5 Texans players the Vikings should worry about in Week 4
By Nik Edlund
David Johnson – RB
When the Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals this past offseason for David Johnson and a second-round pick, the team, and especially head coach Bill O’Brien, became the laughing stock of the league.
O’Brien, who is also Houston’s general manager, got basically peanuts in return for arguably the best receiver in the NFL. Johnson was once one of the best running backs in the league, but injuries took their toll and he’s become a bit of a forgotten man.
While he still isn’t the player he used to be, Johnson has run with a purpose this season and has been able to put up some decent numbers so far.
Through three games he has 134 yards on the ground with two touchdowns and seven receptions for 71 yards. Those numbers don’t scream that he’s back to playing at a high level, but he has been effective when given touches this year.
The Vikings have struggled against the run this year as they have given up 443 yards on the ground to their opponents so far. A lot of these yards have been allowed up the middle of Minnesota’s defensive line and surely the Texans are aware of this.
They will pound Johnson between the tackles and there’s no reason to believe they won’t find the same success against the Vikings as teams like the Colts and Titans did.