Detroit Lions expect more production from Calvin Johnson this week
By Jason Marcum
The Detroit Lions got wide receiver Calvin Johnson back in the lineup last week in a 31-17 win over the Cleveland Browns, but it wasn’t exactly the Megatron we’ve witnessed since he entered the league and has dominated the opposition since.
Johnson played only 38 offensive snaps against the Browns and didn’t run many down-the-field routes as he was largely utilized as a decoy, allowing the likes of rookie tight end Joseph Fauria to catch three touchdowns and outscore Cleveland on his own.
But the Lions will need more than a decoy this week vs a very tough Cincinnati Bengals defense, and they expect him to be ready to do just that.
Per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:
"“I would think so,” Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. “It’s not an overnight thing to get back to 100 percent, but he’s working very hard to get there, so I don’t see why there’s any reason he wouldn’t be able to have a few more [plays] this week. But it has everything to do with how the game goes.”"
Johnson is listed as probable for Week 7 against the Bengals after he practiced every day this week and is close to 100% healthy.