The New England Patriots and Houston Texans will matchup in an AFC matchup on Sunday. It's time to continue our NFL odds series and make a Patriots-Texans prediction and pick.

The Patriots and Texans will both look for their second win of the 2021 season, while the Patriots have looked better of late. Houston got out to a decent start with a win in Week 1, but quarterback Tyrod Taylor went down in Week 2 and it has been a struggle for Houston since with rookie Davis Mills at the helm.

Here's how the bookmakers have set the Patriots-Texans odds for this Sunday matchup.

NFL Odds: Patriots-Texans Odds

New England Patriots -9 (-105)

Houston Texans +9 (-115)

Over 39.5 points (-110)

Under 39.5 points (-110)

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Why The Patriots Can Cover The Spread

Mac Jones looks better and better each week. Despite the loss to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday night, Jones stole the show in some ways. The rookie tied Brady's Patriots record with 19 straight completions during the game, and stared down Tampa's vaunted pass rush all night. He was able to take the heat and still make plays, giving the Patriots a real chance to pull off the upset before Nick Folk missed a tough go-ahead 56-yard field goal with under a minute remaining in the fourth.

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The Texans offense has been flat-out dreadful since Taylor went down. They are inefficient in both the pass and the run game, as Mills looks like a rookie who probably needed more time before becoming an NFL starting quarterback. Mills was Houston's third-round choice in the 2021 NFL Draft, but they signed Taylor to be the starter.

Nine is a big number to cover for Jones, a rookie quarterback in his own right, but this may be more about Houston's inability to play sound offense. Bill Belichick will obviously have the Patriots defense ready to make life miserable for Mills, so it might not take a great offensive output for New England to cover this spread.

Why The Texans Can Cover The Spread

Nine points is a lot in the NFL, and it would be perfectly reasonable to fade a rookie quarterback laying that many points. The issue with taking Houston is their lack of offense. They have scored just nine total points in two games since Taylor's injury, and were shut out 40-0 by the Buffalo Bills in Week 4. The Patriots aren't as explosive as the Bills, obviously, but the Texans will need to put up more of an offensive showing if they are going to cover any single-digit spread.

It is certainly possible they look better this week but it seems risky to ride with the Texans to say the least at this point.

Final Patriots-Texans Prediction & Pick

This game is tough, so feel free to stay away from it. Since we have to make a pick, the Patriots -9 seems like the safer side here. Mills has not been able to get the Texans offense whatsoever through two games, so ride with New England and their defense.

FINAL PATRIOTS-TEXANS PREDICTION & PICK: Patriots -9 (-105)