Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson will have an MRI today, after a kick to the shin left him unable to run the way they’re used to him running.
Johnson took the shot to the leg in the second quarter. X-rays at halftime were negative, but after a short attempt to come back, it was clear he wasn’t well.
“I watched him the first play, we threw the ball the first play, and I wanted to see him run,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said, via Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. “I did not think he could run the way he needs to, . . . so we took him out.”
Johnson tried to plead his case, but his frustration was evident on the sideline when he realized the coaches were right.
“They thought the best thing was to sit it out because we still have a long season ahead of us,” Johnson said. “You just kind of go back and forth with the coaches trying to tell them you’re OK, hoping that it feels better, running around on the sideline, trying to do everything you can.
“I know when I went out there I couldn’t play the way I am capable of playing. You see the film — I’m limping out there around trying to play. You don’t want to do anything that hurts your team. I’d rather have some guys that’ll go out there and play better than you can.”
That’s two weeks in a row Johnson wasn’t able to finish, after suffering a concussion the week before against the Titans.