CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers' final preseason game of 2026, and their only one at home, began with a deluge. It looked to put a damper on a final week of training camp and preseason that had been punctuated by a "lopsided" joint practice earlier in the week.

But, as the wisdom of Dolly Parton taught us, "The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you got to put up with the rain."

And, with around five minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Panthers defense got their first of three turnovers of the night, right as a rainbow appeared, framing the city skyline above the Northeast corner of Bank of America Stadium.

The Panthers beat the Texans 16-13 behind a solid defensive effort and a fourth-quarter touchdown by running back Miles Davis, finishing the preseason at 3-1.

Neither team was playing starters, a decision Panthers head coach Dave Canales and Texans coach DeMeco Ryans made together earlier in the week.

The defense took the field first, after the Panthers won the toss and deferred. Ryan Fitzgerald attempted his first squib kick of the preseason, getting in the practice before regular season games begin. The pouring rain and slick field did him no favors, and it landed short of the landing zone. It meant the Texans started with great field position at their own 40-yard line.

With the advantageous field position and the two opening plays, it seemed like the Texans — quarterbacked by Davis Mills — were going to move easily downfield. Then, on Houston's first pass attempt of the night, outside linebacker Trevis Gipson flew into the backfield for a sack and loss of 7 yards.

Trevin Wallace, starting alongside Claudin Cherelus as both fight to the end in a linebacker competition, blew past a pass-blocking running back on the next play, laying out Mills for another 7-yard loss sack. Next, Wallace was all over the screen on third down to force a punt.

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After the offense, led by Kenny Pickett with Bryce Young and other starters not playing, went three-and-out, Gipson and the defense went to work again. On a third-and-6, the pass-rusher landed a hit on Mills as he threw, causing an errant throw that Lathan Ransom was all too happy to pick off around midfield.

Devonta Smith pitched in with two pass breakups on the next defensive drive, forcing another punt, and the offense made a push into the second quarter behind some big AJ Dillon runs and a deep pass over the middle to Ja'seem Reed. But the drive stalled, and after taking a big hit on third down, Pickett's night was done.

Houston's only points in the first half came after Kyle Trask, in for his drive of the night, sent one late and over the middle for an easy interception. The Texans turned the short field into a 38-yard field goal to go up 3-0.

The Panthers defense forced a three-and-out twice in the first half, and in addition to the Ransom interception, ended another drive with a turnover after Cam Gill picked up a fumble on a botched exchange.

That turnover gave the Panthers their best field position of the first half. Anthony Tyus III received most of the running back work on the drive; it was a Trask scramble, though, followed by a pass to David Moore that kept the chains moving, and Fitzgerald capped it off with a 30-yard chip shot to tie it 3-3.

Cam Miller picked off Texans passer Brett Rypien on the next drive, for the third Houston turnover in the first half. Just like they did on the previous drive off a turnover, the Panthers offense turned it into points, thanks to two big throws from Trask to Feleipe Franks and David Moore that put the Panthers into the red zone.

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.

It was enough of a cushion to survive a late fourth quarter Texans touchdown and give the Panthers the win. Linebacker Jeremiah Moon punctuated the win with a forced fumble on the Texans last drive, Carolina's fourth turnover of the night on defense.

The fourth preseason game was an audition for many players. Carolina, and all teams league-wide, must now spend the next couple of days whittling down their roster. They must be at 53 men by 6 p.m. ET Sunday.

With so many players getting the night off, the expected starters featured everyone from guys fighting for a roster spot to those rounding out units.

On offense, quarterback Kenny Pickett led a group that included running back Trevor Etienne, wide receivers Brycen Tremayne, Ja'seem Reed, and David Moore, tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders, and an offensive line that included left tackle Stone Forsythe, left guard Chandler Zavala, center Sam Hecht, right guard Ja'Tyre Carter, and right tackle Albert Reese.

On defense, the line included Jared Harrison-Hunte, Cam Jackson, and Aaron Hall, with outside linebackers Thomas Incoom and Trevis Gipson, linebackers Claudin Cherelus and Trevis Gipson, cornerbacks Corey Thornton and Robert Rochell, and safeties Zakee Wheatley and Lathan Ransom.

Jimmy Horn Jr. handled all of the punt return duties in the first half, and was joined by John Metchie III on kickoff return.