Panthers finish the preseason 3-1 after win over the Texans

From there, Fitzgerald added another field goal, this one from 37 yards out, to give Carolina a 6-3 lead going into halftime.

It looked like special teams was going to make another big play, as they’ve done much of this preseason, after Texans’ Lewis Bond muffed a punt and the Panthers coverage team drove Josh Kelly (who picked up the fumble) back into the end zone.

It was a good reminder of how solid Tracy Smith’s special teams units have been, but wasn’t necessary, since Houston had 12 men on the field, and the Panthers picked up a first down as a result.

Tyus picked up his longest carry of the night, 16 yards, and while the drive stalled in the red zone, Fitzgerald knocked through his third field goal of the night for a 9-3 lead.

The Texans added a late third quarter field goal, but the Panthers responded with a nice long drive that took the game into the mid-fourth quarter and was capped with the Davis touchdown. He had a second chance at the score, as an early apparent touchdown was ruled down by contact short of the goal line.