2024 NFL Picks, score predictions for Week 1

Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts

Sunday, September 8, 1:00 PM ET

Here we have our first home underdog of the Week 1 slate with the Houston Texans (-2.5) being favored over the Indianapolis Colts, even with the Colts heading into the season fully healthy and with Anthony Richardson on the comeback trail.

The Texans have been everyone’s flavor of the offseason, and understandably so. They drafted the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year in 2023 in CJ Stroud and Will Anderson Jr., and all they did this offseason is upgrade. The Texans went out and snagged Stefon Diggs in a trade with the Buffalo Bills while adding pass rusher Danielle Hunter from the Vikings in free agency.

And they made plenty of other moves to upgrade beyond that.

The Texans look like they could be a force in the AFC, but the Colts might have something to say about being overlooked in this early AFC South matchup. Indianapolis won 9 games last year with Gardner Minshew mostly leading the charge at quarterback. With all due respect to Minshew, the Colts obviously feel like they can be even more dangerous with Richardson at quarterback, and we’re about to find out.

This is a great early test for both of these young quarterbacks going against talented defensive fronts. Although momentum doesn’t exactly carry over from one season to the next, I still like what we saw from the Texans last year a lot and I feel like they’re going to go on the road and make an early statement here.

Prediction: Texans win 27-22