This Matchup With The Texans Will Be Different

This week, much has been said about the matchup between the Patriots and the Houston Texans. The Texans took a fall from their top spot and now find themselves back at Gillette Stadium to take on the team that beat them 42-14 in Week 14. It was a clean sweep for the Patriots with Tom Brady throwing for 296 yards and four touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the Texans' best pass rusher, J.J. Watt, was held without a sack and Matt Schaub finished the day with a 19.1 QBR. Overall a poor performance that now gives Patriots Nation some serious confidence.

Bill Belichick doesn't expect the same type of game against the Texans this time around. A duplicate matchup is impossible to recreate so for him Sunday is a clean slate. (FILE:USPresswire)

But don't take that confidence to the coach. In his press conference yesterday Bill Belichick, as he usually does, was quick to point out to reporters that duplicating a matchup is impossible.

"But even if it did, the chances of it matched up, the number of plays that we run and the number of defenses that they run, for it to be the exact same is infinitesimal," said Belichick. "It's not going to happen. I don't think that's really important."

What is important is having a game plan that you know will bring success.

"It's about being prepared to deal with whatever it is we have to deal with on Sunday and going out there and executing it well. It's not trying to replicate a matchup, you can't do it. "

Once again, Belichick telling it like it is and not letting the noise get into his head. For this Patriots team the focus has always been on what is ahead, not what has happened in the past. One need look no further back than 2010 when the Patriots blew out the Jets in the regular season and then got their behinds handed to them in the playoffs. It can happen, and it does. The Patriots are obviously aware of this and are making the adjustments to make sure they don't get caught again.

As for the Texans, there's no doubt they have analyzed and reanalyzed the tape from their Week 14 matchup. They saw what they did wrong and what they can do to correct it. Weather will not be an issue this week as it's supposed to be downright balmy for January with temperatures in the 40s. And another driving factor for the Texans could be the fact that some are already planning the AFC Championship game for the New England Patriots. That's something that Arian Foster has used as locker material this week and is sure to rest as a chip on the team's shoulders.

Some motivation for the Patriots could be the fact that Brady is one playoff win away from breaking his tie with Joe Montana for the most postseason wins by a starting quarterback. He has been this team's leader for so long and he is a player this team will fight for. Some may say his time is running out and his age is showing, but that's not what the coach thinks. According to Belichick he is as consistent as they come.

"He's won a lot of regular season games, won a lot of playoff games. I think he's a pretty consistent player all the way through."

Consistent he is and on Sunday he'll need to be at his best to help his team execute the game plan against the Texans. But don't think they're going out there to play it safe, no, as Belichick says there's only one way to win a game.

"You don't win a war by digging a foxhole and sitting in it. You have to go out there and attack. You have to go out there and make the plays you need to make to win. It's a one-game season."

Couldn't have said it better myself.