The Texans -- 3-4 with a three-game winning streak -- rank fourth in yards (371.6), 11th in rushing (118.4) and fifth in passing (253.1).

After starting the season with losses at Pittsburgh and Tennessee, the Texans are averaging 29.2 points over the past five games in which they are 3-2.

Defeating Detroit and Cincinnati, which are a combined 0-15, at Reliant Stadium is one thing, but winning at Minnesota is something else. If the Texans are going to extend their winning streak to four games, expect them to rely heavily on the passing game Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.

The Vikings (3-4) like to run and stop the run. They ranked first in both statistics last season. They rank eighth in rushing (128.4 yards) this season, and they're second in run defense (70.7).

The Texans have to contain running back Adrian Peterson. If the Vikings contain Steve Slaton, the burden falls on the right arm of Matt Schaub and his receivers, including Andre Johnson.

"This league's funny," coach Gary Kubiak said Monday, the day after the Texans' 35-6 victory over Cincinnati. "You can be struggling doing something, and you keep working, then all of a sudden, you can flip the tables over a three- or four-week period. "We've attacked people the same way. We're being very aggressive. We're throwing the football pretty darn good right now. Matt's leadership and the way he's playing right now has definitely gotten us moving in the right direction."

In his past four starts, Schaub has thrown for 1,233 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions.

Johnson has been his favorite target. He leads the league with 56 catches for 772 yards and a 110.3 average per game.

"No. 80 is playing as good as I've ever seen a wide receiver play," Kubiak said. "I've been around some good ones -- Jerry Rice in San Francisco and Rod Smith in Denver. He wants the ball. He makes plays after the catch. He took a pounding (against the Bengals) and popped right back up.

"Defenses are doing things to try to take him away, but we're really moving him around. He responds to the mental pressure we put on him to get open. He's just doing a great job."

The Texans are third in average time of possession (32:38). They've committed one turnover in the past two games, a fumble by Schaub. They lead the NFL in third-down conversions (47.8), and they're tied with Arizona for the most first downs (22.7).

"We weren't very good on third down the first two weeks," Kubiak said about the losses to the Steelers and Titans. "Then we started playing better. All of a sudden, we're No. 1.

"It's a long season. I don't think you can get too caught up when you're at the bottom or when you're at the top and think you've got it all figured out. You try to stay focused on what you're doing, especially what you're doing poorly."

After defeating Miami, Detroit and Cincinnati, the Texans have to win at Minnesota to convince a lot of their fans they are legitimate.

"I think it says a lot about their character," Kubiak said about his players rebounding from the 0-4 start. "It was very difficult. You go through a stage like that, and it's very easy to go the other way and not be able to dig your way out of it.

"They always kept battling and believing in what they were doing, and they never wavered on what we ask them to do. They've been rewarded for their hard work, and now we've got to go back on the road and play some very good teams."

The Texans play three of their next four on the road, including trips to Indianapolis and Cleveland.

SERIES HISTORY: 2nd regular-season meeting. Vikings lead the series, 1-0. The last time the two teams met was in 2004 with the Vikings winning 34-28 in overtime at Reliant Stadium. WR Andre Johnson had a career-high 12 receptions for a then-high 170 yards and two touchdowns. The Texans fell behind 28-14 in the fourth quarter before scoring 14 unanswered points to pull even at 28. Minnesota won the game on a 50-yard touchdown pass from Daunte Culpepper to WR Marcus Robinson on their second possession of overtime.