DETROIT, MI – It appears that Jerry Rice will be giving up one of his 40 records after all.
Four yards short of the record, Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson would break the Hall of Fame wide receiver’s single season receiving record of 1,848 on a 26-yard reception from Matthew Stafford against the Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field in a 31-18 loss.
With the win, the (13-2) Falcons clinched home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, and the loss drops the Lions to 4-11.
But the story on Saturday evening was whether or not the former Georgia Tech standout known throughout the NFL as “Megatron” would break one of the most hallow records in the NFL.
He didn’t break it. He shattered it.
Johnson, who needed 182 yards to break Rice’s mark of 1,848 set in 1995, came into the game with 1,667 yards receiving and 106 catches.
Considered by many to be the most dominant and unstoppable wide receiver in the game today, Johnson has been playing at a MVP-like level for the Lions in 2012-13. At 6’5 and 236 pounds with 4.36 speed, Johnson is a rare combination of size, agility and hands. Coming into the game against the Falcons, Johnson was averging 119 yards a game.
In breaking the record, Johnson now has 1,892 yards and will most likely add to that total with a Week 17 matchup against the Chicago Bears. For the game, Johson would have 11 catches for 225 yards on 15 targets.
With Rice’s record now gone, can Johnson become the first man to have 2,000 yards receiving?
Robert D. Cobb is the Founder/CEO/Senior Editor-In-Chief Of The Inscriber : Digital Magazine, for questions, comments and concerns email me at robcobb@theinscriber.com and follow the Inscriber : Digital Magazine on Twitter at @TheInscriber