Hutchinson: Lions Need To 'Build On' Strong Effort Against Cowboys

The Detroit Lions’ defense delivered one of its most complete performances of the season in Week 14, overwhelming Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys and setting the tone in a critical late-season victory.

Now, as Detroit shifts its attention to Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams, the challenge is no longer proving what the unit can do. Instead, it’s proving that it can do it again.

Aidan Hutchinson made that point clear Wednesday.

The Lions Pro Bowl EDGE, who didn’t record a sack but still generated nine total pressures and eight quarterback hurries against Prescott, emphasized that Detroit’s strong pass-rush effort needs to be the norm in the season’s final four games.

“I thought we played at a really, really high level all the way around as a D-line all game,” Hutchinson expressed. “So, it's great to see, and it's something we've got to continue to build on and continue to use that momentum to push us forward through this last stretch of the season.”

Detroit, as a team, produced five sacks against Dallas, and veteran EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad led the way with a career-best three of them. And for his efforts, he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Muhammad now has as many sacks in 22 games with the Lions (12) as he did in his first 84 career games: in stints with the New Orleans Saints (2017), the Indianapolis Colts (2018-21) and the Chicago Bears (2022).

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Additionally, he now leads the Lions in sacks with nine, with Hutchinson close behind him with 8.5. Their ability to wreak havoc against Prescott went a long way in helping Detroit close out the Cowboys in Week 14.

And as Hutchinson put it Wednesday, if Jared Goff and the Lions’ offense are able to give the defense a lead late, Hutchinson & Co. will do their part to seal the deal.

“Jared and I have conversations all the time, and I'll tell him if you give us that lead and then you really get in those pin-your-ears back situations as a D-line where you can just hunt, that's why it's so fun to play with a good offense,” Hutchinson said. “Because when your offense is so productive, the offense you're going against is like, ‘We've got to get going here now.’”

With that said, Detroit’s next challenge will be even more difficult than the one it just had facing Prescott and the Cowboys.

Stafford, who spent his first 12 NFL seasons in Detroit, is presently playing some of the best football of his career. He’s thrown for an NFL-leading 35 touchdowns and the fourth-most yards in the league (3,354). Plus, he’s recorded the fifth-best QBR (68.8).

Thus, it will take an even greater effort for the Lions to limit the veteran signal-caller and the Rams’ high-octane offensive attack.

“He's having a hell of a year, and no matter what his statistics are, he's a dangerous quarterback,” Hutchinson said of Stafford. “We're going to get this gameplan going, execute it and the plan is to come out of there with a win and be on our way. But, playing against a quarterback like this, there's a reason he's been doing it for so long at a high level, and it's because he's great.”

For Detroit, the stakes couldn’t be any higher. Dan Campbell’s squad is in dire need of a win against the Rams in order to strengthen its position in the ultra competitive NFC playoff race.

Week 14 offered a glimpse into how productive the Lions’ defense can be when its pass-rush, led by Hutchinson and Muhammad, is clicking on all cylinders and providing consistent pressure.

Yet, the Lions now have to prove whether that performance was an aberration or truly a turning point.

There is no disputing the fact, though, that the effort Detroit displayed against Dallas will enable the team to continue to win games in December – and in January.

The challenge now for Hutchinson & Co. is to replicate the showing and ultimately build upon it.

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