Detroit Lions: 5 Reasons Calvin Johnson Will Win the NFL MVP

Calvin Johnson has certainly lived up to his nickname of Megatron this year.  He has been unstoppable and is on pace to shatter records and defy all odds along with his currently undefeated Detroit Lions. 

Carrying the Lions on his back, Johnson has led them to a 5-0 record and are near the top in every NFL Power Ranking. 

There has only been one wide receiver ever to win the MVP award, but here are five reasons why Johnson will become the second.

Winning Over Critics

Cris Carter is obviously the last person to jump on the Calvin Johnson bandwagon. After finally retracting his statement that Johnson is not a top five receiver, Johnson is now atop the rankings of almost every sports writer and respected MVP voter.

With Johnson having everyone on his side, his numbers will just do the talking.  He is on pace for 93 catches, 1,328 yards and 29 touchdowns; which would shatter Randy Moss' record 23 touchdowns. 

When Megatron breaks the record, along with leading the Lions to the playoffs, it will be hard for the voters not to side with him and give him the trophy. 

Best Player on Great Offense

Matthew Stafford has thrown the ball 187 times through five games so far this season.  Calvin Johnson has a total of 47 targets, which is good for just over 25 percent of his throws. His targets place him at fourth in the league, and there is no other Lion wide receiver in the top 50.

He has converted those targets into 29 catches for 451 yards and nine touchdowns while his Lion wide receiver counterparts have combined for 32 catches for only 396 yards and zero touchdowns.  It is clear who Stafford is looking to and defenses know it; they just can't stop him. 

Teams are double and triple-teaming Johnson on a regular basis, but, again, it doesn't matter.  He will keep being one of the most targeted wide receiver in the league, and with those targets comes production which will equal an MVP season.

Unstoppable in the Red Zone

At 6'5", 240 pounds, Calvin Johnson is a nightmare matchup for corners in the red zone.  It is nearly an unfair advantage for the Lions offense once they get inside the 20 as Stafford can just throw the ball up over the secondary for Johnson to snare.

Johnson is the third most targeted wide receiver in the red zone so far this season with nine targets, one behind Roddy White and Wes Welker.  What makes Calvin stand out is his 42.9 percent target ratio. 

That means that the Lions are going to Johnson almost every other time they run a play in the red zone. Welker is only at 27 percent and Roddy's is 35.7 percent. The only player who has a better percentage is Larry Fitzgerald at 50 percent, but he only has four targets.  

As the Lions will surely keep going to Johnson when they get inside the 20, there is no doubt he will keep scoring touchdowns.  They have a potent offense and when they get that close, there is not a corner in the league that can cover Johnson on a jump ball. 

He has proven it time and time again and will continue to prove it as he will go on to break the touchdown record and win the MVP.

Explosive Playmaking Ability

Johnson's 73-yard burst was good for the 15th longest receiving touchdown this season. He showed his 4.3 speed as he burned the whole Chicago Bears defense on a double move and Stafford just threw it up and he went and got it.

Out of his 29 catches, nine of them have gone for over 20 yards including two over 40. That means one out of every three times he touches the ball he goes for over 20 yards—insane.  He also has a 82.8 percent first down percentage which is best in the league for receivers with at least 25 catches. 

This MVP-type domination has helped the Lions offense become one of the most potent in the league and has led them to a 5-0 record. 

Compareable to Jerry Rice's MVP Season

Through five games, Calvin Johnson's play is only rivaled by Jerry Rice's 1987 MVP season.  Here is a little look to see how similar these two All-Star's seasons really are:

	Calvin Johnson 2011 Season (5 games)	Jerry Rice 1987 Season (12 games)
Yards/Game	90.2	90.6
Touchdown/Game	1.8	1.83
Catches/Game	5.8	5.42

Coincidence?  I think not. 

The talent is there, stats are there and the team's record is there. Why can't Calvin Johnson win the NFL MVP? 

That is the question voters will be asking at the end of the year and they will have no answer but to name Johnson the first MVP wide receiver since Rice's 1987 season.