As a result of last night's win at home against the Bears, the Detroit Lions are 5-0 for the first time since 1956. Only Detroit and the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers still boast a perfect record.
The Lions' historically good start is largely tied to the stellar play of fifth-year wideout Calvin Johnson, who has a staggering nine touchdown receptions through the first five weeks of the season. For perspective, Randy Moss had only seven touchdown receptions through the first five weeks of the season during his 2007 campaign in which he set an NFL record for touchdown catches in a season with 23.
Nicknamed Megatron after a character from the Transformers cartoons and film franchise Johnson had his best game of the season in terms of yardage against the Bears on Monday night, reeling in five catches for 130 yards. More than half of his receiving yards came early in the second quarter, when Matt Stafford lofted the ball to the 6-foot-5 receiver after he beat Bears cornerback Chris Harris. From there, Johnson easily fended off safety Brandon Meriweather on his way to the endzone. The play was very much a microcosm of how Johnson has performed this season for the Lions: He thoroughly dominated the opposition with a jaw-dropping combination of speed and strength.
With an aggressive defense and dominant offense, Detroit, who according to the Elias Sports Bureau achieved a first in franchise history by coming from behind at halftime to win their last three games, is on track to make its first playoff appearance in over a decade. Where the team goes from there will likely depend on how far Mr. Johnson can carry them. And if the impressive wideout continues at this pace, he may just earn another nickname that starts with the letter 'M'--M.V.P.