Belichick expects changes from rout of Houston

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – A regular-season rout can be a poor predictor of the postseason rematch. Coach Bill Belichick has another chance to remind his New England Patriots of that less than a month after their 42-14 romp that shoved the Houston Texans into their late-season plunge. The stakes will be much higher when the Texans return next Sunday to the field where they flopped. The winner of the divisional-round matchup goes to the AFC championship game. “The game that we play now doesn’t have much to do with the game we played before,” Belichick said Sunday, one day after the Texans advanced with a 19-13 wild-card win over the Cincinnati Bengals Two years ago, the Patriots beat the New York Jets 45-3 in the 12th game of the season. Just six weeks later, the Patriots had the NFL’s best record but lost to the Jets 28-21 in a divisional game. It’s a history lesson Belichick is sure to review this week. “I don’t think it’s anything that wasn’t mentioned until that situation occurred, but it’s an example we can point out,” he said in a conference call during a break from preparing for the Texans.