DETROIT -- When the Lions took Kerryon Johnson in the second round this spring, the Auburn product said what many of Detroit's incoming running backs do -- that Barry Sanders was one of his all-time favorite players.

Sanders is always the man on the pedestal, for Lions fans and running backs alike. His memory is a call to a relic age when 100-yard rushing performances were the expectation, not something that hadn't happened in four years.

Johnson followed through on his goal of igniting the dormant Lions running game Sunday night. In his third game as a pro, he ran for 101 yards on 16 carries for the first century-mark performance by a Lions back since Thanksgiving 2013, a span of 70 games.

That breakout performance in a 26-10 upset win of the Patriots caught the attention of so many in Detroit, including the legend himself:

Hey @Lions fans, send your congrats to @AyeyoKEJO - 100 yards rushing for the 1st time in a while. — Barry Sanders (@BarrySanders) September 24, 2018

Of all the compliments Johnson got that night -- from teammates and public relations staff and fans and celebrities -- this was one he had to return.