Calvin Johnson Makes Big Impact in Detroit Lions' Comeback Win

Superstar wideout Calvin Johnson missed the last three games for the Detroit Lions. Somehow the Lions managed to win all three games, requiring improbable comebacks to vanquish both the Saints and Falcons without Megatron.

In Sunday's 20-16 comeback win over the visiting Miami Dolphins, Johnson made his presence felt. It was a similar dramatic outcome but a much different path with No. 81 on the field. 

The numbers are impressive but not gaudy, certainly not for the man who holds the NFL record for most receiving yards in a season. 

Catches	Yards	TD	Yards/Catch	Targets
7	113	1	16.1	15

He didn't even catch the game-winner. Theo Riddick hauled in the 11-yard stab from Matthew Stafford with just 29 ticks remaining on the clock. Yet Johnson was unquestionably the catalyst of Detroit's offense in his first game in a month. 

Johnson made his presence felt quickly. His first-quarter touchdown reception, the first of many clips in this highlight reel, was vintage Megatron.

Stafford threw a great ball, but the key is Johnson's physical presence. He's 6'5" and 236 pounds. The man guarding him is Brent Grimes, who measures 5'10" and 185. That's a mismatch, and the Lions exploited it with thrilling results. 

Grimes played pretty well. While lining up most of the day against Johnson, Grimes got his hands on two passes for deflections and had excellent positioning on a couple other incompletions. But his strong effort could only do so much.

While he didn't seem inhibited, Johnson was still feeling the impact of the ankle injury that kept him out of almost all the action in the last five contests.

"

Calvin Johnson said his ankle did hurt at times today, but that didn't surprise him.

— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) November 9, 2014"

When the Lions needed big completions in key moments, Stafford looked for his old reliable partner. Johnson made plays that few others can, including this impressive concentration to pick up a critical fourth-down conversion:

"

Watch Megatron's megafocus on this catch to move the chains on fourth down: http://t.co/g8r1WpZVe5. #MIAvsDET pic.twitter.com/F8JavFEsRv

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 9, 2014"

He frequently commanded extra attention from the strong Miami defense. Twice on the final drive, Stafford found Golden Tate isolated in coverage as the Dolphins rolled to help blanket Johnson. That's not to say Megatron wasn't directly involved, however; this catch pushed the Lions across midfield and in position to challenge for the end zone and the win instead of rushing for a potential tying field goal. 

Tate was fantastic in Johnson's absence, catching 39 passes for 599 yards and three touchdowns in the last five games. He had no problem moving back into a co-star role, giving the Lions two dangerous playmakers at wide receiver. 

"

Both Calvin Johnson (113) & @ShowtimeTate (109) topped the 100-yard mark for the #Lions today. #OnePride pic.twitter.com/0ANWKdcogz

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 9, 2014"

The Detroit offense has not performed to expectations this season, but finally getting Johnson healthy and Stafford's positive chemistry with Tate—developed in Johnson's absence—the Lions appear to finally be turning the corner.

"

Calvin Johnson returns, immediately shuts down all talk of other WRs being the best in the league.

— Chris Wesseling (@ChrisWesseling) November 9, 2014"

With a 7-2 record and three consecutive comeback wins, the prospect of a fresh Johnson rejuvenating the offensive attack should be a very scary proposition for the rest of the NFC. 

All statistics and player information is from NFL.com unless otherwise specified.