Stafford, Calvin Johnson could reach milestones vs. Packers

Both Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson are in reach of individual milestones as the Detroit Lions prepare to host the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night.

Stafford is only 61 passing yards away from jumping Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr on the NFL’s all-time list. Starr, a two-time Super Bowl winner with the Packers, finished his career 24,718 yards, while Stafford, who is only 27, sits at 24,658.

He could also pass a few other notable names in passing touchdowns by the end of Thursday night’s contest. Stafford is currently at 151 career touchdowns, but Starr (152), Roger Staubach (153) and Danny White (155) are all within range. With four touchdowns, he could tie White for the 76th most in NFL history.

Stafford’s top target also has a chance to make a little bit of history against the Packers.

Receiver Calvin Johnson is just 79 yards away from his sixth straight 1,000-yard season. According to Tim Twentyman of the Lions official site, only 14 receivers have ever recorded six-straight seasons with at least 1,000 yards. Hall of Famer Jerry Rice holds the all-time record with 11 straight.

“Really, (I) just try to get better and better every year,” Johnson said. “It’s hard to beat some of the things that I’ve done over my career. But just to put together a solid year fundamentally from when I’m watching film, whether it’s seeing the ball better or in and out of routes better.”

In terms of receiving yards, Johnson is just 47 yards behind Keenan McCardell for 30th all-time, and he’s only 112 yards from catching Muhsin Muhammad for 27th. If he caught two touchdowns against the Packers, Johnson would tie Reggie Wayne for the 22nd most in NFL history (82).

The Lions need a win against the Packers on Thursday night to stay in the postseason hunt. Getting a victory will likely require big games from Stafford and Johnson, two players who continue to pass big names on their climb up the NFL’s all-time leaderboards.

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