Calvin Johnson Says An MVP Award Cements Matthew Stafford's Hall Of Fame Chances

Is Matthew Stafford a Hall of Famer?? If you ask his favorite target in Detroit, Calvin Johnson, we will absolutely see the quarterback in Canton one day ... but he tells TMZ Sports an MVP trophy on his résumé solidifies his chances.

We spoke with Johnson amid one of Stafford's best seasons ... and he said the game "looks easy to him right now."

"He's playing good football. He has some great receivers around him. Seems like the offensive line is doing a great job as well."

Despite a rough game last Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, in which he threw his first interception since Week 3 en route to a 31-28 loss for the Rams, there is still a belief that he is a front-runner for the NFL MVP.

The bigger picture, however, is with the 37-year-old creeping closer to hanging up his cleats ... will he end up in the Hall of Fame??

"Matthew has a Hall of Fame talent, 100%," Johnson said. "Matthew's able to add that Super Bowl to his résumé, which is what you look for in the Hall of Fame quarterback. So that's one huge bar that he was able to hop over."

"The way he did it as well. Leaving Detroit and doing it in his first year with a better culture, a better team, with better players around him. He just wanted to show that we had the guy in Detroit the whole time."

While Johnson believes it's already cemented, he says that MVP makes it undeniable.

With five games left to go ... the Rams still have a lot to play for -- as the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers are tied with L.A. at nine wins apiece.