Carlos Monarrez

Detroit Free Press

Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell did not close the door today on resting receiver Calvin Johnson the next two games and through the team's bye, in order to give his high ankle sprain four weeks of rest.

"The fact of the matter is I leave it up to the doctors," Caldwell said. "Those are the professionals. They know exactly what it takes, what can be done.

"Them, in conjunction with Calvin and how he feels, they treat not only symptoms and the situation but also the patient as well, in terms of what he feels. So they'll let us know what's the best avenue to take."

Johnson did not play in Sunday's 17-3 victory at the Minnesota Vikings. He was little more than a decoy in the previous two games against the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets, when he was targeted a total of three times and caught all three passes for 19 yards.

But when Bills defensive back Leodis McKelvin hit Johnson on his one catch two weeks ago, Johnson crumpled to the ground immediately and left the game. Last week, Johnson had to fight off rumors that he was frustrated about his role as a decoy.

If there was a strong chance that Johnson would play this weekend against the New Orleans Saints (1 p.m., Fox) or next weekend against the Atlanta Falcons, Caldwell could have made a stronger effort to suggest that Johnson's availability was imperative.

Instead, the strongest statement Caldwell made about Johnson's potential availability this week was by lumping him in with running backs Reggie Bush (ankle) and Theo Riddick (hamstring).

"All three guys, I think, are coming along and improving rapidly," he said. "So we'll see where we are."

Highlights from Lions coach Jim Caldwell's news conference

On reviewing film of Sunday's 17-3 win at Minnesota: "We did a lot of things well. Still have a lot to work on, but the defense's performance was outstanding. A lot of guys contributed to it, both the back end in terms of coverage and the linebacking corps, and up front in terms of putting pressure on the passer. And then also, obviously, we held them to a minimum in terms of the running game. Special teams should be noted because of the fact that they kept a real strong return game from giving us problems, which I think was extremely important."

On the play calling of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi: "It's been good. Obviously, he's done a nice job, and just like anything else, I think sometimes play calling is a difficult thing, and it depends on what's working for you. But I think he's done a nice job."

On if he would like to see tight end Brandon Pettigrew more involved in the offense: "There are a lot of guys you can say that for. You can go across the board and probably mention every receiver we have. You'd like to say he can get more targets and that kind of thing, and really it just depends on the game."

On whether he would prefer a top-rated offense and a low-ranking defense or vice versa: "Not necessarily. I wouldn't state it that way. I wouldn't choose either one, to be honest with you, because I've been in situations where we've won with either one."

On what extent will he evaluate snap, hold and kick after two missed field goals Sunday: "It's constant. That's something that just never ends. Even when it's good, they're always evaluated and looked at closely. I feel good about Matt (Prater). Couple tough situations. There was some pretty good wind out there. Not everything was perfect, but I feel great about him."

On why they squibbed their first kickoff: "The wind was blowing such a gusting way that we didn't want sit up in the air to let (Cordarrelle Patterson) run it back down our throat. That was one of the reasons. But, it wasn't quite as deep as we'd like that squib."

Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.