Divisional round picks: Who the experts are taking in Texans vs. Pats

Ali Bhanpuri: Patriots
Brooke Cersosimo: Texans
Dan Parr: Patriots
Gennaro Filice: Texans
Tom Blair: Patriots

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Divisional round picks: Who the experts are taking in Texans vs. Pats

January 17, 2026

The Houston Texans are looking to make history on Sunday afternoon with a trip to the conference championship on the line.

The only thing standing in the way? A victory over the New England Patriots on the road. No worries since the Texans haven’t won a divisional round game in franchise history and remain 0-2 at Gillette Stadium.

The Texans’ divisional round game will air on ESPN at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday afternoon. According to BETMGM, the Texans open as a 3.5-point underdog over the Patriots, with the over/under set at 41.

Sitting at 13-5 following a 30-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round, the Texans are in great shape for an 11th straight victory. The Texans are also on the league’s longest winning streak, rattling off nine straight to close out the campaign.

As for the Patriots, they had their fair share of struggles in a 16-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but Drake Maye showed off why he’s an MVP favorite after securing an easy touchdown reception to Hunter Henry. Houston will be the toughest task faced against New England all season, since the Patriots played a fourth-place schedule and benefited from playing the NFC South.

Who are the experts riding with between the Patriots and Texans? Let’s take a look and see which team is expected to win on Monday night at Gillette Stadium.