J.J. Watt And Andre Johnson Named To Pro Bowl

In a season that's seen very little go right for the Houston Texans, J.J. Watt and Andre Johnson have performed at the extraordinarily high level to which football fans have become accustomed even if the team has not. Thus, it's both entirely deserved and wholly unsurprising that 'Dre and Watt were named to the Pro Bowl tonight. From the team's official site:

Johnson (6-3, 230) will be making his seventh trip to the Pro Bowl in his career. He is second in the NFL with 103 receptions to go along with 1,358 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Johnson, who is 14th in NFL history with 921 receptions and 17th with 12,612 receiving yards, became the second-fastest player in league history to reach 900 career receptions (150 games) and 12,000 receiving yards (146 games) this season. Additionally, he became the second player in NFL history to have five seasons with 100-or-more receptions. He also set a franchise record with three touchdown receptions in Week 9 against Indianapolis, a game in which he recorded nine receptions for 229 yards.

"It never gets old," said Johnson about being selected to the Pro Bowl. "It’s a humbling experience being around a bunch of great guys and it just shows you hard work pays off."

Watt is making a return trip to Hawaii for his second-straight Pro Bowl appearance. He followed up his Associated Press 2012 Defensive Player of the Year campaign by totaling a career-high 108 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, a league-high 44 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, six passes defensed and two blocked field goals. Since entering the NFL in 2011, his 174 solo tackles lead the NFL among defensive linemen, his 35.5 sacks are fourth in the NFL, his 106 quarterback hits lead the NFL, his 26 passes defense are tops among defensive linemen and his 69 tackles for loss are the most in the NFL.

"It’s an honor to make the Pro Bowl again," said Watt. "I’m always proud to represent the Houston Texans in everything I do."

Duane Brown, Johnathan Joseph, and Chris Myers were also named as Pro Bowl alternates. The Pro Bowl will be played on January 26, 2014. For the first time in the game's history, the teams will be drafted instead of formed by conference. The draft for the Pro Bowl will happen four days before the game.

Texans vs Titans coverage