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It's never easy to do a post like this following a loss, especially when all three phases of the team failed in some way in crunch time. However, the show must go on, and after highlighting the offensive line, defensive live and linebackers in recent weeks, I've decided to feature the Detroit Lions' wide receivers as the teammates of the week.
Calvin Johnson, as usual, was the most outstanding wide receiver for the Lions on Sunday. He had 6 catches for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns (all in the first half). Kris Durham chipped in with 3 catches for 42 yards, and Jeremy Ross had 1 catch for 19 yards.
Just based on Sunday's game alone, the wide receivers weren't necessarily all that impressive. However, think of this as more of a pat on the back for what they've done over the last month or so. Despite not having Nate Burleson and not making any move at the trade deadline, the Lions have gotten some solid play out of their wide receivers. Over the last five games, the wide receivers have put up these numbers:
Calvin Johnson: 38 catches, 771 yards, 7 touchdowns
Kris Durham: 21 catches, 225 yards, 1 touchdown
Kevin Ogletree: 3 catches, 55 yards
Jeremy Ross: 4 catches, 54 yards
Considering Durham was really an afterthought going into 2013 and Ogletree and Ross started out the season on different teams, the Lions have gotten pretty good production out of their wide receivers, all things considered.
If you want to expand this beyond the wide receivers, Brandon Pettigrew deserves a lot of praise for what he's done as of late. Drops and fumbles haven't been an issue recently, and he's been one of Matthew Stafford's most reliable targets. He only has 1 touchdown in the last five games, but he's caught 18 of his last 27 targets for 181 yards. He has helped make up for the loss of Burleson, who hopefully will be back this week to give a boost to the wide receiver position.