In this Week 8 matchup, the Carolina Panthers will be taking on the Houston Texans. This game is significant for two reasons. One of the first and second overall picks in this year’s past NFL draft will face off. Two Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud have been friends since the eighth grade.
Stroud Vs Young
Their rookie-year stats (so far) are nearly identical. In Seven games, Stroud has had 1660 yards, a 59.6% completion percentage, nine touchdowns, and one interception. Young has had 967 yards, a 62.7% completion percentage, six touchdowns, and four interceptions. The Carolina Panthers and the Houston Texans have very different records (the Texans’ overall record is 3-3, while the Panthers’ overall record is 0-6).
This may be the week they get a win (she says hopefully, yet she will be disappointed as always). While Young has not looked that bad during his rookie yearbook, Stroud has looked like the best QB in this rookie class (with Anthony Richardson out and Will Levis not playing nearly as much as Stroud and Young.
The History is Deep
Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud have known each other since middle school. Both grew up in California and played for rival high schools (Bryce played for Cathedral, then Mater Dei and Stroud played for Rancho Cucamonga.
They met in middle school, then the relationship grew in high school and eventually on to Ohio State (where Stroud would play) and Alabama (where Young would play). The NFL Draft night came. The first overall pick was Bryce Young. Then Stroud was selected by the Houston Texans with the following draft selection.
This week will be the first time they will face off in their NFL Careers (cheers to many more matchups between the two of them).
Rookie v Rookie
This game will be televised on FOX at 1:00 pm EST for Charlotte and noon CT. The betting line for this game is -3.3 Houston. The over/under is 43.5 points (if only the Panthers could score that many points).
Both Teams are coming off a Bye Week. In addition, Carolina has handed over play-calling duties to Thomas Brown (their Offensive Coordinator). The Offense Carolina will be displaying will likely be very different from the one they have been running (when Frank Reich was play calling). It will be interesting to see if the change has any real effect on their season, which seems to be a lost cause.
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