CALVIN JOHNSON TALKS ABOUT BREAKING JERRY RICE'S RECORD

LIONS WR CALVIN JOHNSON ON...

 

How breaking the NFL record for single-season receiving yards feels with a 4-11 record: “It feels tough because we fought our way back a little bit and just couldn’t…it was just turnovers that kept us... I had a fumble. It was just turnovers. We took ourselves out of it. But at the same time man, it’s an accomplishment that took a lot of work man. You can’t take that thing away.”

 

What it was like to go to the sideline and give your father the record-setting football: “When you’re in the game you’re still in the moment. You’re still on the play that just happened so I was still focused in there. I was in my zone you know. So I went over there – I don’t think I even said anything to my dad when I gave him the ball. I just gave him a hug. When I think back on it, it was a special moment.”

 

What you were thinking as you were crossing the field and the ball was coming towards you: “The crazy thing is we ran the ball earlier, got walled off by the mike (LB Akeem Dent) and (Sean) Witherspoon and called the same route again and just bounced it around like coach told me. The biggest thing is I just like to see the ball. See the ball.”

 

If he knew as soon as you caught it: “Yeah, because the guys were telling me on the sideline I’m like four, five yards away so it was just like one reception and I’m there. So I’m like shoot, we’re going to knock this thing down.”

 

Who was telling you on the sideline: “Everybody – everybody was keeping record of it.”

 

If he his aim set on 2,000 yards: “Man, I don’t know where we stand but we got another game left so you never know what could happen. Like I said, just told the team, ‘Come back study film; we got a divisional opponent so we might as well go ahead and get our mind right.’ We’ll come in here and try to get this win this week and leave the season on a good note.”

 

How big a part of this record is QB Matthew Stafford: “It’s half his too. He’s the one delivering me the ball every week. When we both stay healthy man, we can do some special things out there.”

 

If he believed tonight would be the night he broke the record: “Never know because we’ve had plenty of 200-yard games. Like I say, when we’re on the field together, you know what’s going to happen. When we see our favorite coverage, we’re going to attack it. We saw some holes in there and my trainer, I was working with him before the game, he’s like, ‘We’re going to get this thing tonight.’ He had me feeling good before the game and we got it.”

 

The trainer: “My trainer from back home, Tom Bender.”

 

If the Falcons played you straight up more than most teams did: “They did. They did a game plan. They’re obviously a team that’s going to do what they do. They stuck to what they did and we saw that a lot this year. More than expected and we were able to take advantage of it sometimes but we weren’t able to get the record like we wanted. In the end of things, didn’t expect coming into the year to see this happen, but now that it has it’s a part of history. I’m sure it will sink in at some point.”

 

Where the ball is: “My dad got it right there. I told him not to let it go.”

 

The ball not going to Canton: “Oh no, that’s my ball. (Laughter)”

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IT WAS A GREAT DAY FOR JOHNSON AGAINST ATLANTA FALCONS

Postgame notes from the Detroit Lions 31-18 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field, December 22, 2012.
JOHNSON’S RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCE

With 11 receptions for 225 yards vs. the Atlanta Falcons, WR Calvin Johnson set several NFL and franchise records.

 

Single-Season Receiving Yards – NFL Record

• Johnson established a new NFL single-season record for receiving yards, now with 1,892 yards, by breaking Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice’s 17-year old mark of 1,848 yards in 1995. The new record occurred on his 10^th reception of the game that went for 26 yards with 3:05 left in the fourth quarter.
• He is now 108 yards shy of becoming the first player in NFL history to register 2,000 receiving yards in a season.

Single-Season Receiving Yards – Lions Record

• On the second reception of the game, a 49-yard catch in the first quarter, Johnson set a new franchise record for receiving yards in a season. He broke a team record set by WR Herman Moore (1,686) in 1995.

Season Receiving Yards Milestones

• Johnson is the second player to register over 1,800 receiving yards and the fifth player to record over 1,700 yards in NFL history.Rice (1,848 in 1995) and Johnson are the only players to record 1,800 receiving yards in a season, and Johnson joins Rice, WR Isaac Bruce (1,781 in 1995), Hennigan (1,746 in 1961) and WR Marvin Harrison (1,722 in 2002) in the group of receivers to record 1,700 yards in a season.

