Ted Ginn Jr scored the only touchdown of the first half to hand the Carolina Panthers a 10-3 lead over the Houston Texans in their NFL clash at the Bank of America Stadium this evening.

The Texans went into the match looking to bounce back from defeat on the opening weekend, and it was the visitors who were first to register on the scoreboard when Randy Bullock made a 43-yard field goal attempt.

That proved to be the only score of a tight opening quarter, but Carolina did finally get on the board early in the second when Cam Newton and Ginn Jr combined for a 25-yard score.

Graham Gano made the gap seven with a 28-yard kick later in the second, but they failed to add to that advantage when Newton saw a pass intercepted by Rahim Moore, whose subsequent fumble did not prove costly for the Texans.

There was to be no further activity on the scoreboard as the Panthers shut out Houston in the second quarter to take a seven-point lead into the break.