Why Calvin Johnson Can Set an NFL Record on Monday Night Football
Calvin Johnson came into this season facing doubters in some circles throughout and around the league.
A lot of the criticism that Megatron has received I believe are for two reasons. The first being that he has not put up the pure numbers that some other receivers have in terms of receptions and yards.
The second is the lack of wins that the Lions have had during CJ's career. I have always believed that those were unfair judgements because of the lack of stability at the QB position in Detroit. Fortunately with a healthy Matthew Stafford under center we are finally seeing Megatron getting the opportunity to realize his potential. With that being said, Megatron is only the second receiver in history to score 2 TDs in 4 consecutive games and a chance for a 5th.
This coming week will be Detroit's first Monday Night Football appearance in 10 years and they will be facing the rival Bears. The Bears are an interesting team sitting at 2-2. They beat the underachieving Falcons and the upstart Panthers, but lost soundly to the Saints and Packers. The Bears normally pose a formidable defense, but are they still that team? When looking at the numbers, I was surprised to find that Chicago is 29th in pass defense this year. They are allowing 66.7% passing with 7 touchdowns and 17 passes of 20 or more yards equating to a 95.3 passer rating.
This weekend’s match up will primarily have Tim Jennings covering Calvin Johnson. Tim Jennings will undoubtedly get help over the top from Chris Harris, but the match up still goes to Calvin. Calvin is listed at 6'5 235, while Jennings is listed at 5'8 185lbs. The Bears could move the 6'1 Zackary Bowman into the lineup this weekend just for this match up. But even Bowman lost the battle last year against Megatron, despite the failure by the officials. Regardless of who plays, Megatron's chances look very good to etch his name into the record books this weekend, and help move the Lions to 5-0.
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