Pride of Detroit
For the first time this year, I got a huge swing and a miss in my bold prediction. The Detroit Lions never came close to making a turnover on defense, despite the Philadelphia Eagles offense struggling to do much.
Detroit’s defense played tough and did all they could against Philadelphia, but only came away with a single sack on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. The defensive line for the Lions couldn’t generate much pressure, and if they want to bounce back, their defensive line is going to have to hit home. One player who must have his biggest game of the season this week is easily EDGE Aidan Hutchinson.
Hutchinson has been doing well, getting 7.5 sacks so far this season, but he isn’t up to the level he was at last year. His run defense has struggled with him not holding the edge well, and even though he’s used to being double or triple-teamed, he isn’t overcoming those matchups and getting to the quarterback. In just five games last year, Hutchinson had the same number of sacks he has now. He’s due for a big game, and facing up against the New York Giants this week, I believe this can be his chance to emerge and take over.
In Week 5 last year, Hutchinson was the leading candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year with his play. He had a monster 4.5-sack performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was unstoppable against anybody who was matched up against him. It came to a halt against the Dallas Cowboys, suffering a broken left leg that cut off what was on pace to be an NFL record year for sacks. The Lions’ defense wasn’t the same without him, as more players went down with injuries before it became too much for the team to overcome.
Hutchinson returned for Week 1 this year, and after having a quiet return against the Green Bay Packers, he had 6.0 sacks in the next five games. His best performance came against the Cleveland Browns as he finished with two sacks, four tackles, and a forced fumble. Since then, Hutchinson has been missing in action. In his last four games, Hutchinson has 1.5 sacks and hasn’t had the type of impact he usually has.
The Lions are struggling to get things going, jumping between winning and losing the past six weeks. Someone needs to give this team a well-needed shot in the arm, and Hutchinson has the best chance to do that this week. Seeing how the Giants have struggled at pass protection this year and how tough a matchup Hutchinson is, I believe he can get at least three sacks Sunday afternoon.
According to PFF, Hutchinson is the top-graded pass rusher on the team with a 92.2 and currently leads the NFL in pressures with 62. Despite having the seventh-highest pass blocking grade at 69.9, the Giants’ stats don’t seem to back that up....
