Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson is one step away from being the 2013 Madden video game series cover athlete.

Johnson continued his path of destruction, blowing out popular Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the semifinals, 67-33 percent.

Johnson will meet reigning Rookie of the Year, Cam Newton, in the finals. He emerged victorious in a suprisingly hard-fought battle with San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis.

The winner will be announced live, April 25, on ESPN's show SportsNation. You can vote here.

The Lions' star wide receiver appeared on a number of ESPN radio and television programs on Tuesday to promote his candidacy. He explained what a victory in the contest would mean to him.

"One, you've never seen a Detroit player on the cover," Johnson said. "Two, it would be huge for the city. You can only imagine. Then, after that, it gives a lot to my foundation and my charities I work with back home and in Detroit."

Leading up to the finals, there has been plenty of concern expressed by Detroit fans about the potential of the Madden curse affecting the Lions. Even teammate Nate Burleson is a believer, but he'll still be casting his vote for Johnson.

"I'm just saying, if any guy can break the curse it's Calvin," Burleson said. "This dude is a monster. He's strong enough to break tackles, so he can break a curse."

Here's a brief recap on how we got to this point in the tournament:

Johnson defeated teammate Matthew Stafford in the play-in round, followed by victories over Dwayne Bowe (92-8), Arian Foster (73-27), Rob Gronkowski (63-37) and Rodgers.

Newton bested LaGarrette Blount (87-13), Antonio Gates (83-17), Larry Fitzgerald (70-30) and Willis.