Falcons hold Johnson, Lions receivers in check

Calvin Johnson’s last trick was a simple stop-and-go route, with Atlanta’s cornerback Brent Grimes, yielding seven inches and 40 pounds, sticking with him like an hard-core panhandler.

And Johnson just stopped, much like rest of the Detroit Lions.

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Rich Addicks/raddicks@ajc.com

Falcons defensive back Chris Houston (left) and the rest of the secondary held Calvin Johnson, the second-year wide receiver from Georgia Tech, and Roy Williams to just three receptions in the second half.

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This was Detroit’s last offensive play, with six-and-a-half minutes remaining, down 13 points but hardly out of chances. Johnson, the second-year wide receiver from Georgia Tech, had had one of the most productive days of his young career but Grimes had sewed him up this time.

Back upfield, Lions quarterback Jon Kitna was being sacked by John Abraham. Detroit was forced to punt. Atlanta was going to win. After a bumpy ride in the first half, Grimes, fellow cornerback Chris Houston and the rest of the secondary had held Johnson and fellow receiver Roy Williams to just three receptions in the second half.

What had appeared beforehand the Falcons worst match-up had held up. On an opening afternoon of surprises, this one stood alone. Grimes, remember, is the replacement for departed No. 1 pick DeAngelo Hall.

“You can scout all you want,” said Grimes, who spent most of 2007 on the Falcons practice squad. “[Johnson and Williams] are big, they can run, they can jump. You just have to go out there and do what you do, play what you’ve been practicing and have fun.”

Johnson, in his first return game in his hometown, would finish with a career-high 107 yards on seven receptions. Williams added three more catches for 47 yards and a balletic 21-yard touchdown catch over Grimes in the second quarter. But after that, the Falcons held.

“They played a lot of Cover Two today,” said Johnson, which left him to work the corners man-to-man. “That’s what we saw most of the day. We obviously didn’t get it done. So there’s not much to say.”

“We bent a little bit today,” Atlanta safety Lawyer Molloy said. “But they were going against what I think are two Pro Bowl receivers and they kept on competing.”

Molloy saw to that, with a diving interception at the Atlanta 13 early in the third quarter as Detroit was diving toward what might have been a tying touchdown. Williams was supposed to have run a post pattern but maintained a straight route, allowing Molloy to break off coverage for an interception between the hash-marks.

“It got to 21-14 and I figured we were going to tie it up,” Williams said. “If I catch it, I probably score.”

But Williams did not catch another ball all day. Later in the quarter, Johnson succeeded in drawing an interference call against Houston in the end zone which Detroit used to score a touchdown one play later, making it a 10-point lead.

From there, Johnson had two short fourth-quarter receptions for a combined 21 yards while the Lions were being blanked for the final 16:45.

“That’s how it’s going to be, especially when we have a lead,” safety Erik Coleman said. “They’re going to come after us. I think we did a great job of responding. I’m proud of our corners. They responded well today.”