Calvin Johnson Breaks 1000 Yard Plateau Again In Lions Win

Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson only had one reception on Monday night, but he made it count. His 19-yard catch put was exactly what he needed to reach the 1000 yard mark; it was the sixth consecutive time and seventh time in his career that Johnson reached the plateau. He also moved into 28th place on the all-time receiving yards list with 11,386.

Outside of Johnson’s milestone, Matt Stafford was the story of the night, as he completed 22 of 25 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns. He was also helped by his running game; the struggling duo of Joique Bell and Ameer Abdullah combined for two touchdowns and just under 150 yards.

“The guy was phenomenal. He was chasing perfection,” Lions receiver Golden Tate, who caught two of the three touchdown passes said. “We rallied around that.”

“Obviously, if you complete 88 percent [of your passes, like Stafford did], that’s rare,” Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. “It’s very difficult to do that versus air. He was huge for us and spread it around quite a bit.”

For New Orleans, the loss clinched another losing season. Quarterback Drew Brees also picked up a foot injury, but he did not miss a snap.

“I don’t know what exactly we’ve got going on here,” Brees said of his injury. “It was getting stiff, but we were able to manage.”

 

Photo: Minnesota Vikings cornerback (#21) Josh Robinson guards Detroit Lions wide receiver (#81) Calvin Johnson. Photo by K. Doebler, via Wikimedia Commons