Yards Per Game Average - Season

• With 1,892 yards in 15 games, Johnson is now averaging 126.1 yards per game. His yards per game average is currently the highest among any players in NFL History to play at least 12 games in a season. His yards per game average increased today and moved past WR Charley Hennigan (124.7 yds/g in 1961) and WR Leroy “Cray Legs” Hirsch (124.6 in 1951).

Consecutive 100-Yard Games

• By gaining over 100 yards, Johnson set an NFL record with his eighth-straight 100-yard receiving game. He broke the previous record (7) by WR Charley Hennigan (1961) and WR Michael Irvin (1995).

100-Yard Games - Season

• Johnson’s also tied an NFL record with his 11th 100-yard receiving game this season. He is currently tied with Irvin who had 11 in 1995.
• With 11 100-yard receiving games, Johnson broke the franchise record of 100-yard games in a season set by Moore (10) in 1995.

200-Yard Games

• With 225 yards vs. Atlanta, Johnson registered his fourth career 200-yard game and became the fifth player in NFL history with four career 200-yard games (WR Lance Alworth, 5; E Don Hutson, WR Charley Hennigan and WR Jerry Rice).
• His four 200-yard games are tied for the second-most in NFL history.
• Johnson’s 225 yards are the fourth-highest single-game total in Lions history and the second-highest of Johnson’s career.
• Johnson registered two 200-yard games in 2011 and in 2012, becoming the first player in NFL history to record two 200-yard games in two different seasons.

Consecutive 10+-Reception Games

• Johnson’s 11 receptions was his fourth-straight game with 10+ receptions and he became the first player in NFL history to register 10+ receptions in four-straight games.

Season Receptions Totals

• Johnson’s 11 receptions increased his season total to 117. He is the second player in team history to record 110+ receptions in a season. He surpassed WR Herman Moore (106 in 1995) and WR Brett Perriman (108 in 1995) for the second-most receptions in a season by a Lions receiver. Moore holds the all-time team record with 123 in 1995.
• With 117 receptions, Johnson is now tied with WR Torry Holt (2003) for the ninth-most single-season receptions in history.

Two-Year Dominance

• Johnson is the first player in NFL history to record over 3,400 and 3,500 receiving yards in a span of two seasons. He extended his NFL record for most receiving yards by registering 3,573 yards since the beginning of the 2011 season.

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LIONS - CARDS, HIGHTLIGHTS - LOWLIGHTS...

THE HGHLIGHTS...


WR Calvin Johnson
WR Calvin Johnson caught 10 passes for 121 yards at Arizona (9/16). With his effort against the Cardinals, Johnson reached or surpassed several individual, team and NFL milestones. On the season, he has a career-high 106 catches for 1,667 yards.

PACING THE RECORD
With 1,667 receiving yards through 14 games, Johnson has stayed on pace to break the NFL’s all-time single-season record for receiving yards set by Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice with 1,848 yards in 1995. Johnson is now 181 yards shy of Rice’s mark and needs to average 90.5 receiving yards per game in the team’s final two games to tie Rice’s record.

Johnson trails WR Herman Moore by 20 yards for the Lions’ single-season record. Moore set the franchise record with 1,686 yards in 1995. Johnson finished the 2011 season just five yards shy of the mark when he recorded a career-best 1,681 yards.

SEVEN-STRAIGHT 100-YARD GAMES
With 121 yards at Arizona, Johnson registered his seventh-straight 100-yard receiving game and tied the NFL record for consecutive 100-yard games (7; WR Charley Hennigan in 1967 and WR Michael Irvin in 1995).

He broke the Lions franchise record for consecutive 100-yard receiving games previously set by WR Pat Studsill (6) in 1966.

Johnson garnered his 10th 100-yard receiving game this season and is now tied for the second-most during a season in NFL history (10; WR Charley Hennigan in 1961, WR Herman Moore in 1995, WR Marvin Harrison in 2002 and WR Torry Holt in 2003).

By reaching 10 100-yard games in 2012, he tied the Lions franchise record of 10 set by WR Herman Moore in 1995.

He tallied his 31st career 100-yard receiving game and 18th over the past two seasons.

