The Detroit Lions have been trying hard to unlock their pass rush, and in order to do that in 2022, things have revolved around making sure Aidan Hutchinson is comfortable and engaged.
Hutchinson has been up and down after a solid start to the year, and was looking to get going again. He managed to do so early on in the game, which was a big deal for Detroit’s defense.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, October 28, Hutchison explained how he was able to foster the change, and as he said, it had a lot to do with connecting with Aaron Glenn about his comfort level in the defense.
“Aaron Glenn called me and he was kind of just talking to me about what I think is best for myself. We just had that conversation and he’s very flexible,” Hutchinson said, “Right when I kind of expressed how I felt about that, he was like ‘we can get that done’ and so we were just working well together and I think that’s important with the coach and player relationship, (having) that open communication.”
The conversation revolved around two point versus three point stance, and moving Hutchinson around. The Lions were able to do that and put Hutchinson in a better place to succeed. It quickly happened, and Hutchinson was able to reap the rewards.
“I think it really matches my style of game and I feel like it really does open me up. Obviously having more of that freedom, I feel like I take advantage of it and I make the most of it. So yeah, I was feeling really good out there,” he said.
Hutchinson feeling good directly led to a 1.5 sack performance on the afternoon and his most disruptive day in terms of overall sacks since Week 2. The hope is it can lead to more big days in the future.
As the stats show, the Lions need that boost in a big way.
Lions Defense NFL’s Worst With Sacks
Detroit has not gotten the job done at all in terms of sacking the quarterback, which is something that has been very frustrating this year.
At this point of the season, Detroit’s nine sacks are tied for the worst mark in the NFL. Most of their competition has put up sack numbers well into the 20s. This graphic serves to show how far behind the Lions have been this year.
The #Cowboys and the #49ers have been rampant while the #Raiders and the #Lions have had their struggles this season 👀 (via @NFL_Stats)
Hutchinson can’t carry the load himself, although it certainly looks as if he’s going to try. Perhaps with his newfound ability to move around and be flexible, it will help the Lions emerge from the basement and get a little bit better.
Lions Defense Called out for Trench Struggles
Hutchinson stepping up in Week 7 was important, and it may be even more important to the future of the Lions in terms of the team doing damage.
Detroit’s defense has struggled in a big way due to a lack of pressure. Recently, the folks at Pro Football Focus have tightened their focus to explain how that has been the case.
Within a new ranking piece, unsurprisingly, the Detroit defense came in 32nd in the league in the site’s mind, meaning they are the worst team in football on that side of the ball. Statistically and otherwise, that’s certainly been the case through the early part of the season.
Some ideas were thrown out in a piece by Marcus Mosher, and as the analyst pointed out, most of the trouble has been with the defensive front even with as much as the backfield has struggled and been dinged-up thus far.
As Mosher wrote, Detroit’s defense is playing bad due to some issues they’re having in the trenches.
“This is just not a good defense right now, especially with all of their injuries in the secondary. It also doesn’t help that they can’t generate a reliable pass rush, as only Aidan Hutchinson (15) and John Cominsky (10) have double-digit pressures this season,” he wrote.
With all the problems up in the pocket, the team is also getting pushed around against the run as well.
“The Lions are also the league’s worst run defense in EPA allowed per run, at 0.094, as they’ve allowed 838 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground across five games,” Mosher pointed out.
Combine that with the nine sacks the Lions have as a team and it’s clear there’s some familiar problems so far. Detroit just doesn’t pressure the quarterback and cannot stop the run, either. It represents double trouble.
The changes with Hutchinson may help this, however, which would serve as a big bonus to the Lions the rest of the way.
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Aidan Hutchinson Addresses New Role Within Lions’ Defense