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WR Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals

HT: 6-1, WT: 190, Born: 1-9-1978, College: Oregon State, Drafted: Round 2

2008 Projections

2007 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Johnson had two receptions of 30+ yards, including the first quarter catch that put the Bengals on the scoreboard. He did not exactly go off, but as with the other Bengal starters, this was due in part to the strong Raven defense. Johnson had one rushing attempt for two yards. He limped off the field at one point, but there are no worries as it was only his standard "limp off the field with a cramp" he does every game.

Week 2 - Johnson had his run of the field all day long, catching 11 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. The Browns matched up their number one cornerback, Leigh Bodden, on Johnson to no avail. Johnson beat Bodden one on one on both touchdown catches and proved to be the first guy Carson Palmer would look to on almost every pass play.

Week 3 - Johnson, with 138 yards on nine catches, was the less impressive of the two Bengals receivers. His two drops near the end of the first half killed the Bengals drive, and in the second half, Palmer forced his throws to Johnson, resulting in a few nice catches, but only a 50% success rate.

Week 4 - Johnson's first catch came on a quick out in which he was able to beat the defender and take it 21 yards and he just missed the end zone. He was knocked out of bounds on the one yard line on the play. It would be his longest play of the game and the closest he would get to the end zone the rest of the game. WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught a one yard touchdown pass on the next play. He made his prettiest catch on an 18 yard pass when the ball was thrown behind him but, he adjusted in the air and made an exceptional catch. He and QB Carson Palmer seemed to have a communication breakdown on an interception late in the first half. He had a heated exchange with his quarterback on the way to the locker at halftime. He was pretty much a non-factor in the second half as he only had one catch for 14 yards in the second half.

Week 6 - Johnson was targeted early and often, but failed to get into the end zone. He was covered tightly for most of the game, and could not break free for any huge gains. Johnson showed off his synergy with Carson Palmer, still catching eight balls with the tight coverage.

Week 7 - Johnson saw his targets go significantly down, but he had no problems getting over 100 yards, hitting the century mark on just three catches.

Week 8 - Johnson was frequently double covered. The safeties always were ready to help, and still Palmer threw the ball deep to him and had a couple of opportunities due to Johnson's speed. Johnson was unable to catch any of the deep balls, but he caught several passes on third down which resulted in first downs.

Week 9 - Johnson had a chance in the fourth quarter for a huge gain, but he dropped the pass when no Bills defender was within three yards of him, and that killed the drive. It seemed as if he was looking where to run before he caught the ball. He did have some nice receptions during the game, including a sideline pass that looked like an impossible catch, but he managed to get his toes in. He had an ambulance take him off on what looked like a precautionary measure when he was hit hard in the fourth quarter.

Week 10 - Managing to shake off last week's scary neck/shoulder injury, Chad Johnson was active early with eight targets in the first half, and posted 73 yards on four receptions for the game. Not quite his explosive self this season, Johnson has maintained his place as Carson Palmer's top target.

Week 11 - Johnson caught eight balls for 86 yards, but no touchdowns. At times he found the Cardinals defenders playing off of him which allowed him to go into his routes untouched. He did commit a critical turnover when he fumbled the ball on the Arizona 13 yard line with the Bengals driving for an apparent touchdown.

Week 12 - Chad Johnson had his best game of the season, catching a career high 12 passes and getting into the end zone three times. The Titans game him plenty of room to operate and he took advantage of the soft coverage to catch passes and get out of bounds without being hit.

Week 13 - Johnson led all receivers with 15 targets, but his first touch of the game was a backward pass that went for four yards. He finished the night with 86 yards receiving, but 37 of those yards came on Cincinnati's last drive when the game had already been decided. Johnson had a target in the end zone hit him in the hands with the Bengals operating from the Pittsburgh five yard line. It would have been a tough grab as he had to lay out for the pass, but it's a catch that we've grown accustomed to seeing Johnson make.

Week 14 - Johnson had a rough day. He had one long catch, but for the rest of the day struggled to find the ball.

Week 15 - Johnson had a very quiet first half only catching one pass for eight yards and he only had two targets. Nate Clements did a good job of containing him early in the game. Early in the fourth quarter, he caught a pass for 20 yards on a pass over the middle of the field, and came back a few plays later to catch a 25 yard pass on the right sideline to move the ball into the red zone. Johnson had a possible touchdown pass late in the game on a critical fourth down play but, was unable to hold onto the ball. Even though Johnson caught seven balls, he and QB Carson Palmer just didn't seem to be on the same page most of the night. Palmer missed Johnson on a few passes where it appeared he though he would run a different route. Johnson's body language looked pretty negative toward his quarterback when Palmer missed him.

Week 16 - Johnson, much like Houshmandzadeh had a very quiet day with only 44 receiving yards on four receptions. He was still the primary target of the passing offense, but with the Bengals running game working so well, the need to pass was simply not there.

Week 17 - Johnson caught a big two yard pass in the back of the end zone for a touchdown and took a huge hit, knocking his helmet off, and keeping his feet in bounds. It was a great catch and gave Cincinnati a seven nothing lead after the first drive of the game. His next catch was a 70 yard touchdown on slant pattern on the left side of the field. The safety slipped on the play and that was just enough for Johnson to outrun the defenders and take it to the house. It looked like Johnson stepped out of bounds on the five yard line, but Miami did not challenge the call. The two touchdown catches in the first half were his only receptions but, he led the team with 72 yards receiving at halftime. He had another big play in the fourth quarter as he caught a 43 yard pass to put the ball deep into Miami territory. He finished the game with 131 yards receiving.