How the Lions Offense Succeeded Without Calvin Johnson

Calvin Johnson has been the primary engine driving the Lions offense since he arrived in Detroit as the No. 2 overall pick of the 2007 NFL draft. When Megatron has missed time, Detroit resembles a crumbled wreckage of an otherwise beautiful structure. 

The last time the Lions played a full game sans Johnson was Week 5 of 2013 in Green Bay. The Lions managed just 286 yards of total offense, over 100 yards fewer than the team averaged for the season. Detroit failed to score a touchdown in a lifeless 22-9 loss. 

So when news came out that Johnson missed two days of practice and was questionable for last Sunday's contest in New York, it was easy to expect the worst.

"

Back to back days of no practice for Megatron as Calvin Johnson continues to nurse an ankle injury.

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 25, 2014"

My prevailing thought was of legendary Detroit Pistons coach Chuck Daly's famous quote, "A pessimist is an optimist with experience." It was hard to feel good about the offense. The thought was that even if Johnson were to play, he would certainly be limited.

It turns out Johnson did play, though in an even more limited capacity than many expected.

"

FANTASY INJURY UPDATE: #Lions WR Calvin Johnson playing intermittently so far today due to sprained ankle.

— SiriusXM Fantasy (@SiriusXMFantasy) September 28, 2014"

He was on the field for just 39 of the 66 offensive snaps. Just two balls went his way, a pair of six-yard receptions that had little impact on the game. He was largely invisible from the Fox game broadcast. 

Yet the Lions offense hummed along well enough to produce a 24-17 victory. It accomplished this on the road against Rex Ryan's celebrated, venerated Jets defense that ranked third overall entering the game.

What a difference a year makes. Here's how the Lions pulled it off.

Golden Tate Stepped Up

The aforementioned Packers game from 2013 is infamous among Lions fans for then-offensive coordinator Scott Linehan vainly trying to use Kris Durham as Johnson. There were no tactical adjustments, and there was no acknowledgement of the massive gulf in talent level between the two receivers. 

It was asking Peter Dinklage to play Shaquille O'Neal in a biopic. 

This time around, the Lions have another legitimate No. 1 receiver on the roster. Golden Tate proved why the Lions so coveted him in free agency. He was fantastic:

It helped having Johnson on the field even as a decoy, no doubt. That was an advantage Detroit didn't have last year. However, Tate proved more than capable of doing great things on his own.

The former Seattle Seahawks standout had already proved invaluable to the offense even with Johnson at full go. Note this tidbit from the first quarter:

"

Golden Tate comes up with another 3rd-down catch to move the chains. He entered today tied w/ Calvin Johnson for the @NFL lead on 3rd downs

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 28, 2014"

Tate converted two other third downs on the day, both on the long touchdown drive at the end of the third quarter when the game was very much in doubt. It's hard to imagine how the game would have played out without Tate's excellent work. 

A Smarter Matthew Stafford

Since Stafford took over as the starting quarterback in 2009, he's been largely miserable without Johnson being a significant part of the offense.

Here is how the Lions quarterback has fared in games where Johnson had three or fewer targets:

	Comp.	Att.	Yards	TD	INT	Outcome
2009 Wk 7	14	33	168	0	1	L 17-10
2013 Wk 5	25	40	262	1	0	L 22-9
2013 Wk 16	22	33	217	1	0	L 14-13

Against the Jets, Stafford completed 24 of 34 passes for 293 yards with two touchdowns and no giveaways. He also scored a touchdown with his legs. 

He wasn't perfect, but there was very visible progress in how he managed the game without his top weapon. Instead of forcing throws under pressure, he threw away three passes and put several others where only his receiver had a play on the ball. 

Stafford spread the ball around nicely. Eight different players had at least two targets, with tight end Eric Ebron getting his first career touchdown and wideout Jeremy Ross getting his second. He trusted more in his role players, and they delivered. 

It's even more impressive considering the right tackle spot was a platoon between a third-stringer and a fourth-stringer against a very good Jets defensive front. Also, Reggie Bush was the only healthy running back by the final few drives. 

Not only did Stafford not lose the game, he went out and won it. This outstanding, gutsy bootleg sealed the victory. 

Being the Better Overall Team

One of the keys in compensating for a fallen star is to make fewer mistakes. Detroit did a great job in damage control against the Jets:

• Committed five penalties for 33 yards, down from average of six and 48.
• Zero turnovers, down from an average of two per game.
• 2-of-2 in red-zone conversions.
• One dropped pass.

The Jets, on the other hand, did a good job stringing their own rope...

• Six penalties.
• Two turnovers.
• Six dropped passes.
• 1-of-2 in the red zone.

Paula Pasche of The Oakland Press summed it up nicely:

"

Matthew Stafford first uttered the phrase "complementary football" after the big win over the Green Bay Packers a week ago.

Like the Detroit Lions quarterback explained, there's never going to be a day when all three phases—offense, defense, special teams—play perfect football. The three phases have to help each other. ... Again, in Sunday's 24-17 win over the N.Y. Jets this complementary football idea was key.

"

The special teams were strong aside from Alex Henery's missed field goal.

Sam Martin had a great day punting and kicking off. He averaged 51 yards per punt, pinning two inside the Jets 20-yard line. Only one of his five kickoffs was returned, and the coverage units prevented any big plays.

Lions fans are accustomed to Detroit being the team making the game-losing errors. Last week, the Jets seized the gun and pointed it straight down at their own feet. It was a refreshing change. 

It all added up to a rare occurrence:

"

Lions win on road essentially without Calvin Johnson. Have not been able to say that very much in the last 15 years.

— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) September 28, 2014"

Now, Johnson should be healthier as the Lions prepare to host the Bills. Buffalo just benched quarterback EJ Manuel in favor of Kyle Orton and comes off a game where it practiced some self-immolation of its own:

"

#Bills found a new way to lose. They literally did not touch WR after he caught the ball flopping around like a fish rolling for a 1st down

— Joe Marino (@TheJoeMarino) September 28, 2014"

Those are the mistakes Detroit avoided against New York. If the Lions can do the same this week, they should improve to 4-1.

All statistics are from NFL.com unless otherwise indicated. 

Jeff Risdon is a featured columnist for the Detroit Lions. He is also the founder/editor of Detroit Lions Draft and the Senior NFL/Draft writer for RealGM. You can interact with him on Twitter @JeffRisdon.