Lions' Defense Needs to 'Finish' Plays

Welcome to the NFL, Aidan Hutchinson.

A sack maestro during his time at the University of Michigan, Hutchinson, the Lions' top draft pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, failed to come up with a single sack of Philadelphia Eagles dual-threat passer Jalen Hurts on Sunday.

Sure, in Hutchinson's defense, it was his first career NFL regular season game. But, all in all, it was still an underwhelming performance from the No. 2 overall selection in this year's draft.

Along with no sacks, Hutchinson failed to record a single quarterback hit, and earned the second-worst pass-rushing grade among all edge defenders in Week 1, according to Pro Football Focus.

One of the themes of the Michigan product's NFL debut, unfortunately, was his constant overpursuit of Hurts.

He did manage to produce three quarterback pressures. However, every single time he got close to Hurts, the Eagles signal-caller was able to evade Hutchinson, and make a play with his legs.

In fact, the fleet-of-foot Hurts was able to pick up 90 yards on the ground against the Lions.

For a first-year pro like Hutchinson -- and a man who is specifically paid to wreak havoc against the opposing passer -- those near-sacks are hard to move on from. He expressed as much during his media session Thursday.

“I mean, I lose my mind a little bit over those (almost-sacks),” Hutchinson told reporters. “I gotta move on pretty quick from those, because I can eat myself alive. You know, you gotta move on. There’s going to be a lot more opportunities in the future.

“It’s going to take a night (to move on from those). Then come Monday morning, you got to just swallow that pill, you know?”

Hutchinson wasn't the only Lions defender who struggled with wrapping up Hurts Sunday. As a team, Detroit amassed just one sack, and it came on a safety blitz by Tracy Walker III.

Despite the Lions' failures in stopping Hurts and Philadelphia's run game, Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was "encouraged" by his players' ability to at least get in position to make plays.

"Man, you can have him (Hurts) corralled, and he still has a way of getting loose and making plays," Glenn expressed. "And, then you take a look at some of the other runs, where, man, you have him stopped cold, and you have him in your grasps, and then -- and I’m not just talking about Jalen -- I’m talking about the running back (Miles Sanders), too, man, (and) then he escapes for 20-yard runs. Those are the things that we’ve got to be better at, and those are the things we’ve got to clean up. And, the guys, when they see it, when they saw it, ‘I’ve just got to wrap up and make that play.’"

As for Hutchinson's big takeaway from his Week 1 performance, it was to practice more patience.

“I should have been a little more patient,” Hutchinson said. “I kind of crashed (the pocket) a little too fast.”

He, in fact, did, along with his defensive counterparts. And now, according to Glenn, it's all about "Hutch" and his teammates "finishing" their plays.

"I would say this -- that’s why I’m encouraged -- because as far as being where you’re supposed to be on those situations, they were there. Man, it’s just finishing plays. That’s what we have to be able to do. This game is about finishing," Glenn added.

The expectations that have been been placed upon Hutchinson to perform -- and at a high level right away -- are significant.

As a former first-rounder himself, Lions defensive lineman Michael Brockers, the No. 14 overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Rams, understands what it can be like dealing with the pressure of meeting such expectations.

On Thursday, Brockers offered his evaluation of Hutchinson's debut performance.

"I was a first-round guy, went into the game and was like, 'This is the NFL,' like everyone is good. And, that's kind of the sense you got (with Hutchinson)," Brockers said. "He wasn't overwhelmed, but it was just like, 'Everybody's good in this league.' You're not going to be able to just power over a tackle and make all the plays you think you're going to make. So, it's definitely a thing about, man, playing a team defense, doing your job, making sure you do your job and you're executing the things that you're supposed to do. And, everything else will play out like it plays."