A lot of pundits have tried to connect the Detroit Lions to several different edge rushers who could potentially be available on the NFL trade market. But the Lions proved Monday against the Baltimore Ravens they have great edge rushing depth. Then while facing the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson showed once again he is a budding superstar.
Hutchinson posted two sacks, two tackles for loss and four quarterback hits against Cleveland in Week 4. He also had a forced fumble and another forced fumble that a defensive holding penalty nullified.
It was the third performance of Hutchinson’s career where he had multiple sacks, tackles for loss and quarterback hits along with at least one forced fumble.
“Today was one of those days where you were just having fun out there. Getting after the quarterback. Playing good defensively,” Hutchinson told reporters after the game. “Marrying good rush with good coverage, and a lot of good things happen. That’s kind of what today was.”
The Lions also married their opportunistic defense with an efficient offense. Detroit’s offense scored 17 points off the defense’s three takeaways.
Hutchinson’s forced fumble led to a touchdown which gave the Lions a 24-point lead late in the fourth quarter.
Aidan Hutchinson Sparks Lions Defensive Effort
Like so many of his Lions teammates, Hutchinson started the 2025 season slowly. In Week 1, Hutchinson recorded one quarterback hit without any other statistics.
But he’s steadily improved each week since then. In Week 4, he dazzled the home crowd at Ford Field as he did often the past two seasons before his fractured tibia and fibula during October last year.
Against the Ravens in Week 3, the Lions supported Hutchinson with six sacks from five other defenders. But against the Browns, it was the Hutchinson show. He had two of the team’s three sacks and two of Detroit’s four tackles for loss.
The 2023 Pro Bowler also had four of the Lions‘ nine quarterback hits.
Behind his two-sack performance, Hutchinson now has 32 career sacks. That’s the most for any Lions player through the first four seasons of his career.
Hutchinson Gave Lions Fans Injury Scare in Week 4
While Hutchinson is returning to form since his injury, the moment the team lost the defensive end last year appears to still be on the minds of Lions fans.
It didn’t help that Hutchinson appeared to be down and in pain for an injury in the second half of Week 4. Ford Field fell silent until the defensive end returned to his feet.
The defensive end explained after the game that he wasn’t injured.
“I just got the wind knocked out of me,” Hutchinson told reporters. “I knew when I was trying to get up because I didn’t want people to start, you know, just having flashbacks or anything. And I just couldn’t even breathe out there.
“I was like, ‘Get up, Aidan. Get up,’ and I couldn’t get up, so I was just like, ‘Just give me 30 seconds, and I’ll be good.’
“Then we got up, and we were good. We’re back, yep.”
With four sacks, four tackles for loss and seven quarterback hits in four games this season, Hutchinson certainly appears to be back.
Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson Reacts to Dominating Browns in Week 4