NFL football is back. After almost six months without pro football, the NFL preseason kicks off Thursday when the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans collide in the 2024 NFL Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. A new-look Chicago Bears team will take the field. Gone is former franchise quarterback Justin Fields, who has been replaced by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams of USC, although the latter won't play on Thursday and will join most starters on the sideline. Meanwhile, the Texans enter the season with much hype after going 11-8, winning the AFC South, knocking off the Browns in the playoffs and reaching the AFC Division Round last season.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. Houston is a 1.5-point favorite in the latest Bears vs. Texans odds from DraftKings, while the over/under for total points scored is 31.5. Before making any Texans vs. Bears picks or Hall of Fame Game predictions, you need to see what proven SportsLine NFL expert R.J. White has to say, given his mastery of picks involving the Bears.
White, a Fantasy and gambling editor for CBS Sports, consistently crushes against-the-spread picks and has gone 643-543-34 on his ATS picks from 2017-23, which returned more than $4,600 to $100 players. He also went 101-84-4 (+1366) on all NFL spread picks last season. White also has a strong read on the Bears. He is 64-46-5 (+1539) on his last 115 picks in games involving Chicago. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, White has locked in on Bears vs. Texans from every angle and just locked in his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NFL odds and betting lines for Texans vs. Bears:
- Bears vs. Texans spread: Houston -1.5
- Bears vs. Texans over/under: 31.5 points
- Bears vs. Texans money line: Chicago +114, Houston -135
- CHI: Bears ranked second last season in rushing (141.1 yards per game)
- HOU: C.J. Stroud ranked third last season in passing yards per game (273.9)
- Bears vs. Texans: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Bears can cover
Though No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams will not play on Thursday, Chicago has proven it can win behind backup Tyson Bagent. Last season, Bagent was a pleasant surprise as a rookie, completing 65.7% of his passes for 859 yards and three touchdowns. Though he threw six interceptions, the Bears went 2-2 in games he started.
In addition, Chicago upgraded the running back position in the offseason by signing former Eagles running back D'Andre Swift in free agency. Still just 25 years old, Swift ranked fifth in the league in rushing yards last season (1,049). The total also was a career-high. See which team to back here.
Why the Texans can cover
The Houston front office addressed the team's biggest need in the offseason by bolstering the secondary. In April's NFL Draft, the Texans used their first pick, No. 42 overall, to select Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter and then drafted USC safety Calen Bullock with pick No. 78. They also added cornerback Jeff Okudah in free agency. The new acquisitions figure to strengthen a unit that ranked 23rd in the league last season by allowing 234.1 yards passing a game.
In addition, Houston enters the game with much better depth at quarterback than Chicago. Davis Mills made 11 starts as a rookie in 2021 and 15 the following season, when he threw for 3,118 yards with 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Case Keenum, 36, has thrown for 15,175 yards and 79 touchdowns in his career. The Bears' trio of Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien and Austin Reed have combined for eight regular season starts. See which team to pick here.
How to make Bears vs. Texans picks
White has analyzed Texans vs. Bears and while we can tell you he's leaning Under on the point total, he has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.
Who wins Bears vs. Texans in the 2024 NFL Hall of Fame Game, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Texans vs. Bears spread to back, all from the expert who is 64-46-5 on picks in games involving Chicago, and find out.
