The Lions are obviously excited to get wide receiver Calvin Johnson back in the lineup Week 10 vs. Miami after he missed the last three games due to an ankle injury. However, the Lions did see some benefits to playing without their All-Pro receiver, according to MLive.com.
"If you can win in those situations, I think it adds something to your repertoire," coach Jim Caldwell said. "It makes you look at things differently, it makes those synapses function a little bit differently, because sometimes you have to go about your game slightly different. I think that's a plus. It makes you stronger overall. It does add more balance to what you're doing."
While the Lions were able to win all three games Megatron was sidelined, quarterback Matthew Stafford is still happy to see his star receiver make his return.
"The more experience and the better everybody else plays, the less you feel you have to get 81 the ball," Stafford said. "It's still conducive to playing good offense to get the best receiver on the planet the ball as much as you can. We'll continue to try and do that as well."