Getty Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson delivered a message to the rest of the NFL on December 13.
Week 14 was not a good performance for defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and the Detroit Lions. Although Hutchinson posted a sack, he committed a costly offsides penalty that directly led to a Chicago Bears touchdown.
For the Lions defense, it was the fifth straight game that the unit allowed at least 26 points. The team won the first two matchups where the defense yielded that amount of points, but the Lions have now lost two of their last three contests.
Hutchinson sounds convinced, though, that the Lions are going to get back on track. He expressed confidence in that fact through a message he delivered while speaking to the media on December 13.
“We’re going to get back. We’re going to get back, and we’re hell-bent on it,” Hutchinson told reporters. “We’re going to get back to winning football, and that’s been the main goal since Monday or Sunday night.
“I think everybody in this locker room, everybody in this building is just ready to get back to what we were doing.”
Detroit’s first opportunity to get back to winning football will come on December 16 when the Lions host the Denver Broncos.
Dan Campbell Shares Same Message as Aidan Hutchinson
Hutchinson appears to do a lot of listening while his head coach is speaking.
In his December 12 press conference, Campbell conveyed pretty much the exact same message as his second-year defensive end.
“The teams that are winning and consistently win are the ones that do the little, little things right,” Campbell told reporters on December 12. “The fundamentals, they take care of the football, they get takeaways, those the most consistent teams.
“So all we have to do is get back to that, playing clean football, and it really is as simple as that. It doesn’t mean it’s easy, but it is that simply, and it’s all in our hands. It’s all in our control.”
In addition to his reassurance that the Lions will get back to the fundamentals, Campbell actually found encouragement in the fact that the team’s stars didn’t perform well in Week 14.
“Believe me, those guys are going to come back — no different than us as coaches,” Campbell said. “We’re going to be at our best.
“I just know what kind of locker room we’ve got, what kind of players and we will respond. We will respond.”
Besides Hutchinson, star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown didn’t play against the Bears. He finished with 3 receptions for 21 yards and didn’t secure a couple passes that he normally catches.
Lions Needing More Pass Rush Opposite Aidan Hutchinson
One thing that could really help the Lions get back to playing better on defense is the pass rush.
While the Lions did get 3 sacks during Week 14, in three of their past seven games, they didn’t have any sacks.
Hutchinson leads the Lions with 6.5 sacks, but the team’s second-leading pass rusher in terms of sacks, Alim McNeill, is on injured reserve. The Lions need another pass rusher so opposing offenses can’t concentrate their main blocking efforts on only Hutchinson.
Perhaps veteran John Cominsky could be the edge rusher to take some pressure away from Hutchinson. Campbell was very complimentary of Cominsky on December 12.
“Anytime those guys up front play well for us, it’s good,” Campbell said. “I thought [Cominsky] did play well.
“He showed up.”
Cominsky recorded a season-high 7 combined tackles against the Bears. He also had his first sack since Week 4.