Houston at New England 2018 NFL Week 1 Lines & Pick

The opening week of the 2018 NFL regular season brings us a rematch of an exciting contest from a year ago, when the Houston Texans almost knocked off the New England Patriots on their home field. Rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson shredded the Patriots’ defense, and it took all of Tom Brady’s magic to bring the Patriots back for a 36-33 victory. Watson would suffer a season-ending knee injury a few weeks later, but he has returned and looks just as dynamic in the Houston offense, while Brady has advanced a year further into his forties and has a Patriot locker room that is still divided over several issues, such as Brady’s trainer and the treatment of Malcolm Butler in the Super Bowl, that may keep New England from starting the season on a high note. Take a look at our NFL betting preview for this exciting opener for Houston at New England.

Houston at New England 2018 NFL Week 1 Lines & Pick

👀 #WeAreTexans pic.twitter.com/Bl8nPYcmHl

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 21, 2018

When: Sunday, September 9, 2018, 1:00pm ET Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA TV: CBS Radio: KILT 100.3 FM Houston / WBZ 98.5 FM Boston Live Stream: NFL Live NFL Odds: New England -7, O/U 51

Why should you bet on the Texans?

A lot of people in the oddsmaking industry may have forgotten that Deshaun Watson was streaking toward Offensive Rookie of the Year status last year, and that Houston was scoring 33 points per game in their last five contests before Watson went down. J.J. Watt has also returned to full health and is expected to start. Even if his back doesn’t allow him to make it through the entire regular season, it’s hard to imagine that he won’t bring all sorts of aggression in this game. The edge rushing from Houston should be significant, and New England’s O-line went through some major changes in the off-season. There are also the intangibles to think about here. Teams that lose in the Super Bowl often hit a hangover the next year and have a hard time getting up and running, and a team that is used to winning, like the Patriots, may have that at an even higher level. Given all of the bickering that has taken place in the locker room, it’s hard to imagine Bill Belichick having the Pats highly motivated for the opener. Yes, New England routed the Eagles in the preseason, but it’s not hard to shut down the likes of Eagles backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld. The Texans are younger and hungrier and ready for redemption.

Why should you put your money on New England?

There are few teams in the history of the NFL who have done more with less than the Patriots have. As long as Tom Brady has been at quarterback, the team has basically slapped lineups into place around him, with linemen, tailbacks, receivers, tight ends (except for Gronk) and defensive units largely taking on new composition each season, but the Patriots keep winning. It helps, of course, that there aren’t any other powerhouses in the AFC to challenge them, but New England has a system that works, season in and season out. No coach does a better job of preparing for an opponent’s game plan than Bill Belichick does, and he will have film of last year’s game to watch as he prepares for Watson 2.0. Going back to intangibles, there are few teams that have a chip on their collective shoulder the size of New England’s. Tom Brady returned from his DeflateGate suspension on a mission and delivered a championship season for his team, and he comes into this season under a cloud of questions about his age, his relationship with the team and whether he can still win, and there are few quarterbacks with the sense of discipline and dedication that he has.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I see this game turning into another barnburner, as Watson will play with confidence, but Brady will still lead enough drives to make things interesting. That seven-point line is a little large, though, as I see Houston coming up just short again, with a final of New England 30, Houston 27 — but Houston covering.