NFL Playoffs: Odds, picks, predictions, best bets for Texans vs. Patriots, Rams vs. Bears on Sunday, Jan. 18

The Divisional Round of the 2026 NFL Playoffs concludes on Sunday, Jan. 18 with the Houston Texans visiting the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams taking on the Chicago Bears. These teams did not meet during the regular season. Houston is coming off a dominant win over the Steelers 30-6 while New England enters the Divisional Round after a gutsy 16-3 triumph over the Chargers. Both NFC teams had more thrilling finishes in the Wild Card round, with Los Angeles getting a late touchdown to pull past the Panthers 34-31 and the Bears getting one late defensive stop to come back and beat the Packers 31-27.

We'll take a look at both matchups on Sunday with odds from DraftKings, predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model and all the news fans and bettors need to know before making wagers on either contest.

Texans vs. Patriots (3 p.m. ET)

Houston was won 10 games in a row behind arguably the best defense in the league. The Texans were first in yards allowed and second in points allowed in the regular season, finishing only behind the Seahawks in that category. They had two defensive touchdowns in the win over Pittsburgh, including a pick-6 on what could be the final pass of Aaron Rodgers' career. On the flip side, C.J. Stroud has been inconsistent but appears to be finding big plays for his receivers at the perfect time. Woody Marks has emerged as a solid presence on the ground, and the Texans are able to play more of a possession game and control the clock given the defense they have.

On the flip side, New England ranked fourth in scoring defense during the regular season despite being one of the worst units in the red zone. The Patriots were able to shut down Justin Herbert and limit the Chargers to three points, but can their offense move the ball against a stiff Texans defense? Drake Maye emerged as an MVP contender but one of the main criticisms of the second-year quarterback is his inflated numbers against weaker teams and an overall softer schedule. He had an eight-game stretch near the end of the season where he threw six of his eight interceptions on the season, facing some notably tougher defenses like the Bills, Buccaneers, Falcons and Browns. How Maye fares against Houston's pass rush and secondary will go a long way towards determining who wins this game.

The SportsLine Projection Model has Houston covering the spread as a three-point underdog in 49% of simulations and winning outright in 45%, which brings value as a +145 underdog. Despite some great defenses, the model leans to the Over on 40.5. New England is 12-5-1 ATS overall, 8-3-1 ATS as a favorite and 5-2-1 ATS as a home favorite. Houston is 10-8 ATS overall, 5-4 ATS as a road team and 3-3 ATS as a road underdog.

Bet on the Texans to cover the spread at DraftKings, where new users can get $300 in bonus bets if their first bet of $5 or more wins.

Rams vs. Bears (6:30 p.m. ET)

At one point, it looked like the Rams would be the clear No. 1 seed in the NFC. L.A. proceeded to lose three of its last six games and was fortunate to play the Cardinals twice from Weeks 14-18 to get some easy wins. Matthew Stafford has his full complement of weapons with Davante Adams back, and the quarterback's finger injury seems to be minor. The Rams needed a late touchdown to defeat the Panthers despite being a 10.5-point favorite and even though many of these players have been in cold weather, the elements have played a factor for L.A. The Rams can point to the snow last year as a large reason they lost against the Eagles in the Divisional Round, and it's possible they have to deal with snow again in Chicago on Sunday.

The Bears have taken their fans on a wild ride in Ben Johnson's first season at the helm, winning seven games where they had a deficit in the fourth quarter. They were down 21-3 at halftime against the Packers and down 27-16 with just over six minutes left in the game. Something seems to flip for Chicago in crunch time. Caleb Williams has made every throw in the book, especially on key downs. Colston Loveland has emerged as a go-to threat. The defense finds ways to generate pressure and led the league in takeaways despite ranking 29th in yards allowed and 23rd in points allowed. The Bears have two key injuries with guard Ozzy Trapilo and linebacker T.J. Edwards out for the season, so the Rams will look to take advantage with their pass rush and receivers. One thing Chicago didn't do well in the Wild Card game was run the ball well despite ranking third in rushing yards per game during the regular season. If D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai can establish themselves, it'll take some pressure off Williams and the receivers.

The SportsLine Projection Model likes Chicago to cover the 3.5-point spread in 53% of simulations and win in 46% as a +164 underdog to bring value. The model backs the Over on 48.5 as it hits in 53% of simulations. The Rams are 12-6 ATS overall, 5-4 ATS on the road and 4-3 ATS as a road favorite. The Bears are 11-7 ATS overall, 6-3 ATS at home and 2-0 ATS as a home underdog.

Bet on the Bears to win against the Rams at DraftKings.