After averaging 91 yards over his first seven games, Calvin Johnson has performed at a 147 clip for the last seven. Many are focusing on Megatron’s pursuit of Jerry Rice, but, with three games of more than 160 yards this season, it’s not impossible that he blows by Rice on the way to something even more astonishing. He needs only 333 more to reach 2,000 receiving yards, which would probably stand as a DiMaggio-esque record for NFL wide receivers.
While Johnson’s per route efficiency is merely above average, it’s worth noting that he’s not just going against gadget defenses designed to stop him, he’s going against elite gadget defenses designed to stop him. The Bears and Packers reside at the top of PFF’s pass coverage ratings next to teams like the Seahawks, 49ers, and Cardinals, all squads faced by the Lions. Teams from the NFC North and NFC West should see their receiving numbers bounce back next year due to schedule regression.
Better Late Than Never, Probably | |||||||
Snaps | Targets | Routes | TA/SN | TA/PR | PR/SN | YPRR | |
Brandon Lloyd | 95 | 16 | 69 | 0.17 | 0.23 | 0.73 | 2.75 |
Calvin Johnson | 75 | 16 | 50 | 0.21 | 0.32 | 0.67 | 2.42 |
Andre Johnson | 70 | 13 | 34 | 0.19 | 0.38 | 0.49 | 4.44 |
Michael Crabtree | 43 | 12 | 22 | 0.28 | 0.55 | 0.51 | 4.86 |
Pierre Garcon | 58 | 12 | 37 | 0.21 | 0.32 | 0.64 | 1.76 |
Steve Johnson | 65 | 12 | 43 | 0.18 | 0.28 | 0.66 | 2.67 |
Antonio Brown | 54 | 11 | 41 | 0.20 | 0.27 | 0.76 | 1.85 |
Eric Decker | 68 | 11 | 29 | 0.16 | 0.38 | 0.43 | 4.59 |
Justin Blackmon | 57 | 11 | 37 | 0.19 | 0.30 | 0.65 | 2.51 |
* With two weeks to go in his pursuit, Megatron has already run more routes (672) than any receiver in our five year database except for himself a year ago and Reggie Wayne in 2010.
* The anti-Cris Carter, Andre1500 has caught fewer touchdowns than Calvin on his way to a career-high and league-leading 2.96 yards per route.
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