Chad to Pro Bowl

Chad Johnson will play in his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl game.

The Bengals learned this afternoon that Johnson will replace New England's Randy Moss, who withdrew after suffering an injury in the Super Bowl Sunday night.

Johnson was voted to the four previous Pro Bowls. He was selected as a first alternative for the game this coming weekend. He will replace Moss and join fellow Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Indianapolis' Reggie Wayne and Cleveland's Braylon Edwards as the AFC's four wide receivers.

Reached on his cell phone this afternoon, Johnson hung up when The Enquirer identified itself seeking comment on the honor. He has not spoken to the Cincinnati-based media since October.

The game will be played Sunday in Honolulu.

Together, Houshmandzadeh and Johnson become the first pair of Bengals wide receivers to be named to the Pro Bowl in the same season. Their collective 205 receptions and 2,583 receiving yards in 2007 are the most for any pair of Bengals' receivers in any single season.

Johnson caught 93 passes for 1,440 yards and eight touchdowns in 2007. The 1,440 receiving yards broke his own franchise season record (1,432 in 2005), and he became the team’s all-time leader in receptions (559) and receiving yards (8,365). The 93 catches marked his fourth career 90-catch season. He now has at least one catch in 92 consecutive games, one short of Carl Pickens’ team-record streak of 93 games.

Johnson had five 100-yard receiving games in 2007, tying the team record he already shares, and has extended to 26 his Bengals career record for 100-yard receiving games. His 209 receiving yards on Sept. 16 at Cleveland was the AFC high for the year.