Pride of Detroit
Alright, alright, alright, last week’s prediction was a fat dud. Many people didn’t expect the Detroit Lions to get bullied like they did against the Green Bay Packers, so I wasn’t alone in getting a strike to start the season. This week, though, I like my chances at turning things around and at least getting close to having my prediction come true. The Chicago Bears and former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson come to town, and it should turn into a Lions victory, but we can’t count our chickens before they hatch. If my prediction comes true, there’s no way the Lions lose.
Returning from his injury last season, Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson has been itching to get back on the field. He participated in OTAs and training camp fully and became a problem for not just the Lions’ own offensive line, but opposing offensive lines that came to town to practice. He seemed like he was an even better version of his 2024 self, which is hard to improve upon. He was a favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year awards, and after his performance against Green Bay, was that all just smoke and mirrors for the past few months?
No.
Hutchinson was in his first game back from his injury, and while he is physically ready, the mental side of things takes a bit of time to get wiped away. Hutchinson will have a good season and will continue to be the biggest x-factor on this defense, and you can expect a big game from him on Sunday.
First, the Lions are up against the Bears’ offensive line, which struggled on the interior in Week 1. While Hutchinson doesn’t line up in the interior, he can stunt towards the inside from his position and cause havoc on someone like Bears right guard Jonah Jackson. Per PFF, Jackson had a 22.6 pass blocking grade, the third lowest for guards in the league, and one of the players beneath him only played a snap. Jackson isn’t the only player struggling on the interior, as guard Joe Thuney allowed four pressures, and center Drew Dalman allowed four pressures and a sack.
With the interior having some struggles, Chicago might need to give them extra help from the tackles. If Chicago focuses on protecting the interior offensive line, it could leave Hutchinson in a one-on-one against either tackle Braxton Jones or Darnell Wright. If Hutchinson gets any chance of a single matchup, he has to win those battles and expect him to battle Jones more than Wright on Sunday afternoon.
Jones had a rough game against the Minnesota Vikings, allowing a team-high six pressures, with a 56.2 pass-blocking grade from PFF. He got some assistance from Thuney at times, but with a better defensive line of the Lions, he might not have any chances to give Jones any help. Jones is returning from...
