The fifth-seeded Houston Texans will look to extend their winning streak to 10 games when they battle the second-seeded New England Patriots in a 2026 NFL divisional round matchup on Sunday. Houston advanced with a 30-6 win at Pittsburgh, while New England defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 in the Wild Card Round. The Texans (12-5), who finished 10-2 against AFC foes this season, have outscored their opponents by 109 points. The Patriots (14-3), who were 9-3 within the conference, have a plus-170 point differential. Houston will be wide receiver Nico Collins (concussion). Pats CB Christian Gonzalez (concussion) is active after passing protocol.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Houston has won three of the last four meetings with New England. The Patriots are 3-point favorites in the latest Texans vs. Patriots odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 40.5. New England is at -174 on the money line (risk $174 to win $100), with Houston at +145.
Before making any Texans vs. Patriots picks, check out the NFL predictions from SportsLine expert Bruce Marshall.
For years Vegas-based Bruce Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famed sports betting newsletter. With a background in play-by-play work and sports information while in college, Bruce joined TGS in 1981 when hired by the legendary Mort Olshan and served as executive editor for many years. Marshall now supplies his unique and colorful brand of football and basketball analysis to SportsLine members. Marshall has crushed his NFL picks, going 56-37-2 (+1494) in his last 95 NFL against the spread picks.
Now, Marshall has locked in another confident against-the-spread 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.
So who wins Texans vs. Patriots in Sunday's divisional round matchup, and what x-factor makes one side of the spread hit HARD? ... Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the Texans vs. Patriots spread to back, all from the expert who is a blistering 56-37-2 in his last 95 NFL picks!
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Written by Daniel Kohn
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