The Carolina Panthers will seek their first 3-0 start since 2015 when they play their first road game of the 2021 season against the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football. Kickoff from NRG Stadium is set for 8:20 p.m. ET. Carolina is an eight-point favorite in the latest Panthers vs. Texans odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 43.

Before making any Panthers vs. Texans picks or any other NFL Week 3 predictions, you NEED to see which side SportsLine expert Larry Hartstein is on.

SportsLine's senior analyst and Early Edge podcast regular entered the 2021 season 351-291 all-time on NFL sides (plus $2,212), including a 326-280 against-the-spread mark. He was an astounding 8-1 in Week 2 and is 9-3 against the spread overall this season.

In addition, Hartstein has an amazing 30-18-3 record on his last 51 picks involving Houston, returning more than $1,000. Anyone who has followed him is WAY UP!

Hartstein knows Carolina (2-0) has been led to a pair of home victories by new quarterback Sam Darnold, who helped defeat his former New York Jets team in the season-opener before posting his first 300-yard performance since Week 12 of the 2019 season in Sunday's 26-7 win over the NFC South-rival New Orleans Saints. The Panthers also received a strong effort in that contest from their defense, which limited the Saints to six first downs and 128 total yards.

Hartstein also knows Houston (1-1) is coming off a 31-21 road loss against the Cleveland Browns in which it led by a touchdown before halftime but fell apart over the final two quarters. The Texans played without quarterback Tyrod Taylor in the second half due to a hamstring injury and will be without the 32-year-old when they host the Panthers.

Now, Hartstein has locked in another confident against-the-spread pick for Texans vs. Panthers. We can tell you he's leaning Under, but he knows a crucial X-factor makes one side of the spread a MUST-BACK! You ABSOLUTELY need to see what it is before locking in any picks of your own.

Who wins Panthers vs. Texans on Thursday Night Football? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? ... Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the Texans vs. Panthers spread to jump on, all from the expert who's an eye-popping 30-18 on picks involving Houston!