The 2023 NFL season kicks off for the New England Patriots and Houston Texans when they collide on Thursday. The Patriots went 8-9 last season and failed to make the postseason. Meanwhile, Houston was 3-13-1 and finished last in the AFC South. Kickoff at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Texans are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Texans vs. Patriots odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 39.

Before you make any Texans vs. Patriots picks or predictions of your own, you NEED to see which side SportsLine NFL expert Emory Hunt is on. 

Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of football since 2007. He is a former running back for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and knows the game from a player's perspective. Hunt's dedication to analysis of all levels of college and professional football helped him finish 16-4 in his last 20 picks featuring the Patriots.

Now, Hunt has locked in another confident pick for Texans vs. Patriots. We can tell you he's leaning Under on the point total, 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 Texans vs. Patriots on Thursday? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Emory Hunt's pick for Texans vs. Patriots, all from the expert who is a blistering 16-4 on picks involving New England!