SEASON TOTAL OF 1,667 YARDS
With 1,667 receiving yards in 2012, Johnson has surpassed 1,600 receiving yards this season, becoming the first receiver in NFL history with back-to-back 1,600-yard seasons.

He joins WR Marvin Harrison (1999, 2001) and WR Torry Holt (2,000 and 2003) as the only players in NFL history with two 1,600-yard receiving seasons.

Johnson is only the third player in NFL history to register 1,600 yards in the first 14 games of the season and the first to do so since WR Lance Alworth (1,602) in 1965. He has the second-most yards through 14 games behind WR Charley Hennigan (1,746 in 1961).

100 RECEPTIONS
With 10 catches today, Johnson moved his receptions output on the season to 106. He is now the third player in team history to record 100 receptions in a season. Johnson is the first to accomplish this since WR Herman Moore had 104 receptions in 1997.

Johnson’s 106 receptions are tied with Moore (106 in 1996) for the third-highest single-season total in Lions history.

It is the fifth season a player has registered 100+ receptions in team history

10 RECEPTIONS
With 10 receptions at Arizona, Johnson registered his fifth game this season with 10+ receptions and set a new franchise record for most games of 10+ receptions in a single season. He broke the team’s record previously set by WR Herman Moore, who had four in 1995.

His 10-catch outing at Arizona was the third consecutive game with 10+ receptions (13 vs. Ind 12/2; 10 at GB 12/9; 10 at Arz 12/16), tying a franchise record set by WR Brett Perriman in 1995 (10 at TB 11/12/95; 12 at Chi 11/19/95; 12 vs. Min 12/23/95).

Johnson registered his eighth career game with 10+ receptions, which trails WR Herman Moore’s career franchise record of nine.

JOHNSON’S TWO-YEAR TOTALS
Johnson now has tallied 3,348 receiving yards since the beginning of the 2011 season. He has set the NFL record for most receiving yards over a two-year span. He surpassed the previous mark of 3,347 yards by Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice in 1994-95.

7,500 YARDS THROUGH 90 GAMES
Johnson now has tallied 3,348 receiving yards since the beginning of the 2011 season. He has set the NFL record for most receiving yards over a two-year span. He surpassed the previous mark of 3,347 yards by Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice in 1994-95.


THE LOWLIGHTS...from Today's Presser.

LIONS HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ ON...

The most disappointing aspect of the loss to Arizona: “Well, we’ve had a lot of games this year that came down to one play. You know, one critical play in the fourth quarter that you look at and say, ‘Hey, if we made that one we would have won the game.’ We can’t be naïve to think that this was one of those games. Even though we have a chance to pull within seven with six minutes to play, that really wasn’t the case in this game. There were way too many errors in this game to have a chance to win and it showed on the scoreboard.”


If the mistakes on the field have been mental errors: “We had very few mental mistakes in the game. You know, we had a couple false starts with crowd noise. I mean, we need to do a better job with those, but we had very few times where guys weren’t in the right position or stuff like that. I’m never going to get up here and say that talent’s our issue. I have confidence in our players. If we put them on the field, we have confidence in them. You know, you might not always have a full complement of players, but it’s our job as coaches to put those guys in position. Try to find the combination of guys and try to find a way to get it done. We were short a defensive lineman this week. We went to some three defensive lineman packages. We’ve always adjusted and that’s just our job as coaches, and it’s players’ jobs as players to make those adjustments.”


If the coaching staff is preparing the team well enough: “We’re all in this together and this team goes out and works hard and prepares every single week. We haven’t always gotten it done on Sundays, particularly these last six weeks. And we’re going to work hard to get that right.”


What responsibility he takes as coach: “One hundred percent. I appreciate it when a quarterback wants to take blame for it, but ultimately it’s the head coach’s responsibility. I mean, head coaches always have a record. Other than playoffs I don’t know if I’ve ever seen quarterbacks have records. Usually it’s playoffs, ‘Hey this guy is whatever in the playoffs.’ The ultimate responsibility of the team is the head coach and I need to do a better job, 4-10 isn’t good enough.”

How disturbed he is by a six-game losing streak: “Well, we’re not happy about it. It’s been a long time since we’ve won. We’ll work hard to get that right but it’s certainly not something we’re happy about.”

