Throughout this week, we are going to go through the 10 plays (with some liberties for moments) that shaped the 2015 season for the Detroit Lions.
See the complete list as it is unveiled here.
The play: There were three of them actually (yes, I realize this is cheating), but Thanksgiving for Calvin Johnson was as vintage as it gets for the receiver. The first touchdown was reminiscent of so many plays before from Matthew Stafford to Johnson. Lined up at the 25-yard line, Philadelphia single-covered Johnson with rookie Eric Rowe. Johnson darted down the field and Stafford threw a perfect ball to Johnson’s outstretched arms in the end zone over Rowe and Walter Thurmond. The second touchdown came on another typical Stafford-to-Johnson play. At the Eagles’ 4-yard line, Johnson ran a fade route to the near corner of the end zone and leapt over the Eagles’ cornerback for an easy score. The third touchdown was similar to the second -- with Stafford throwing a goal-line fade to Johnson. Johnson toe-tapped his feet into the corner of the end zone over Malcolm Jenkins.
The situation: The Lions knew they needed to win out in order to have any shot at the playoffs -- something that would end a week later against Green Bay. But the Lions also had to find a way to get their No. 1 receiver involved after a somewhat inconsistent season. Johnson set records with those touchdowns. He’s scored more than any other player on Thanksgiving and had his first three-touchdown game since Week 8 of the 2010 season. At the time, it was also considered the best game of Matthew Stafford’s career with a 137.8 passer rating, 337 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.
The reason it mattered: It contributed to another Thanksgiving blowout and gave the first true sign the switch at offensive coordinator from Joe Lombardi to Jim Bob Cooter could provide success for the Lions and for Stafford. Picking Johnson’s touchdowns in this game, though, go more to what might happen. If Johnson ends up retiring, it would be the last true dominating performance from a receiver once considered the best in the game. It also provided real thought the Lions might be able to win out in the second half. Detroit then lost its next two games, against Green Bay and St. Louis.
How Johnson’s season went: He didn’t have his typical explosiveness but Johnson was still a Top 10 receiver in 2015 and played in all 16 games while battling an ankle injury the second half of the season. He finished the season with 88 receptions (11th in the league), 1,214 yards (10th) and nine touchdowns (T-14). He also passed the 11,000-yard mark in receiving yards this season. He is mulling retirement at age 30 after nine seasons.
What Johnson said about his single coverage against the Eagles: “Shoot, these corners are getting bigger and bigger, too, man. But no, it does [surprise me about facing single coverage]. It happens in every game. It’s a matter of us catching them when they do it.”