It’s funny how things in the NFL can change in just a few short weeks. The Vikings have all the Farve haters chuckling. The Saints are in disarray, having lost to the Buccaneers and Cowboys. The Colts look ripe for the plucking, and have the Patriots fans salivating at the possibility of revenging that fourth and two debacle. While New England no longer seems like the one dimensional team that, ‘just isn’t that good’- a quote that can be lifted from any Boston sportscaster. Now, the Pats have a decent running game, a more sophisticated passing attack, a curious pass rush, and a formidable offensive line. All of the pieces need to come into place in order for the Patriots to have a successful playoff run. Look for these matchups against Houston as a tune-up for the playoffs:

1. Andre Johnson vs. Patriots Secondary

The young Patriots secondary, recently infused with Shawn Springs’ and James Sanders’ experience, need to be able to step it up come playoff time. This week will be a great warm-up against Andre Johnson. He is clearly one of if not the best receivers in the league and is a handful for any secondary. The playoff run will be mired with elite receivers and the secondary need to figure out how to contain them.

2. Laurence Maroney vs. The Fumble

In order for the Patriots to have a successful playoff run, they need to have a reliable running game. Enter Laurence Maroney who is having a great season and is the team’s best running threat. However, his propensity to fumble on the goal-line has gotten him benched. What better way of regaining the team’s confidence, then to have a fumbleless performance in a meaningless game? No risk, all reward. Don’t mess up Maroney.

3. Patriots O-line vs. Texans pass rush

Sebastian Vollmer and Matt light have anchored the ends very nicely the last couple of weeks. They need to continue their good work and not let Tom Brady get hurt in a meaningless week 17 game.

4. Patriots tight ends vs. Texans Safties

Last week against the Jaguars, the Patriots finally utilized Watson and Baker in the passing game. It seems that the emergence of Vollmer has strengthened the offensive line and freed up the tight ends to venture out downfield. This new offensive wrinkle will keep defenses honest and pay dividends for the rest of the offense.

5. Ron Brace and Wright vs. Texans O-line

Second round pick Ron Brace is having a dismal rookie year and needs to show that he can provide depth on the defensive line. Brace, along with Wright and Myron Pryor need to stop the second worst running team in the league and show that they can be counted on to spell Wilfork and Warren in the playoffs.

It worked for the Giants as we all know what happened in 2007. So if it was me filling Bill Belichick’s decision making shoes, you’d see Tom Brady the entire game. And Randy Moss. And Wes Welker. And anyone else that was healthy and important. And you’d see a game plan designed to win. At 11-5, heading into a home playoff game with a win and clicking you’d have to view the Patriots as a dangerous team.

Will it play out that way? Will the Patriots play to win? We’ll find out Sunday at 1PM.

QB Matt Schaub (#8):

Schaub is a very big, strong-armed quarterback with great tools and an ability to move around the pocket. He is still prone to bouts of inaccuracy, but is a coming into his own as one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. He has had some problem with injuries in the past. Back in 2005, threw for 298 yards and 3 touchdowns with a 112.1 QB rating filling in for an injured Michael Vick against the Patriots, though the Patriots won 31-28. Largely on the strength of that performance, Houston traded for Schaub with results finally starting to payoff big this year. With the Patriots occasional struggles in the secondary, it’ll be interesting to see how they do with the productive Schaub.

RB Arian Foster (#37):

Foster is an undrafted rookie out of Tennessee who is starting due to injuries in the Texans’ backfield. He had his best game last week with 97 yards in a Houston win. It was somewhat of a surprise he wasn’t drafted after putting up over 3,000 yards in college and having a decent size/speed combination.

WR Andre Johnson (#80):

Possibly the best wide receiver in football and one of the most dangerous offensive weapons around. Johnson has it all, size, speed, great hands and strength. He can get deep behind a defensive back, but also take a short pass the distance many times with the awesome skills he has. For the second year in a row, Johnson is up over 1,500 yards receiving and had 9 touchdowns on the year. Stopping Johnson will be a key to how the Patriots’ defense performs Sunday.

DE Mario Williams (#90):

Williams was a controversial pick by the Texans at  #1 overall a few years back ahead of Reggie Bush. It has proven to be a wise decision. Williams is one of the more dominant defensive linemen in the league and a real chore to block one on one. He’s effective versus the run, but a monster to handle as a pass rusher. Still just 24 years old, Williams has had a slightly less effective season than the previous two, but still has 8 sacks on the year. You can be sure he’d like to get to double figures for the third year in a row. The Patriots will have their hands full handling him.

LB DeMeco Ryans (#59):

A tackling machine, the 6’1″ 250 lb. Ryans is now a regular amongst NFL defensive tackles leaders annually. Active and quick, he is a good football player who has been a leader for the Texans since his rookie year. Ryans was the predecessor to the Patriots’ Jerrod Mayo as NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Though the Texans rank somewhere around the middle of the pack in both passing and rushing defense, its not the fault of Ryans who usually is as active a playmaker as you’ll see from a middle linebacker.

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