LB Stephen Tulloch’s comment about players on one-year deals having that on their minds on the field: “I don’t think that has anything to do with our coaching staff. Players, I mean, it’s a real dynamic as far as the business of the NFL when it comes to players. I think all our players are professional and they leave that aside when it comes to playing in the game. I don’t want to speak for Stephen but I haven’t seen any sign of that. I think we have a lot of guys that are on the last year of the deal that are having some of their best seasons.” 

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Calvin Johnson's BIG Day!

Following the Detroit Lions' 33-35 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Ford Field, December 2, 2012.

Johnson Ties NFL Record
WR Calvin Johnson caught 13 passes for 171 yards and 1 touchdown today vs. Indianapolis. He now has five-straight games with 125+ receiving yards which ties an NFL record set by Lions WR Pat Studstill in 1966. (Courtesy of Elias Sports Bureau)

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Johnson’s current streak of four games with 140+ yards ties the longest streak in NFL history by Lions E Cloyce Box spanning the 1952-53 seasons. He is the only player with four-straight games with 140+ yards in the same season.

Career-High in Receptions
Johnson’s 13 catches set a new career high and are the second-most receptions in a game in Lions history. He was one shy of the team record of 14 set by WR Herman Moore vs. Chicago December 4, 1995.

He also set a career high with 8 receptions in the first half of today’s game. His previous best was 6 accomplished twice (at Chicago 11/2/08 and at Jacksonville 11/4/12).

Johnson’s 100-Yard Streaks
With 171 yards today, it marks the first time in Johnson’s career that he has recorded five-straight 100-yard games.

Johnson’s fifth-straight 100-yard game is the first for the Lions since WR Pat Studstill recorded six in a row in 1966.

With 171 receiving yards today, Johnson registered his 29th career 100-yard receiving game. Johnson is second only to WR Herman Moore (34) for the most in team history.

It is also Johnson’s eighth 100-yard game this season and ties a career high for the most 100-yard games in a season. Johnson registered 100 receiving yards eight times in 2008. WR Herman Moore holds the franchise record with 10 100-yard receiving games in 1995.

Already the only player in team history who has recorded seven 100-yard receiving games in two different seasons, Johnson is now the first player in team history to record eight 100-yard games in two different seasons.

Johnson Surpasses 1,400 yards
Johnson’s 171 yards increased his season total through 12 games to 1,428 receiving yards. He has now reached the 1,300-yard and 1,400-yard marks for the second consecutive season.

He now has three career 1,300-yard seasons. Johnson is the only player in team history with at least two seasons garnering 1,300 receiving yards and now has three (1,331 in 2008 ,1,681 in 2011, 1428 in 2012).

Johnson’s Stretch Run
With 1,428 yards in 12 games (119.0 avg), he now has the most yards through 12 games since WR Lance Alworth has 1,428 in 1965. He is tied for the third-most receiving yards through 12 games in NFL history. While tied with Alworth, he is behind WR Charlie Hennigan with 1,541 in 1961 and WR Crazy Legs Hirsch with 1,495 in 1951 for the most receiving yards through 12 games. (Courtesy of Elias Sports Bureau)

Johnson’s 119.0 yards per game average through 12 games is on pace to break both the Lions all-time single season record for receiving yards (WR Herman Moore, 1,686 in 1995) and the NFL record for receiving yards in a season (WR Jerry Rice, 1848 in 1995). At 119.0 yards per game, he would finish the season at 1,904 yards.

Johnson trails the record by 420 yards and needs to average 105.0 yards per game to reach Rice’s record.

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DETROIT LIONS VS GREEN BAY PACKERS POST GAME WRAP UP

POSTGAME NOTES

Johnson’s 100-yard Effort
WR Calvin Johnson caught 5 passes for 143 yards and one touchdown in today’s game vs. Green Bay. With 143 receiving yards, Johnson registered his 27th career 100-yard receiving game. Johnson is second only to WR Herman Moore (34) for the most in team history. He also registered 100 yards for the sixth time this season.

Johnson now has three-consecutive 100-yard games for the third time in his career. In the past three games, he has registered 129 yards (at Jax 11/4), 207 yards (at Min 11/11) and 143 yards (vs. GB 11/18) and has averaged 159.6 yards per game.

