Playoff drought ends for Texans, Johnson

Associated Press

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Year after agonizing year, Andre Johnson was asked about his goals for the season and his answer never changed.

“I want to get this team to the playoffs,” he would say.

Now, after years of often terrible seasons, Johnson and the Texans have reached that goal. They will face Cincinnati today in the franchise’s first playoff game.

This is Houston’s 10th season, and Johnson has been there for all but Year 1. That makes him the longest-tenured player on the roster and the only one who’s been in Houston longer than coach Gary Kubiak.

Johnson was long considered one of the NFL’s top receivers, and many questioned why he chose to remain with the Texans when they were never even close to reaching the postseason.

“I always thought positive about it,” he said. “It’s been some frustrating times and I’ve had people ask me why didn’t I leave? Why did I stay? I wanted to be here when the Texans got in the first playoff game.”

Johnson had chances to leave, but signed two contract extensions. The second one will keep him with the team through 2016. Everyone in the organization is happy the 30-year-old receiver is finally getting his playoff shot.

“Think about how long he’s stuck it out here in Houston,” said Kubiak, who was hired in 2006. “A lot of guys in this day and time move along, go somewhere else, lose their patience. Andre has never done that. He’s been a rock around here.”

Both quarterbacks in this game share none of Johnson’s history. Houston’s T.J. Yates and Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton are both rookies, the first time two rookies QBs have faced each other in a playoff game.

Yates was thrust into the job after season-ending injuries to Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart.

“That makes it even more important for the guys that have put in the work on this team, the Andre Johnsons that have been here for forever and stuck with this organization and waited for a moment like this,” Yates said. “It makes you want to work harder for them just so it can make the moment for them more special.”

Cincinnati last reached the playoffs in 2009, but has been to the postseason just three times in the last 21 years. Their last postseason victory came at the end of the 1990 season with a 41-14 win over the Oilers.

Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth said the players don’t talk much about how long it’s been since they advanced in the postseason.

“We have some guys who were close to being born when that happened,” he said. “We have some young guys on this team. I promise you some of them have no clue about that. We just focus on what we can do to do our best and win for our city and the Cincinnati Bengals.”