Calvin Johnson broke the Madden curse. John Madden himself has now admitted it. Take a trip down memory lane and relive some of the biggest games and moments on Megatron’s record-breaking season.

Week 17 has finally arrived. The Detroit Lions will not be returning to the playoffs, and since Calvin Johnson has already claimed the record for receiving yards in a single, the Lions looked to play spoiler to the playoff hopes of their division rival Chicago Bears.

It’s week 16 and with the Lions officially eliminated from the playoffs, all eyes turn to Calvin Johnson and his pursuit of Jerry Rice’s all-time receiving record.

The Detroit Lions stayed on the road in week 15 as they faced the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium, where Calvin Johnson aimed to continue his outstanding season, and close in on Jerry Rice’s all-time receiving record.

The Detroit Lions, playoff hopes all but lost, traveled to a snowy Wisconsin in week 14 to face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. Divisional pride was still on the line, and Calvin Johnson was closing in on Jerry Rice’s all-time receiving yardage record.

We hope your week 13 was better than the one Mark Sanchez had.  We’ve got some fun reads for you and want to make sure you check them out.  So here’s our clipboard of content: Sunday: Exclusive: Jets Quarterback Mark Sanchez’s clipboard  – Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez was lifted during Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. Sanchez was caught furiously scribbling on his clipboard. What could he have possibly been writing? We got a sneak peek with our spy camera. Monday: Madden Curse Watch – Calvin Johnson erupts against the Colts, but Andrew Luck leads a fourth quarter charge. Madden Curse watch has all the drama captured on camera and  on video. NFL Royalty – Photo gallery – In honor […]

It’s week 13, and the Detroit Lions badly needed a win against the resurgent Indianapolis Colts to keep any hope of a trip to the playoffs alive. Let’s see if Megatron and co. brought their A-game.

Historically, players who are featured on the cover of the “Madden NFL” franchise experience significant drops in their offensive production. NFL.com is tracking the performance of Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions over the course of the 2012 season because we believe Johnson will debunk the Madden curse. The Detroit Lions, last in the NFC North and rapidly following out of the playoff race, faced a must-win game against division rival Green Bay Packers. Megatron needed a big game. ————————————————————————————————————————————– FIRST QUARTER ————————————————————————————————————————————– Late in the first quarter, a failed fourth down conversion by the Green Bay Packers leads to this big play by Calvin Johnson. Cue tape! The Detroit Lions are in the red zone with Matt Stafford‘s 53-yard pass to Megatron. […]

Historically, players who are featured on the cover of the “Madden NFL” franchise experience significant drops in their offensive production. NFL.com is tracking the performance of Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions over the course of the 2012 season because we believe Johnson will debunk the Madden curse. Calvin Johnson on battling injury this season: “I’m feeling all right.” That’s all we needed to hear, Megatron. On to the game! ————————————————————————————————————————————– FIRST QUARTER ————————————————————————————————————————————– The Minnesota Vikings start off strong against a sleepy Lions defense. And offense. First Vikings possession of the game. Christian Ponder connects with rookie wide receiver Jarius Wright for a touchdown. On the following Lions possession, Matt Stafford is intercepted by Chad Greenway. Soon after the turnover, the Vikings […]

Historically, players who are featured on the cover of the “Madden NFL” franchise experience significant drops in their offensive production. NFL.com is tracking the performance of Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions over the course of the 2012 season because we believe Johnson will debunk the Madden curse. Our hero Calvin Johnson did not practice all week due to a lingering knee injury, but was active against the Jacksonville Jaguars. WR bigplaycj will start today at Jacksonville (photo: G. Smith/Detroit Lions) @ EverBank Field instagr.am/p/RnVhiQx9GX/— Detroit Lions (@DetroitLionsNFL) November 04, 2012 Would Megatron have it any other way? Move along Madden, nothing to see here. It’s game time folks! ————————————————————————————————————————————– FIRST QUARTER ————————————————————————————————————————————– The Lions are unable to score on their first […]

Historically, players who are featured on the cover of the “Madden NFL” franchise experience significant drops in their offensive production. NFL.com is tracking the performance of Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions over the course of the 2012 season because we believe Johnson will debunk the Madden curse. In case you missed it, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman appointed himself “Optimus Prime” in advance of the team’s road trip to Detroit. Megatron is unfazed. Wonder whose side this guy is on? Enough talk. Let’s get to the game. ————————————————————————————————————————————– FIRST QUARTER ————————————————————————————————————————————– The Lions win the toss and their first drive results in a punt. The Seahawks respond with a field goal. Nothing exciting there. On Detroit’s 2nd possession, Matthew Stafford leads the squad […]

Historically, players who are featured on the cover of the “Madden NFL” franchise experience significant drops in their offensive production. NFL.com is tracking the performance of Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions over the course of the 2012 season because we believe Johnson will debunk the Madden curse. It’s Monday Night Football! Time for a good ol’ NFC North matchup. Lions at Bears. Does it get any better than this? Here’s our hero Calvin Johnson AKA Megatron. “Nobody gets the football like Megatron”  - Jon Gruden Madden. Agree or Disagree? Let the game begin! ————————————————————————————————————————————– FIRST HALF ————————————————————————————————————————————– The Bears score a touchdown on their first possession and a field goal moments later to take the early lead. Meanwhile Calvin Johnson has a […]

Historically, players who are featured on the cover of Madden see significant drops in their offensive production. NFL.com is tracking the performance of Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions over the course of the 2012 season because we believe Calvin Johnson will debunk the Madden curse. It seems as though many have written off the Detroit Lions. As depicted in an animated video by the Philadelphia Eagles, the Lions are nothing to be afraid of. Not so fast, Eagles.   Coming into week 6, the Lions hold last place in the NFC North and face a must win game to save their season. Would their efforts be foiled by the Madden Curse? Let’s take a look. ————————————————————————————————————————————– FIRST HALF ————————————————————————————————————————————– The Eagles […]

Historically, players who are featured on the cover of Madden see significant drops in their offensive production. NFL.com is tracking the performance of Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions over the course of the 2012 season because we believe Calvin Johnson will debunk the Madden curse. In the first two weeks of the 2012 season, Calvin Johnson recorded 14 receptions for 205 yards and 0 touchdowns. Zero. Gone are the two touchdown games and the 14+ yard receptions from last season. Memories. Let’s not digress though, new season, new week and the Detroit Lions are on the road against the Tennessee Titans. ————————————————————————————————————————————– FIRST HALF ————————————————————————————————————————————– Calvin Johnson finished the first half with one catch for six yards, while Jason […]

Is this exciting or what? Washington Redskins TE Chris Cooley will be a guest at the NFL Network studios Wednesday and Thursday. Two days of Cooley? It won’t be the first time, and anyone who tried Cooley’s signature ham, peanut butter and mustard sandwich – a.k.a., the Cooley Club – remembers the last visit.