Johnson Surpasses 1,000 Yards
On Johnson’s 53-yard reception in the first quarter, he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the season. He now has reached 1,000 receiving yards for the fourth time in his career and for the third season in a row (2010-2012). Johnson also registered 1,000 receiving yards in 2008 (1,331), 2010 (1,120) and 2011 (1,681).

Through 10 games, he has accumulated 1,117 yards, averaging 111.7 yards per game. That average puts him on pace to record 1,787 yards in 16 games.

By reaching 1,000 yards this season, Johnson joins WR Herman Moore and WR Johnnie Morton as the only players in Lions history to reach 1,000 receiving yards in four seasons. Moore (1994-97) and Morton (1997-99, 2001) each did it four times during their careers with the Lions.

Johnson also joined Moore (1994-97) and Morton (1997-99) to register 1,000 receiving yards in three-straight seasons.

2,100 Career Points
K Jason Hanson connected on field goals of 30 and 27 yards, along two extra points, to score eight points against Green Bay. With eight points today, Hanson reached 2,100 career points and became the third player (K Morten Andersen and K Gary Anderson) in NFL history to score 2,100 career points. In 321 career games, Hanson has scored exactly 2,100 points.

Hanson also became the first player in NFL history to score 2,100 career points with one team.

He ranks third all-time in career scoring with 2,100 points and third all-time in career field goals with 483. He trails K Morten Andersen (2,544; 565) and Gary Anderson (2,434; 538) in both categories.

Career Passing Yards
QB Matthew Stafford threw for 266 yards vs. Green Bay and increased his career total to 10,828. Stafford moved into fifth place on the Lions all-time career passing list, surpassing QB Eric Hipple (10,711).

Stafford now trails QB Gary Danielson (11,885) for fourth place on the Lions all-time career passing list.

Rush End
DE Cliff Avril registered one sack (5-yard loss) and two tackles in the game. Avril now leads the team tis season with 5.5 sacks. Since the beginning of the 2011 season, Avril has 16.5 sacks, including a career high 11.0 in 2011.

Avril, who now has 35.5 career sacks, became the fifth Lions defensive player since 1982 to record 35 career sacks.

Lions Longevity
By starting in today’s game, T Jeff Backus and C Dominic Raiola both moved up on the Lions all-time career games played list.

Today’s game marks the 186th career game for T Jeff Backus. He passes Hall of Fame CB Dick LeBeau (185) for fourth place on the franchise’s all-time career games played list.

Raiola has now passed FB Cory Schlesinger (181) for sixth place on the Lions career games played list. To date, Raiola has played in 181 of a possible 185 games during his 12-year career. The only games he missed occurred during stretch of four games during the 2008 season.

Backus and Raiola each have now played more games in Lions history than any other offensive linemen. They have started 166 games together. which is the most by any offensive linemen teammates since the 1970 merger.

Hanson (321), Backus (186) and Raiola (182) now rank in the Top-6 on the franchise’s career games played list.

Mainstay At Left Tackle
By starting in today’s game, T Jeff Backus extended his franchise record of consecutive starts to 186 (187 including postseason). In 2011, he surpassed Lions Hall of Fame CB Dick LeBeau (171) for the most consecutive starts in team history.

Only Backus (active) and QB Peyton Manning (208) have started the first 180 games of their respective careers since 1970 (Courtesy Elias Sports Bureau).

Backus has started every game since he was drafted in 2001(first round). Backus currently holds the mark for the most consecutive starts among active (offensive and defensive) linemen, and he is currently third among all active players with 186 straight starts.

Fairley’s Big Day
Second-year DT Nick Fairley recorded 7 tackles and 2 sacks, both are career highs. It was Fairley’s first career multi-sack game, and it gives him 4.5 sacks on the season.

He also registered his first career forced fumble on the Packers opening drive in the third quarter to halt Green Bay’s drive at the Packers 17-yard line.

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LIONS' HEAD COACH SCHWARTZ ON CALVIN JOHNSON'S KNEE

The Detroit Lions coaches met today and reviewed film from Sunday’s 31-14 win over the Jaguars. The players are off Tuesday and will return to the practice field Wednesday.

