Too bad the Houston Texans are having another bad one.

Johnson is third in the NFL with 21 receptions for 309 yards for the 0-3 Texans. He's already almost halfway to his 2005 total of 688 yards.

He's also ahead of his performance through three games in 2004, when he finished with 79 receptions for 1,142 yards and made the Pro Bowl.

``All I care about is winning,'' Johnson said. ``All that statistic stuff is just _ I'm just doing what I can do to try to help this team win. And all that, it doesn't matter.''

Quiet and always modest, Johnson has a new confidence this season with the addition of Eric Moulds and coach Gary Kubiak's offence.

He's having a resurgence after dealing with a calf injury and almost constant double-teams in 2005. In the first three games last season he had just 10 receptions for 76 yards and didn't score a touchdown until Week 11. He's scored one touchdown this year.

``He's been exceptional,'' Kubiak said. ``Can't get him the ball enough. When you've got a player like that you do everything you can to get him the ball. He's a big-time player and he's getting better every day.''

Johnson has two 100-yard games this season and had 11 catches for 152 yards against Washington, including one for 53 yards that set up Houston's first score.

The fourth-year player is probably the biggest reason David Carr's passer rating is a league-leading 113.6.

``It's helped me because I know that he's always going to be there for me,'' Carr said. ``Regardless of what's going on on the field and what the score is, he's always going to be out there fighting and making plays for me.''

Houston's passing game has been respectable, but the Texans have struggled because of an ineffective running game and a defence that is allowing 484 yards a game.

Johnson, who helped Miami to the 2001 national championship, said it's too early to get discouraged and that working hard helps dull the pain of losing.

``We still have a lot of football games left,'' Johnson said. ``You go out every Sunday and do everything you can to try to win the game, then you don't feel as bad.''

Moulds thinks Johnson, whose yards receiving this season trail only Marvin Harrison and Laveranues Coles, is one of the best young receivers in the league. His combination of size (six-foot-three, 219 pounds) and speed (he was a Big East sprinting champion) make it difficult for smaller defensive backs to cover him.

Even so, Johnson is often overlooked because of the Texans' troubles.

``I know for a fact he is one of the best,'' Moulds said. ``But until you get to the playoffs and things like that, people don't know how good you are. He just hasn't had the same opportunity as some of those guys.''

After Sunday's ugly loss to Washington, Johnson said he was frustrated and ``sick and tired of losing.'' On Tuesday his outlook had improved.

``I have a lot of love for the game, so it's no time to stop now,'' Johnson said. ``I don't think just because you lose it takes away from the game. I think when you lose it makes you want to do more, because you want to find a way to win.''