Andre Johnson’s 2-game haul for Texans is second to none

A slight smile peeked through on Andre Johnson’s face, but only briefly as he dismissed too much talk of the record he set Thursday.

In his last two games, Johnson put together the best back-to-back outings by a receiver in NFL history. His 461 yards over two games topped his friend Chad Johnson’s 2006 total of 450, John Taylor’s 448-yard back-to-back in 1989, and Jerry Rice’s 442 over two consecutive games in 1995.

“It’s great; you can’t downplay it,” Johnson admitted. Then he struggled to find the right words to explain his thoughts on the record. “I just don’t … for some reason, it just doesn’t really … I guess with me it’s different.

“When you’re still playing, it means something, but you just have bigger goals. It’s great to accomplish it. Maybe when the season’s over, I’ll look back and be like, ‘Wow I did something nobody else has done.’â€?rdquo;

The bigger goals he spoke of were the team’s aspirations to win home-field advantage and a Super Bowl championship, team success Johnson has never tasted in his 10-year career. But as the Texans are nearing the end of a season that began with lofty expectations, Johnson’s record-setting play has helped the pursuit of those team goals and the achieving of a 10-1 record.

“It’s remarkable to see what he’s done not only this season but in the past couple weeks,” quarterback Matt Schaub said. “It’s something that we see all the time in practice. It’s just him being Andre. You can really see he’s taken it upon himself to take his game to a new level. It’s pretty remarkable to watch.”

In the past two weeks, Johnson went from 21st in receiving yards to third behind Detroit’s Calvin Johnson and Indianapolis’ Reggie Wayne.

Silencing the critics While Johnson did start the season with a 100-yard game against the Miami Dolphins, he didn’t have another one until Week 9. In Weeks 2 through 5, Johnson caught a total of nine passes, and whispers of how much he had left arose.

Then his production began to quiet those questions.

“There was some concern early in the year,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “I think there was some concern on his part and my part. We were trying to work through some things, limit the reps, do all the right things to get him back.

“Then all of a sudden, we come out of New York (in Week 5), and since then, it’s just been, ‘Game on.’ He’s been exceptional. He’s been exceptional in practice. All of his confidence is back. Andre is a worker. Andre plays well when he’s working well during the week. That’s just the way he is. It’s fun to watch right now. He’s exceptional. I couldn’t get it to him enough.”

Johnson has had more than 100 yards receiving in three of the last four games. The exception was the Texans’ win in rainy, sloppy Chicago three weeks ago.
And while his career-best 273-yard performance two weeks ago came against a Jacksonville Jaguars team that ranks 28th against the pass, his 188-yard performance — only four days after another overtime game — came against a Lions pass defense that ranks 12th.

Still going strong Johnson’s 31-year-old legs did not tire in either game. He caught most of his passes in the fourth quarter and overtime.

“I don’t know. When I was drafted into this league I just wanted to come in and be the best I could be,” Johnson said. “You don’t know what can happen. You can suffer an injury, and your career can be shortened. I’m very fortunate to be able to play for 10 seasons.

“I always just say when I came out, I wanted to be the best at my position. So far, I think I’ve been doing a very good job of it.”


(chron.com)