What the ESPN FPI Says About the Panthers' Chances Against the Texans

As Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich would say, "Every game is a must-win," and although he's not wrong, this one truly is a must-win game for the winless Panthers.

No team has ever made the playoffs after an 0-6 start to the season but this is a golden opportunity for Carolina to get that first win of the year and perhaps get on a little bit of a roll.

During the bye week, Reich made the difficult decision of giving up the offensive play-calling duties, handing it over to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. This should allow the unit to operate more smoothly and not have as much confusion with Reich balancing a million things.

There's also a chance that starting right guard Austin Corbett gets activated this week which would be terrific news for a struggling offensive line.

On the other side of the ball, Houston has played some really good offensive football with their rookie quarterback, CJ Stroud. You'd have to imagine playing the team that passed on you with the first overall pick has to mean a little something and he'll want to send a message. With that said, if the Panthers can apply pressure, Stroud could try to force something to happen that's not there.

According to the ESPN FPI, the Panthers have just a 36.9% chance to pick up their first win of the season while the Texans have a 62.8% chance to get over .500 with their fourth win.

The Panthers and Texans will kick off at 1 p.m. EST this Sunday.

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