The Houston Texans will host the Cleveland Browns in an AFC Wild-Card matchup Saturday at NRG Stadium. The Texans (10-7) beat the Colts in a winner-take-all matchup for a spot in the NFL playoff bracket last Saturday, while Cleveland (11-6) rested its starters Sunday in a 31-14 loss to the rival Bengals that snapped a four-game win streak. Saturday's kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET. Cleveland is a two-point favorite in the latest Browns vs. Texans odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 45. The Browns are -132 on the money line, while the Texans are +112.

Before you make any Texans vs. Browns picks or NFL bets, you need to see what SportsLine senior analyst Larry Hartstein has to say, given his mastery of picks in games involving Houston.

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 ATS. Those selections form the basis of his weekly SportsLine NFL best bets, which are 69-46-2 since the start of last season, including a 14-7 record the past seven weeks.

Most importantly, Hartstein has a strong feel for the Texans, going 42-26-4 (+1344) on his last 72 picks in games involving Houston! Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Hartstein knows the Browns have been on a roll since Joe Flacco took over at quarterback. The former Super Bowl MVP has 1,616 passing yards and 13 TDs in five starts and has won four in a row. The Browns scored at least 30 points in three of those and the defense is one of the NFL's best. The unit allows 270.2 yards per game (fewest in NFL) and 4.8 per play (second).    

Hartstein also has considered that Houston has won six of the past eight games that rookie C.J. Stroud has started at quarterback. The 22-year-old threw for 4,108 yards and 23 TDs despite missing two games and had just five interceptions. Receiver Nico Collins had 195 yards and a TD on nine catches last week. The Texans are plus-10 in turnover margin, while Cleveland is minus-9.     

Now, Hartstein has locked in another confident against-the-spread pick for Browns vs. Texans. We can tell you he's leaning Over the point total, but he knows a crucial X-factor that makes one side of the spread a MUST-BACK! You ABSOLUTELY need to see what it is before locking in any picks of your own.

Who wins Browns vs. Texans in Saturday's NFL Wild-Card matchup? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a MUST-BACK? ... Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the Texans vs. Browns spread to jump on, all from the expert who's 42-26 on picks involving Houston!