Andre Johnson Injury: Keeping Johnson Sidelined Is Right Move for Houston Texans

Andre Johnson’s hamstring injury has done a thorough job of hamstringing Matt Schaub and the Texans offense. However, Johnson’s health has been improving, and he’s seen increased action in practice this week.

Nevertheless, today, ESPN reports that Johnson will be spending another week on the sidelines as Houston takes on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Coach Gary Kubiak told the network that Johnson is “real close, but he’s not quite ready to go.”

It’s hard to argue with the Texans’ decision, as their 4-3 record already has them in first place in the lowly AFC South. Should Johnson aggravate his injury, he could be lost for the stretch run and cost his team a chance at a playoff berth.

Moreover, Jacksonville (even after its shocking Monday night win over the Ravens) is just 2-5 and an obvious underdog coming into Reliant Stadium. With Blaine Gabbert’s offense struggling to reach 20 points per game, the Texans can afford to be without one of their own offensive weapons for this matchup.

Obviously, even if Johnson was only 70-80 percent this week, he would have still been the best receiver on the field for either team. However, with Arian Foster starting to get his feet under him, Houston’s offense shouldn’t be helpless even without Johnson on the field.

That being said, if Jacksonville pulls off another upset, Kubiak will be under fire for not sending his best team out there. However, a loss at this stage (with Houston holding a half-game lead in the division) would still not be as damaging as an extension of Johnson’s absence.

Even if Houston suffers in the short term, they’ll be better off at season’s end for keeping Johnson on the shelf on Sunday.