PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 14: Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions runs after catching a pass against Nate Allen #29 of the Philadelphia Eagles during the game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 14, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Lions won 26-23 in overtime. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 14: Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions runs after catching a pass against Nate Allen #29 of the Philadelphia Eagles during the game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 14, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Lions won 26-23 in overtime. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

DETROIT (CBS Detroit) The pundits’ verdict is unanimous: Calvin Johnson hasn’t played his best this season.

What’s not unanimous is a verdict on whether he suffered a concussion this season. Johnson alluded to the idea he had suffered a concussion in late September in a helmet-to-helmet collision with Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway. At the time, he said in an interview on 97.1 The Ticket, ” …You get concussed, you gotta keep on playing. You can’t get afraid to go across the middle any more than you were at the beginning.”

The Lions quickly rejected the notion he had suffered a concussion, saying he had passed every test.

But again this week, Johnson alluded to the idea he’s recovering from a concussion — and more.

“I actually have some nerve damage that was kind of messing on my grip a little bit, not to blame it on that, but I think a concussion could have maybe something to do with some of that damage I had going on,” he said Thursday.

Johnson managed to play an impressive game Sunday in the team’s 31-14 win at Jacksonville last Sunday despite a knee injury suffered the week before, catching seven passes for 129 yards.

Megatron said he’s doing everything he can to work around his injury — or injuries.

“I’m doing a lot of stuff in the weight room just to strengthen the muscles around it, to get it so that it’s firing correctly and be as best as I can be on Sunday,” he said.

The Lions take on Minnesota this weekend on the cusp of what many Detroiters consider a double national holiday — the Lions game on Thanksgiving.

Will Johnson be ready?

“I mean, really, what would be better … it’s just maintaining it, you know, by not running around, trying to maintain it, at the same time I’m trying to strengthen it and get my rehab on at the same time,” he said.

In a separate interview, coach Jim Schwartz said Johnson has found a way to be effective despite his injuries, saying, “He’s had a bunch of different things come up this year, particularly his knees, but goes out and affects the game the way he does. It’s no different than Adrian Peterson coming off an ACL and still finding a way to be effective, great players can do that.”