With the monotony of Indianapolis’ annual contention for the AFC South stifled by Peyton Manning’s injury, Houston and Tennessee will battle for the division lead Sunday as we approach the season’s midpoint.

The Jets owe the Eagles a debt of gratitude. If it wasn’t for that nightmare of a “Dream Team” in Philly, the spotlight would be a little hotter on that other green team with high pre-season expectations. The Jets are sinking fast after the Patriots handed them a third straight loss on Sunday, and three veteran wide receivers are denying reports that they’ve gone to coach Rex Ryan to complain about offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

At this late stage of the week, you have surely heard about every story line centered around quarterbacks, star skill players, loud talkers and frequent Tweeters. But there are 11 players on either side matching up on any given play. Below we list five matchups that, based on tape study, we are interested in seeing play out in Week 1

Every Wednesday this season, the research staff at “Playbook” will be taking your questions through email (playbook@nfl.com) and on Twitter (@NFLN_Playbook, with #askplaybook hashtag), and answering them in this blog. Here is the first batch of questions we’ve selected.

With the 76th draft quickly approaching, there has been much speculation over where the value is in the draft. NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock foresees as many as nine defensive ends going in the first round.

Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski improved to 2-0 after securing a first-round knockout of Richard Bryant on March 12. And Zbikowski has signed up for two more fights, too. So we turned to NFL Network’s Bob Papa — who in addition to be a top NFL analyst calls boxing for HBO and during the Summer Olympics — to get the scoop.

So how about it, just how legit is Zbikowksi?

Defensive end Aaron Schobel, on the street after nine seasons with the Buffalo Bills, is a no-nonsense Texas boy who plays the game with a high motor and intensity. With plenty left in the tank, he will give you all he’s got on Sundays, and that’s plenty. But he needs to be in a 4-3 scheme.

The NFL is ready for the Community Blitz in South Florida.

Michael Crabtree started against the Texans, as the 49ers opened in a three-receiver set. The 49ers attempted to go to Crabtree on their first play from scrimmage, but Texans DE Mario Williams sacked QB Shaun Hill.

Three key defensive players are questionable for Sunday’s game between the Cardinals and Texans.

The Thursday injury report has been released and includes some notable players — Bengals RB Cedric Benson, Texans DE Mario Williams and Cowboys WR Roy Williams among them — sitting out for the second day in a row.

Every week we will highlight the great performances that didn’t make NFL Total Access. These are the guys who do the grunt work.

A few observations from the game between the Saints and Texans, including how Drew Brees is a bonafide candidate for league MVP and Mario Williams is ready to launch his career to a higher level.

I’m glad you enjoy the players-only sessions we have on NFL Network. I enjoy being a part of it. Warren, Deion, Marshall and “Mooch” offer great insight, and I’m just there (LOL). This week’s installment asked this question: “If you had to start a franchise, who would you choose?” Deion chose Mike Tomlin, Warren chose Mario Williams, Marshall chose Shawne Merriman and I chose Michael Vick.

Texans defensive end Mario Williams does not have a draft story to rival that of Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. Williams wasn’t booed off the draft stage when he was selected ahead of Reggie Bush and Vince Young — only because there weren’t many fans in attendance. But Williams did receive his fair share of criticism in the weeks following his selection by the Texans fans. But now he has the last laugh as he was selected to his first Pro Bowl.