It is the first game of the first full week of the NFL Preseason as the Houston Texans face off with the New England Patriots. It is time to continue our NFL odds series with a Texans-Patriots preseason prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Odds makers do not have a lot of confidence in Houston this year. The Texans are projected to finish last in the AFC South according to Fan Duel, sitting at +1000 to win the division, the lowest odds in the division. They are also tied with for the second-lowest win total in the division at 6.5 games with the Colts. Although the Texans line favors the under, while the Colts favors the over. There is hope for the future though. Rookie quarterback CJ Stroud is right now third in Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, and Texans fans will get a chance to see him in this one, as he will make the start against the Patriots.

The Patriots find themselves in a new situation under Bill Belichick. They are also expected to finish last in their division. Their current odds to win the AFC East are at +800, well behind the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins. Still, they have a win total set at 8.5 games with the over being favored. This should still be a quality squad, but with a tough division, they could be on the outside looking in come January.

Here are the Texans-Patriots Preseason NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NFL Preseason Odds: Texas-Patriots Odds

Houston Texans: -3.5 (-110)

New England Patriots: +3.5 (-110)

Over: 36.5 (-110)

Under: 36.5 (-110)

How to Watch Texans vs. Patriots

TV: NFL Network

Stream: fuboTV

Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT

*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Texans Could Cover The Spread

The Texans spent the number two overall draft pick this year in fixing their offense. After a 3-13-1 season, in which they won two of the last three games to cost themselves the first overall pick, they still got their man in CJ Stroud. To top it off, they traded up to the number three picks to improve the defense and draft Will Anderson out of Alabama. Still, the focus will be on the offense. Last year, they were 30th in the league in scoring, 30th in third-down conversions, 24th in passing yards per game, and second in the league in giveaways. It was a rough season for the offense, but CJ Stroud will be looking to turn that around.

Stroud will be getting the start, yet he may not stay in the game long. Still, DeMeco Ryans will want to get him comfortable with the offense. The biggest concern for him in this game will be the offensive line. It was not a great line last year, and Tytus Howard will be missing this game, resulting in a newly signed free-agent George Fant taking his place. Still, Houston invested in the offensive line in the offseason to make sure Stroud stays upright.

Dameon Pierce, who ran for nearly 1,000 yards and scored four times as a rookie last year. Further, the newly acquired Robert Woods will most likely get early reps in this game. They will give way to the backups quickly though. Houston has developed some solid depth overall. Devin Singletary and Mike Boone will be playing after Pierce in this game. Singletary has run for over 800 yards each of the last two seasons and scored 12 times in those two years. Mike Boone spent most of last year on the IR but will be looking to make some plays to earn himself a roster spot. The offense should be motivated to work the ball down the field in this one, and that should be enough to keep it close to the Patriots.

Why The Patriots Could Cover The Spread

Since Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay, the Patriots have struggled. They are 25-25 since then, with one playoff appearance. The issue last year was the offense. Mac Jones regressed, and they were a middle-of-the-pack offense. They finished 17th in scoring, while being 26th in total offense, and 24th in rushing.

Mac Jones may not be playing in this one under new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. That will allow Bailey Zappe to take the spotlight. He shined at times last year and will be going out with the hope to show he deserves a chance at the top spot. Last year he went 65 for 92 passing with 781 and five touchdowns. He did three interceptions though. Trace McSorley and Malik Cunningham will be fighting to unseat him as the backup. Cunningham will be fun to watch in this game assuming he is unleashed. He was a solid dual-threat quarterback at Louisville, and it will be interesting to see if the Patriots let him use his feet in this one.

The defense will be the focus for the Patriots this year. Last year it was a defense that ranked eighth in yards per game while sitting 11th in points allowed. The rush defense was solid last year, ranking sixth in the NFL, allowing just 105.5 yards per game on the ground. The pass defense was not as good though, sitting 16th in the league in passing yards per game allowed.

The Patriots focused on that pass defense in the draft. With their first-round selection, they took Christian Gonzalez, the corner out of Oregon. He is currently fifth in offs to win AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, sitting at +1100 right now. The Patriots then took Keion White in the second round, to help with the pass rush that struggled last year, before hitting the linebacking core with Marte Mapu in the third round.

Final Texans-Patriots Prediction & Pick

With the Patriots focusing on defense against an offense that has historically struggled, there may not be a lot of points in this game. The Patriots are not expected to play a lot of their main offensive weapons. They do not have a great wide receiver core overall, and with their top guys either sitting or playing very little, scoring should not be high in this one. Still, Bill Belichick likes to win. As the head coach, he is 50-28 in the pre-season and has had a winning record in the preseason three of the last four years. He gets another win in this one, while the score stays low.

Final Texans-Patriots Prediction & Pick: Patriots +3.5 (-110) and Under 36.5 (-110)