The Detroit Lions conclude a four-of-five game stretch on the road this Sunday as they take on the Minnesota Vikings with kickoff set for 1 p.m. at Mall of America Field. The Lions are coming off their second straight win with a 31-14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9, while the Vikings will look to avenge a 30-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

LIONS HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ:
On WR Calvin Johnson’s knee: “He’s no worse for wear. He toughed it out in the game and made a big contribution in the game obviously.”

On how concerned he is about Johnson: “Yeah, I mean I think that it’s life in the NFL. There’s going to be a lot of (that). I mean we’re in the middle of an NFL season, everybody’s going to be dealing with something like that. But the things that he’s had, eventually will be put to bed. The only thing is you can’t anticipate what else is coming up. I think every player is going to have to deal with injuries over the course of the season. Calvin’s no different than any of these other guys.”

On if Johnson was on a pitch count: “No. We tried to get him out on some, you know, if he ran deep on one play we sort of pulled him out on another. Most of that last drive he wasn’t in there. We were just running the ball just about every down and then also late in the game took him off the hands team just to try to limit. It was three scores but 50 seconds left or something like that there’s no sense of exposing him to another hit if at all preventable.”

On how much confidence does the offensive game give them: “We’ve done some good things. Our third downs have been very good the last couple games. Our red zone has been very good. I think we’re 4-4 in the red zone. Those are important things for us on offense when we’re scoring touchdowns, when we’re keeping drives alive on third down, when we’re making long drives. We did it last week. We did it the week before that. It hasn’t just been single plays. It hasn’t been big plays. We’ve sort of adjusted to the ways teams have played us. We’ve been able to keep drives alive.

On if he starts looking at standings and playoff picture at this point in the season: “We’re middle of the season when it comes to stuff like that. I mean, we need to go out and concentrate on this next game. That’s the only thing that we can control right now. I think when you get late in the season, the final quarter of the season, maybe you start paying attention a little bit more. But even then the most important thing is the way you play. You can’t control anything else. You know, if you play well, then that’s all you can do. Work hard and come out with a win. This is another game for us, a NFC game. You know, it’s a very, very important game for us. It starts the second half of the year.”

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LIONS SIGN WR CALVIN JOHNSON TO A NEW 8-YEAR CONTRACT

All-Pro receiver signed through 2019

Allen Park, Mich.— The Detroit Lions announced today that they have signed WR Calvin Johnson to a new eight-year contract beginning with the 2012 season and extending through the 2019 season. No other contract terms were disclosed.

Through five NFL seasons, Johnson has established himself as one of the elite wide receivers in the NFL. The two-time Pro Bowler and 2011 All-Pro selection joined only five other players (Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Lance Alworth, Marvin Harrison and Larry Fitzgerald) in NFL history to register 45+ TD catches and 5,500+ receiving yards through their first five seasons.

Since the 2008 season, Johnson ranks first in the NFL with 45 receiving touchdowns, second in receiving yards (5,116) and third (tie) in the NFL with 49 receptions of 25+ yards. Including his 2007 rookie season, Johnson’s 49 touchdowns tie for second in the NFL over that five-year span.

Johnson’s career totals of 366 receptions for 5,872 yards and 49 touchdowns are the most by any Lions receiver through their first five seasons. He reached 5,000 career receiving yards (69 games) and 300 receptions (66 games) faster than any receiver in team history. Prior to Johnson’s arrival, no receiver in team history ever registered 1,000+ receiving yards and 12+ touchdowns in more than one season and he accomplished that three times (2008, 2010 and 2011) in his first five seasons.

As he has ascended to the upper echelon of NFL wide receivers, 2011 was his best and the most-prolific in Lions history as he helped lead the Lions back to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. He garnered career highs in receptions (96), receiving yards (1,681) and touchdowns (16). He broke the team’s single-season receiving touchdowns record that was held by E Cloyce Box (15, 1952) for the past 59 seasons. Johnson led the NFL with 1,681 receiving yards, and he had the highest (224 yards at Green Bay 1/1) and third-highest single-game (217 yards at Oakland 12/18) receiving tallies in the NFL.

His 1,681 yards are the second-most in team history and just five yards shy of the club record (WR Herman Moore, 1,686 in 1995). That tally is also the seventh-highest single-season tally in NFL history and most since Rams WR Torry Holt had 1,696 in 2003.

