During the NFL season, The Post’s Anthony Sulla-Heffinger will break down five storylines to watch for each week.
Megatron chasing history
Sure, the Lions are having a down year and Calvin Johnson is not going to come close to the 16 TDs he had last season, but Megatron is putting together one of the most dominant seasons for a receiver in NFL history. Johnson enters Week 16 with 106 catches for 1,667 yards, just 182 shy of Jerry Rice’s single-season record.
Most of the attention when it comes to potentially record-breaking seasons is going to the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson, who is having an all-time year as well, but there is no arguing that Johnson is the NFL’s best wideout in the midst of the best season of an already impressive career. Johnson gets his crack at history in primetime on Saturday night against the Falcons, and even though Atlanta shut down the Giants last week, they don’t have a receiver close to Johnson’s talent.
Chuck Pagano’s return
Colts head coach Chuck Pagano has been medically cleared to resume coaching whenever he feels ready, a massive victory for not just Indianapolis, but the NFL and cancer survivors everywhere. Pagano’s return could come this week when Indianapolis heads to Kansas City with a chance to clinch a playoff berth. It’s been an incredible season for the Colts, who turned around from a 2-14 record last season to a potential playoff team (a win against the Chiefs will clinch it) and Andrew Luck has helped make everyone forget about that guy who wore No. 18 and looks as good as ever in Denver. Sunday should be a day of celebration for the Colts organization, top to bottom.
Giants, Ravens both reeling
Four weeks ago this could have been sold as a potential Super Bowl matchup. Now, it’s a little different. The Giants, who are coming off of their most embarrassing loss of the season, falling 34-0 to Atlanta, head to Baltimore with an almost do-or-die mentality. After starting the season 6-2 and looking like they would run away with the NFC East, the Giants have fallen into a three-way tie with the Redskins and Cowboys and unless they win against the Ravens and Eagles, may not get a chance to defend their Super Bowl title. Luckily, Baltimore may be in worse shape. The 9-2 Ravens have dropped their past three games, two of which came at home, and have little momentum heading into this game. Baltimore, unlike the Giants, has clinched a playoff spot, but will need to turn things around quickly if it wants to make a deep run.
RGIII’s back in action
The NFL’s most dynamic rookie should return to the field on Sunday, barring any setback with his sprained knee, and it will be interesting to see how the injury has affected the young star. Griffin III, whose ability to scramble and make plays with his legs is what makes him so dangerous, will have to deal with the psychological aspect that comes after suffering an injury. No, we’re not talking about returning from an ACL tear or anything, but Griffin will have to find a way to be comfortable when he is on the run going up against a defender, and for a rookie, that may not be the easiest thing in the world. Do I foresee any issues with his return? No, probably not, especially against the Eagles, but it will be something to watch for on Sunday.
Seahawks in Beast Mode
Marshawn Lynch is not the only Seahawk who is in Beast Mode right now. After back-to-back 50-point outbursts, something that hasn’t happened in 62 years, it seems as if every single Seattle player who touches the ball does something incredible. The Seahawks have outscored their opponents 108-17 over the past two games, and while the wins came against sub-par opponents (Arizona and Buffalo), there may not be a team in the league that is playing better than Seattle at this moment. With San Francisco coming in for its second Sunday night game in a row after an impressive win over New England in, the Seahawks will have their hands full, but we should see a much more explosive game than the 13-6 defensive struggle that went down in Week 7.
asulla-heffinger@nypost.com