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The Patriots face the Houston Texans on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET, and most experts think New England will be advancing to the AFC Championship. The Pats beat the Texans back in Week 14 by a dominating 42-14 score, and Houston has been struggling down the stretch.
Joel Thorman of SB Nation is going with the Patriots in his 2013 NFL Playoffs picks. Thorman doesn't even feel that the game will be close, as he has New England winning comfortably at 35-20.
ESPN's panel of pundits is almost unanimous in its selection of the Patriots. The only holdout in the 12-man group is Adam Schefter. The NFL reporter was 4-0 in his Wild Card round picks, so it is possible he knows what he is talking about. Or, he is just throwing darts with his eyes closed (probably that).
CBS Sports goes all-in on New England straight up, but is divided on whether or not the Patriots will cover the huge (for a playoff game between two 12-4 teams) 9 1/2-point spread. Yahoo Sports also thinks that the Pats will make it two-straight over Houston.