Calvin Johnson's return to the Detroit Lions lineup could remain in the distance.
In his meeting with reporters on Monday, Lions coach Jim Caldwell didn't rule out sitting his star wide receiver against the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons ahead of Detroit's Week 9 bye.
"I do not hold a medical degree. It may appear I do from time to time to you maybe, but I don't," Caldwell said, via ESPN.com. "The fact of the matter is I leave it up to the doctors. Those are the professionals. They know exactly what it takes.
"Them in conjunction with Calvin and how he feels, they treat not only symptoms of the situation but also the patient as well in terms of how he feels. So they'll let us know what's the best path to take."
If the Lions elect to continue sitting Johnson, the team wouldn't get Megatron back on the field until a Nov. 9 home date against the Miami Dolphins.
Johnson has been slowed by a high ankle sprain originally suffered in Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers. Johnson was limited against the New York Jets the following week, then aggravated the injury while making his only catch of the game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5.
Johnson was held out of Sunday's win against the Minnesota Vikings, a game in which quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for fewer than 200 yards for only the seventh time in his career. The Lionsproved on Sunday they can win without Megatron, but there's no denying the challenge becomes greater.
We recap all the Week 6 action on a jaunty edition of the "Around the NFL Podcast." Find more Around The NFL content on NFL Now.