2024 NFL Hall of Fame Game odds, spread, time: Texans vs. Bears predictions, picks from expert who's 42-27

The Houston Texans return to the place where it all started when they take on the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio on Thursday. Founded in 1999, Houston played its first NFL contest in Canton three years later, when it lost to the New York Giants, 34-17, in the 2002 Hall of Fame Game. The Texans will kick off the preseason for a second time after winning the AFC South title for the seventh time last season. Chicago dropped a 17-16 decision to Baltimore in 2018 after emerging victorious in its first four appearances in the Hall of Fame Game. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who was the first overall pick in the 2024 Draft, is not expected to make his NFL debut.

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 2024 NFL Hall of Fame Game predictions, you need to see what SportsLine NFL expert Larry Hartstein has to say .

A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed working for Pro Football Focus. He tied for 52nd place (out of 1,598 entries) in the 2022 Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest, going 53-34-3 against the spread. Hartstein's weekly Vegas contest selections form the basis of his NFL best bets column, which is 79-48-2 (62.2%, +25.95 units) since its inception in 2022.

More importantly, Hartstein has a read on the pulse of the Texans. He is 42-27-4 (+1229) on his last 73 against-the-spread NFL picks in games involving Houston. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, Hartstein has locked in on Bears vs. Texans from every angle and released a confident against-the-spread pick for the NFL Hall of Fame Game 2024. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks . Here are several NFL odds and trends for Texans vs. Bears:

• Texans vs. Bears spread: Houston -1.5
• Texans vs. Bears over/under: 31.5 points
• Texans vs. Bears money line: Chicago +114, Houston -135
• CHI: Bears are 4-1 all-time in the Hall of Fame Game
• HOU: Texans lost their only previous appearance in the Hall of Fame Game (2002)
• Texans vs. Bears picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why the Bears can cover

With Williams just a spectator, Tyson Bagent will start at quarterback against the Texans. The 24-year-old Bagent signed with the Bears in 2023 as an undrafted free agent and started four of the five games in which he appeared last season due to Justin Fields' injury. He became the first Chicago QB to win his initial NFL start since Craig Krenzel in 2004 when he guided the team to a 30-12 victory against Las Vegas in Week 7.

Brett Rypien and Austin Reed figure to follow Bagent under center on Thursday. Rypien, whose father Mark was Super Bowl XXVI MVP for Washington, has thrown for 950 yards with four touchdowns and nine interceptions in 10 career NFL games - including two with the Los Angeles Rams last season. Signed as an undrafted free agent this year, Reed passed for 8,084 yards and 71 TDs over two campaigns at Western Kentucky. See who to back at SportsLine .

Why the Texans can cover

Head coach DeMeco Ryans is unlikely to allow 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud to take a snap, meaning quarterback duties will go to the trio of Davis Mills, Case Keenum and Tim Boyle. A third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Mills has made 26 starts and appeared in 34 regular-season games in his career, throwing for 5,955 yards with 35 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. Keenum made his NFL debut with Houston in 2013 and played for six other teams before returning to the Texans last season, when he completed 34-of-53 pass attempts for 291 yards with a TD and three interceptions in two contests - both starts.

Boyle, who appeared in one game for the Bears in 2022, threw for 360 yards with a touchdown and four interceptions in three contests with the New York Jets last season before being released. The Texans added a pair of productive pieces to their ground attack during the offseason in four-time 1,000-yard rusher Joe Mixon and Cam Akers, although the latter is the only one likely to see action on Thursday. Jawhar Jordan, a sixth-round pick in this year's draft, should get some carries after rushing for 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns at Louisville in 2023. See who to back at SportsLine .

How to make Bears vs. Texans picks

Hartstein has analyzed this matchup from every angle. He's leaning Under on the point total and has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine .

Who wins the 2024 Hall of Fame Game, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Hartstein's Texans vs. Bears picks, all from the NFL expert who is on a 42-27 roll on picks involving Houston , and find out.