 60. Kemp’s crew averaged the second-most offensive holding calls per game last season: Hochuli: 3.0 Kemp: 2.8 Hill: 2.2 Cheffers: 2.1 Clark: 1.9 Smith: 1.8 Corrente: 1.8 Blakeman: 1.6 Wrolstad: 1.6 Novak: 1.6 Martin: 1.5 Hussey: 1.5 Torbert : 1.2 Boger: 1.1 Rogers: 1.0 Allen: 1.0 Vinovich: 0.9 61. The Texans are 0/1 challenging Kemp. Their opponents have not challenged Kemp, and Replay Assistant has not been a factor. 62. The Panthers are 1/1 challenging Kemp. Their opponents are 2/2 and Replay Assistant has yet to be a factor. 63. Kemp had the seventh-highest challenge overturn rate last season: Martin: 1.000 (2/2) Hussey: .750 (9/12) Vinovich: .727 (8/11) Torbert : .667 (4/6) Blakeman: .636 (7/11) Smith: .600 (6/10) Kemp: .556 (5/9) Corrente: .500 (3/6) Novak: .500 (5/10) Rogers: .500 (4/8) Boger: .467 (7/15) Clark: .455 (5/11) Hill: .400 (4/10) Allen: .333 (3/9) Hochuli: .250 (1/4) Wrolstad: .167 (1/6) Cheffers: .000 (0/3)

Broadcast facts

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64. This is the first primetime game in the series. 65. This is the first game in the series that will be broadcast on NFL Network. Here is the breakdown by network: FOX: 3 CBS: 2 66. The Texans are 7-7 on NFL Network. 67. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will be the sixth different play-by-play team to call a game in the series. 68. Houston is 2-1 when Buck calls their games. 69. The Texans are 2-1 when Aikman does color commentary for their games. 70. This is the ninth game to be simulcast on KTRK. The Texans have a 5-3 record in such games.

Miscellaneous facts

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71. Mark Ingram has the fifth-most carries in the NFL with 40. 72. Christian McCaffrey has the sixth-most rushing yards with 170. 73. Brandin Cooks has the fifth-highest receiving yards with 210. 74. Justin Reid is tied with Trevon Diggs, Tyrann Mathieu, J.C. Jackson, and Mike Edwards for the most interceptions in the league with two. 75. The Panthers are tied with the Buffalo Bills for the best defense in the NFL at 3.7 yards per play surrendered. 76. The Texans are tied with the New England Patriots for the second-most takeaways in the NFL with five. Only the Dallas Cowboys have more with six. 77. The Panthers have given up 21 points through two games, the second-fewest in the league. 78. The Texans, Cowboys, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are tied for second-most interceptions with four. Only the Patriots have more with five. 79. The Panthers defense is giving up 2.7 yards per carry, tied with the New Orleans Saints for the fewest in the NFL. 80. Carolina has the fewest rushing yards per game surrendered with 46.5. 81. The Texans are tied with the Seattle Seahawks for the 10th-most rushing yards surrendered with 4.6. 82. Just 33.3% of drives against the Texans end in a score, tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the 10th-fewest in the NFL. 83. The Texans have the second-most missed tackles in the NFL with 19. 84. True to form the Texans have called the sixth-fewest blitzes in the NFL with 10 — tied with the Los Angeles Chargers. 85. The Panthers have called the eighth-most blitzes in the league with 24. 86. Carolina has generated 32 pressures, tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the most in the NFL. 87. The Panthers have the most quarterback hits with 21. 88. The Texans are tied with the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos for the fewest quarterback hits with six. 89. The Texans are tied with the Chargers, Tennessee Titans, and Indianapolis Colts for the fourth-fewest quarterback pressures with 10. 90. The Panthers have the second-lowest opposing passer rating at 62.0. 91. The Texans have the seventh-lowest opposing passer rating at 83.4. 92. Houston is tied with the Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets for the eighth-most tackles for loss in 2021 with 10. 93. Carolina’s defense has the lowest third down conversion rate at 25.0%. 94. Houston’s defense has the eighth-lowest third down conversion rate at 35.0%. 95. Albeit the Panthers’ defense has given up two red zone touchdowns, nevertheless their defense is the worst in the NFL at 100%. However, they have allowed the fewest red zone trips with two. 96. The Texans’ defense has given up 75% (3-4) of their red zone conversions, tied with the Titans for the ninth-highest in the league. 97. Tyrod Taylor was tied with Derek Carr for the sixth-highest completed air yards per pass attempt at 5.4. 98. Taylor also had the second-highest yards per scramble in the NFL with 14.0. 99. The Texans are 1-2 on Sept. 23. Here are the results: 2007 — CLT, 24-30 — L 2012 — @DEN, 31-25 — W 2018 — NYG, 22-27 — L 100. The Panthers are 2-1 on Sept. 23. Here are the results: 2001 — @ATL, 16-24 — L 2007 — @ATL, 27-20 — W 2018 — CIN, 31-21 — W

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