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1. Nick Scurfield tweeted that Wade Phillips said, ”He’s had the absolute best year any defensive lineman has ever had”, with regards to J.J. Watt‘s ridiculous 2012 season. He recorded 23 sacks, 45 quarterback hits, 41 tackles for loss, and received a grade over 100 (!) from the Pro Football Focus. That’s a ridiculous season indeed, and those numbers are even more impressive when you take into account the fact that he is an interior defensive lineman as a 4-3 DE. That’s just insane.

2. Owen Daniels was once again limited in practice  with a minor shoulder injury that he suffered in last week’s big game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Daniels was on a tear, but and he will need to carry that momentum against the New England Patriots. The last time these two teams played, Daniels was pretty much shut down. He will most likely be playing on Sunday, and Garrett Graham (who didn’t play in the first Patriots-Texans meeting) will also play at the tight end position. Alan Ball and Mike Newton missed the Week 14 blowout loss, but those two Texans are also expected to play despite being limited in practice.

3. I saw this piece by a writer on Football Nation that gives an argument for the New England Patriots signing Tim Tebow in the offseason. He brings up the point that Josh McDaniels drafted him for the Denver Broncos, but I could never see this happening. Ever. I’m not going to go as far to say that it’s crazy to suggest it because the piece had some well-reasoned arguments, but I completely disagree with the Pats ever needing or finding a use for Tebow. Let’s just stick with Tom Brady (and Ryan Mallett), shall we?

4. So everyone selected the New England Patriots over the Houston Texans in ESPN Boston’s picks piece. Well, everyone except insider Adam Schefter, and the site also notes that he went 4-0 last week. That’s not the most impressive feat in the world, however, because all the favorites won in the Wild Card round. I’m sure he’ll be getting a notch in the loss column.

5. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald wrote that all the injury news is the same as usual, and it’s no surprise since it’s the Patriots. Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Wes Welker, and Brandon Lloyd were all limited practice, just as they have been all season. It feels great to be a Pats fan, because Bill Belichick knows better than anyone that rest is more important for a star player than a few more reps at this stage.

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1. WR Andre Johnson

In my opinion, Andre Johnson is the most talented skill position player on this roster and makes more of an impact on this team than Arian Foster. Although Foster is important and gets things going by establishing the run, he averages a mediocre four yards per carry and has an EPA of -25.3 due to a success rate under 40%. I think those advanced statistics really undercut Foster and don’t do him any justice, but I do think Foster is overrated if you look at him from a fantasy perspective or try to rate him based on the 1,500+ rushing yards alone.

To me, Johnson is the main man to watch on this offense, because holding him to under ten catches is still considered a good day against him. The Pats allowed eight catches to be completed by Johnson during the Week 14 matchup on Monday Night Football, but it was still a successful game for Aqib Talib (before he went down with an injury) and the Pats secondary. Johnson averages 100 receiving yards per game, which is an utterly ridiculous total.

2. TE Owen Daniels

The star tight end is the other dangerous weapon in the Texans passing attack, as the other three major contributors to the Texans pass offense are merely decent role players. “Merely” is the wrong choice of words, but the point here is that stopping Owen Daniels and Andre Johnson is of paramount importance.

Daniels hauled in 62 passes for 716 yards in the offseason, and he had a huge day with nine receptions against the Cincinnati Bengals. With 115 targets, he is the only player besides Johnson to have over 75 targets for the Texans. Daniels is one of the best pure pass-catching TEs in the league, and the Patriots usually struggle against tight ends.

3. LT Duane Brown

Arguably one of the three best left tackles in the game today, Duane Brown is as assured as it gets in pass protection and also possesses a high amount of proficiency as a run blocker. Brown has consistently improved in each year of his career, and it is crazy to think that he was once a liability for the Texans line. With the right side of the line filled with holes after the departures of Eric Winston and Mike Brisiel in the offseason, Brown’s importance as a bookend tackle has only increased.

4. C Chris Myers

Another ridiculously talented offensive lineman, Chris Myers should be regarded as arguably the best run blocking center. A mauler in every sense of the word, Myers is also astute as a pass blocker and might be an even better run blocker than the New England Patriots very own mauler Ryan Wendell. Myers has been a leader for this line for the last couple of years, and this is the firs time since he joined the team that he hasn’t been the best lineman on the Texans. That comes as no fault of his, though, and it’s more of a testament to the job Brown has done this year and his emergence as an elite left tackle.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

1. QB Matt Schaub 

Matt Schaub is one of my favorite quarterbacks in the NFL, and people who aren’t rating him in their top ten at the position are severely underrating him. Schaub is clearly one of the best ten QBs in the NFL and has been the seventh best in the league this season. The metrics support the notion that he has had a strong season, and he has showed off his accuracy with a 64.4% completion percentage while also consistently moving the chains for the offense. The best word to describe Schaub is “consistent”, and he can pick apart an undisciplined secondary despite not having as talented of a group of pass-catchers as the other top ten QBs do.

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2. WR Andre Johnson

The most talented weapon at Schaub’s disposal is Andre Johnson, who is likely the third best receiver in the NFL behind Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald. In my opinion, only Calvin Johnson has been better this season. Andre Johnson is averaging about ten yards per attempt, and he has already amassed 74 receptions for 1,114 yards this season. And he’s doing it at an extremely efficient rate.

Johnson is able to stretch the field well with an average of just over 15 yards per reception, and he is also catching nearly two-thirds of everything thrown at him. That combination shows why Johnson is still such a force at the WR position in this league, and he is going to be extremely difficult for even an improved Patriots pass defense to contain.

3. TE Owen Daniels

The second most valuable receiver on the Texans, Daniels has 50 receptions this season and has been a big red zone threat for this team. He and wide receiver Kevin Walter do a good job of consistently moving the chains, and Daniels leads all Texans players with six receiving touchdowns.

4. RB Arian Foster

Ah yes, Arian Foster. The Patriots run defense will need to clamp down against one of the game’s best running backs, and it will be easier for them to do so with rookie defensive end Chandler Jones in the fold. Foster, however, has had much better years and is currently averaging under four yards per carry. However, he has still been very good with over 1,000 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. Those are some scary numbers when combined with the rushing ability that both Ben Tate and Justin Forsett bring to the table.

5. LT Duane Brown

Duane Brown has consistently improved in every year of his career, to the point where he emerged as one of the game’s best left tackles. An excellent 2012 season thus far has affirmed Brown’s place among the league’s elite at the coveted tackles position, because he is a monster as a run blocker and a pass protector. His proficiency in both categories is outstanding, and he and center Chris Myers will be two elite players to watch out for on the offensive line. I just can’t praise these guys enough.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.