Only Johnson and Minnesota WR Randy Moss (2003) have ever registered 1,600+ receiving yards and 16+ receiving touchdowns in a season. Johnson is only the fourth player in NFL history to register 1,600 receiving yards and catch less than 100 passes in a season (Houston WR Charley Hennigan in 1961, San Diego WR Lance Alworth in 1965 and St. Louis WR Torry Holt in 2000). Only Hennigan (1,736) has registered more yards in a season with less than 100 catches receptions. He became the third player in NFL history with 95+ receptions, 1,600+ receiving yards and 15+ touchdowns in a season.

Johnson started 2011 by becoming the first player in NFL history with 2+ TD catches in the team’s first four games of the season.

Johnson’s stellar season extended into the playoffs as he broke Lions’ playoff records with 12 receptions for 211 yards and scoring 2 TDs at New Orleans (1/7/12). He is the third player in NFL history with 200+ receiving yards and 2 receiving TDs in a playoff game since the NFL-AFL merger. Johnson became the first player in NFL history to have 200 receiving yards in a playoff debut.

Including the Lions Wild Card game, Johnson had 36 catches, 771 yards and 6 TDs over the team’s final four games, including 3 200+-yard receiving games. Including his postseason totals (17 games), Johnson finished with 108 receptions for 1,892 yards (17.5 avg.) and 18 touchdowns. His season totals of 1,892 yards ranks fourth and his 18 touchdowns are tied for seventh in NFL history for combined totals in regular season and postseason games. Only Johnson and Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice (1,965 in 1995) have recorded 1,850+ yards while playing in 17 or less games (including postseason). Johnson is one of only 8 players to accumulate 110+ yards per game average (including postseason). However, only Johnson and Rice (115.6 in 1995) have registered 110+ yards per game while playing in at least 17 games. Both played 17 games in their respective seasons.

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DETROIT LIONS VS. ATLANTA FALCONS: POSTGAME NOTES

The following are postgame notes and quotes from the Detroit Lions' 23-16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field, October 23, 2011.

WR CALVIN JOHNSON

• Lions WR Calvin Johnson caught his 10th touchdown pass on the season with a 57-yard TD reception in the third quarter. Johnson is now the first player in Lions history with 10 touchdown catches in three different seasons. He also caught 12 touchdowns in 2008 and 2010.
• Johnson joins WR Herman Moore as the only players in team history with 10 touchdown catches in back-to-back seasons. Moore had 11 TDs in 1994 and 14 in 1995.
• He is now the sixth player in NFL history with 10 touchdown receptions through the first 7 games of the season and first since WR Randy Moss had 10 through 7 games for New England in 2007.
• Johnson finished the game with 5 receptions for 115 yards. His 115-yard outing today moved him into fifth place on the Lions all-time receiving yards list surpassing Hall of Fame TE Charlie Sanders (4,817, 1968-77).
• By recording 115 receiving yards today, Johnson now has 17 career 100-yard games. He has gone over 100 receiving yards in each of the past three games and four of the seven games the Lions have played this year.
• Johnson becomes the first Lions receiving with three-straight 100-yard games since WR German Crowell in 1999.
• It is the first time in Johnson’s career that he has registered 100 receiving yards in three-straight games.
• Johnson has scored a touchdown in six of the Lions seven games thus far in 2011.

K JASON HANSON

• Lions K Jason Hanson has now played in 302 career games. He is now tied with QB Brett Favre and K Matt Stover for sixth place on the NFL’s career games played list.
• Hanson finished the game with 10 points (3 FG, 1 PAT) and now has scored 68 points on the season. He has scored 10 points in four of the team’s seven games this season.

T JEFF BACKUS

• Today’s game marked T Jeff Backus’ 167th consecutive start. He currently has the most consecutive starts by any lineman (offense or defense) in the NFL and the most among offensive players. He has the eighth-most consecutive starts by an offensive lineman since 1970.

LIONS INTERCEPTIONS

• The Lions defense intercepted two passes today to move their season total to 10 in the season’s first seven games.
• CB Eric Wright picked off his second pass of the season on the Falcons’ opening drive and returned it 22 yards to the Atlanta 15-yard line, setting up a Lions field goal.
• S Amari Spievey recorded his third interception of the season on the first play of the fourth quarter. Three interceptions on the season is a career high for the second-year safety.

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