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It only makes sense because the 6'5", 239-pound wide receiver isn't just the best player on the Lions' roster, but he's also one of the most phenomenal receivers in NFL history.
Megatron is coming off his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season despite the fact that he missed three games. He also caught 70-plus passes for the fifth year in a row and scored eight times.
The 29-year-old also holds the single-season record for receiving yards with 1,964. In 2013, he had more receiving yards in a single game than any other player in the last 25 years.
That particular performance (329 yards on 14 catches in a 31-30 victory) came against—you guessed it—the Dallas Cowboys.
So if there's one reason to think that the Cowboys might become victims of an upset Sunday at home, it certainly has to do with the fact that they'll be facing a receiver who had the best game of his Hall of Fame career against this Dallas team only 14 months ago.
What Happened on Oct. 27, 2013?
That was the day Johnson went bananas on the Dallas "D." It was a Week 8 game in Detroit during which Johnson caught six of his 14 passes for 134 of his 329 yards in a frenzied, 24-point fourth quarter.
While a lot has changed since then, the scary part for Dallas is that from a scheme and personnel standpoint, things remain fairly similar.
The Cowboys' top two cornerbacks that day were Brandon Carr and Orlando Scandrick, with Carr covering Johnson almost exclusively.
Though the coverage assignments might be more varied Sunday, with Scandrick playing a more significant role this season, the reality is that this remains a 4-3, Cover 2 defense with Carr and Scandrick in the top two corner spots.
Why It May or May not Happen Again
You need only two eyes to notice that the veteran Carr has really taken a step backwards this season. But in case your vision doesn't suffice, here are the numbers:
That doesn't bode well for the Cowboys' chances.
Dallas has benefited, however, from better play out of nickel cornerback Sterling Moore and free safety J.J. Wilcox, neither of whom played when Johnson eviscerated the Dallas secondary.
With weaker personnel, assistant head coach of defense Monte Kiffin inexplicably left Carr on a multitude of islands with Johnson last October.
With safety Barry Church too deep and responsible for everything over the top, Carr was basically hung out to dry on what turned into an 87-yard reception here:
Same deal on Johnson's short touchdown. I mean, this isn't even fair:
I feel as though when they're in shotgun inside the Dallas 5-yard line, it's not crazy to simply move a safety right over top. But Dallas refused to do that and paid the price. I doubt the coaching staff will be as stubborn this time.
Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has the experience and knowhow to use tape from that embarrassing 2013 performance and have his guys adjust accordingly.
And it's not as though top-tier receivers have been killing the Cowboys since then. Football Outsiders actually ranks the Dallas "D" above the league average in terms of DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) in coverage against No. 1 receivers.
Yeah, Johnson's performance was somewhat of an aberration for this defense, which has given up 110-plus receiving yards to only three opposing No. 1 receivers this season.
The majority of the top options the Cowboys have faced have been held in check:
Besides, the Lions haven't exactly been on an offensive roll of late. Detroit has averaged just 18.7 points in its last three games, with Johnson catching only 14 of the 29 passes quarterback Matthew Stafford has thrown his way for an average of 65 yards per outing.
Stafford, who has a completion percentage of just 54.6 and a passer rating of just 75.9 in the last three weeks, is telegraphing passes for Johnson and it's backfiring.
Against Green Bay last week, he fails to see Reggie Bush pulling away in a mismatch with linebacker Sam Barrington, instead throwing to a well-covered Johnson underneath:
Considering that Dallas' "D" had an NFC-high 31 takeaways this season, any attempt from Stafford to use Johnson as a crutch could pay off big-time for the Cowboys.
Throw in that in the last two weeks Stafford has been the fifth-least accurate passer in the NFL among 29 qualifiers, and the threat doesn't seem as huge as it once did.
The Golden Tate Factor
Even if the Cowboys contain Johnson, they aren't out of the woods. That's because Detroit's No. 2 receiver, Golden Tate, actually has more targets, catches and yards than Johnson in what's been a breakout year for the former Seattle Seahawk.
Tate spends nearly 60 percent of his snaps in the slot, which means there's a good chance Scandrick will move inside and focus on him for the majority of Sunday's game.
On one hand, that means the Cowboys will be taking their best corner off Johnson, but Moore has been good enough to help out with Johnson outside if Carr struggles, and Marinelli should be providing Carr and/or Moore with safety help all day long.
Neither Moore nor Scandrick have given up a single touchdown this season, and Wilcox has limited opposing quarterbacks to a 66.3 passer rating (subscription required).
So even with Tate now in the picture and making the Lions a little more multidimensional in the passing game, the Cowboys are better prepared for Johnson and Co. this time around.
For proof, consider that they gave up only 45 20-yard passing plays this season, which was the eighth-lowest mark in the league. In 2013, they surrendered a league-high 71 20-yard completions, including nine in that one game against Johnson and the Lions.
So there's a chance Johnson has this team's number in a major way, but there's a better chance the stars were aligned in his favor when he dominated Dallas last season.
That doesn't mean he can't take over this game regardless, though, so Marinelli better not overlook him, and Carr, Moore, Scandrick, Wilcox and Church had better be up for their biggest challenge in over a year.
Unless otherwise noted, advanced statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Brad Gagnon has covered the NFC East for Bleacher Report since 2012.
Follow @Brad_Gagnon
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