Had this Texans season gone according to plan, Arian Foster would have right around 1,000 yards by now, and Alfred Blue, his serviceable backup, would have a couple hundred. Either Chris Polk or Jonathan Grimes would be playing someplace else, or perhaps nowhere at all. Rookie Akeem Hunt still would be a marginal Raven, doing scout-team duty on Baltimore's practice squad.

But this Texans season did not go according to plan. Between a torn groin muscle suffered on the third day of training camp and, subsequently, a torn Achilles tendon, Foster was done by midyear after playing in only four games. So, with four games remaining and the New England Patriots at NRG Stadium on Sunday night, the run support quarterback Brian Hoyer needs to keep opposing defenses honest and his team relevant in the playoff conversation rests precariously upon the shoulders of four men who totaled 1,282 yards rushing among them over a combined 10 NFL seasons when this one began.

Foster, the league's rushing champion in 2010, has run for more than that in a single year. Twice.

More Information RB comparisons How Texans running backs Alfred Blue, Jonathan Grimes and Chris Polk have fared the last four games: Sharing the load Snaps the Texans' running backs have played over past four games. Playing-time percentage in parentheses: Opponent Blue Polk Grimes Hunt at Bengals 33 (52%) 7 (11%) 23 (37%) - vs. Jets 40 (53%) - 20 (27%) 3 (4%) vs. Saints 29 (41%) 16 (23%) 21 (30%) 4 (6%) at Bills 9 (12%) 30 (39%) 27 (36%) 5 (7%) Attempts Yards 53 19 24 171 96 123 Blue Grimes Polk Blue scored lone TD over the span

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Polk in, Blue out

To date, Blue has been given the best opportunity to fill Foster's huge shoes, with decidedly mixed results. In five of his nine starts, he has gained fewer than 3 yards per carry, earning the nickname Alfred Two. In the Buffalo loss, however, coach Bill O'Brien's patience with Blue appeared to finally be waning and he went with the hotter hand - or legs - in the person of Polk, who carried 12 times for 61 yards, both personal pro bests.

O'Brien at first insisted "circumstances" accounted for the shifted emphasis - Blue's number got called only four times and just once in the second half - saying, "It's about how the defense is playing us, the different personnel groupings."

But the coach conceded, "Sometimes it comes down to who has the hot hand, who's running the best, who's running with the most confidence, who's seeing things the best. You are not going to take a guy out who is running the ball well."

Polk was running very well. The first time he touched the ball he broke for 20 yards, getting the Texans into Bills territory on what became an 80-yard touchdown drive. In all, five of his 12 carries gained at least 5 yards. Grimes contributed a nifty 17-yard scamper, too, while Hunt picked up 7 yards, keeping his per-attempt average comfortably above 6.0 in three limited appearances.

But O'Brien has all but guaranteed the formula again will change against the Patriots. Does change mean revert, with Blue reclaiming his big-dog role? We'll see.

"I have no idea, no clue," left tackle Duane Brown said, shrugging. "You never know who's going to get the majority of the carries. We have so many backs. I think the coaches have confidence in all of them. For us, our job doesn't change. We're just trying to open up lanes. We feel they can all run well. I'm happy with the progress we've made … just trying to keep the right mentality going."

The Texans went five consecutive starts with fewer than 100 rushing yards, the longest stretch in franchise history, before comfortably topping 100 each of the past three weekends. A lot of that has to do with renewed stability in an offensive line that couldn't maintain the same five tackle-to-tackle lineup from one game to the next because of injuries.

Things have settled down there, although right guard Brandon Brooks was a late scratch in Buffalo because of a severe stomach ailment that landed him in the hospital. Still, Polk delivered a career day.

'A team sport'

"Players play, coaches coach," was Polk's diplomatic response when asked if he thinks he's being used fairly and/or effectively. "Coaches know a lot more about football than I do. Football is a team sport. It's about what you can do for the team. If they want me to block, I'll block. If they want me to return kicks, I'll return kicks.

"It was nice to get in a little rhythm (in Buffalo) and that they trusted me. But we're going to need all the running backs (to beat New England).

"I'll never be disappointed with playing time because it could always be worse. I'm blessed. I'm in the NFL, playing for the Texans, playing for a great organization. It may be a tough pill to swallow sometimes, but it's all about the team."

Polk realizes that, had Foster stayed healthy, he might not even be here today.

He probably was only signed as insurance after spending the past four seasons as a little-used backup in Philadelphia, given that Foster's next injury tends to be a when, not an if. As for Hunt, he surely wouldn't have become a Texan had Foster defied the odds and managed to stay healthy.

Now, Hunt becomes the X-factor in the rotation, the wild card.

Brown calls Hunt "extremely fast. He's going to break a big one. You can just feel it. He's a shoelace tackle away." Defensive back Charles James II, who spent time on the Ravens' practice squad with him before they both landed in Houston, swears he has never seen a faster back.

But the rap on Hunt coming out of Purdue, which kept him from being drafted, was that he lacked NFL-caliber instincts, tending to run toward trouble instead of away from it. O'Brien, however, clearly believes he has for-real NFL potential.

"Good speed, good quickness, good hands," O'Brien said. "We had our eye on him. He could be used in the return game. He could be used on offense. He could be used on defense."

Hunt, for his part, said he's growing comfortable "with the playbook. That's what's giving the coaches the trust to put me on the field more. If I can keep that up, then I'll get more touches."