Texans vs. Panthers: What’s the Game Plan for Carolina?

September 19, 2015   ·   Bryan Knowles   ·   Jump to comments

Last season, the Carolina Panthers started on the road in Florida and picked up a victory.  They followed that up with a convincing, double-digit win in their home opener to start the season 2-0.
That sounds like a great road map for starting a season, and it’s precisely what the Panthers will try to do against the Houston Texans on Sunday, but it hasn’t always been that simple.  In their 20-year history before 2015, the Panthers have opened the season 2-0 only five times—or, in other words, precisely what random chance would indicate an average team would do.
Of course, the Panthers don’t want to be an average team—they want to win the division for the third year in a row.  Starting 2-0 is a great way to accomplish that task.  Since 1990, when the NFL playoffs expanded to 12 games, 128 of the 204 teams that have started 2-0 have made the playoffs, or 62.7 percent.
How will the Panthers get that 2-0 start when the Texans ...

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