Pro Bowler Andre Johnson was injured in the second quarter against San Francisco.
Coach Gary Kubiak announced Monday at his weekly press conference that wide receiver Andre Johnson could return to the field this week against the Buffalo Bills after suffering a serious injury against the San Francisco 49ers.
"He has a lung contusion," Kubiak said. "(Team doctors) feel good about it. They feel like he's going to be fine. I think, obviously, he's going to be day-to-day as we go into this week. They'll do some tests on him each day as we go through this week, but I think we're fortunate here and hopefully he'll be ready to go against Buffalo. But he'll be day-to-day."
Johnson suffered the injury after being hit in his lower back on his first catch of the game, an 18-yard reception with 13:36 left before halftime.
{QUOTE}Throughout the remainder of the game, Johnson had difficulty catching his breath. In the fourth quarter, Johnson left the game briefly before returning to the field. Eventually, a member of the Texans hid Johnson's helmet to avoid him re-entering the game and jeopardizing his health for the sake of the team.
"Well, that's him," Kubiak said of Johnson. "He wants to do whatever he can do to help this team win, and yesterday was a struggle getting him the ball. He had two plays that were both big plays. But Andre will give you everything he's got, and you all know that. He knows this team needed a couple more plays to win and he was willing to go make them."
Johnson will undergo tests each day this week to monitor his blood work and help determine his status for Week 8 at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
With 38 catches for 634 yards (16.7 avg.) and four touchdowns this season, Johnson ranks first in the NFL in receiving yardage and is tied for first with four catches of 40 yards or more. The three-time Pro Bowler is coming off his best season as a pro, when he led the NFL in catches (115) and receiving yards (1,575) in 2008.
