The Houston Texans played their first game in franchise history on Sept. 8, 2002. The next night, the New England Patriots unveiled their first Super Bowl championship banner before their Monday Night Football opener.

This Monday night, the Texans will play the Patriots in what Houston wide receiver Andre Johnson, perhaps the greatest player the Texans have had in their brief existence, termed the “biggest game in the history of this franchise.”

It’s a big game for the Patriots, too. Any hope they have of securing the top seed and home field advantage in the AFC rides on the outcome. It’s almost as important to their chances for at least the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. But it sure isn’t the biggest game in their history.

It’s amazing how many opponents have acted like playing the Patriots was the biggest game in their history over the last 10 years. How many times have we seen them act like they just won the Super Bowl when they’ve beaten the Patriots.

I saw this first-hand, standing in the tunnel of Gillette Stadium in October 2005 after the Chargers destroyed the Pats, 41-17.  That game ended New England’s 21-game home winning streak, and a number of the players were chanting “21-1.” I half-expected someone to be carrying the Lombardi Trophy the way LaDainian Tomlinson, Shawne Merriman and company were yapping.

The Chargers went on to lose three of their last four and missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record. They made the playoffs the following year as the No. 1 seed, then lost to the Patriots in their first playoff game in the infamous Troy Brown-strips-Marlon McCree game.

Those Chargers are part of a long list of pretenders to New England’s throne as the AFC’s preeminent franchise. The Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos and New York Jets all have taken cracks at it over the last 12 years, usually doing a lot of talking in the process, and all have fallen by the wayside (although Denver is back as a threat this year).

The Patriots have battled a couple of legitimate AFC contenders over the years, too. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts have enough Super Bowl cred to at least claim they challenged the first NFL dynasty of the 21st century. The Baltimore Ravens might have made it a trio if not for Lee Evans and Billy Cundiff.

Every dynasty of the Super Bowl era has had at least one conference foe to play Frazier to their Ali. The Dallas Cowboys of the early 1990s had the San Franciso 49ers. The  Steelers of the 1970s had the Raiders and Lombardi’s Super Bowl Green Bay Packers teams had the upstart Cowboys.

The only team that can claim to have a more impressive enemies list than the Brady/Belichick Patriots is the Joe Montana/Steve Young 49ers, who jousted with the Washington Redskins, New York Giants, Chicago Bears and Cowboys during their nearly two-decade run.

We won’t know whether the Texans can be added to the Patriots’ list of pretenders or contenders Monday night. That won’t happen until the playoffs, where Houston is still unproven. Last year, playing without their starting QB, Matt Schaub, the Texans were 1-1 in the post-season.

With Schaub back and healthy, Houston has looked like the best team in the AFC, if not the entire NFL, so far this season. They have arguably the best running back in the game in Arian Foster. Some thought Johnson was past his prime, but he’s third in the AFC in receiving yards.

New England’s defense has looked pretty good the past couple of weeks, but a lot of Patriots fans are worried the trio of Schaub, Foster and Johnson will expose its weaknesses on Monday night.

For a while, Houston’s defense looked like one of the few that could possibly slow Tom Brady and the offense’s record-setting pace. Injuries have robbed it of some of its dominance, but it still has the league’s only legitimate defensive candidate for Most Valuable Player, J.J. Watt. With 16.5 sacks and a penchant for batting down passes, Watt could be a major thorn in Brady’s side, especially with New England’s banged-up offensive line protecting him.

Whether or not the Texans have what it takes to take down the Patriots when it counts, they are clearly the best team New England has faced this season. That’s why many consider Monday night’s game and next Sunday night’s game against the 49ers litmus tests of the Patriots’ legitimacy as Super Bowl contenders.

Of course the Patriots are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. They will be as long as they have Brady and Bill Belichick. The question is whether the Texans are the next Pittsburgh Steelers or the next San Diego Chargers.

Randy Whitehouse is a staff writer. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter (@RAWMaterial).