The Rams Identify Lions' Defender as Ultimate Threat

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. On Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams will be taking on an opportunistic defense in the Detroit Lions and while the team has many playmakers, there's been some changes.

With both Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph being ruled out, the Lions will be relying on their pass rush to get home and with a date with star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson on the horizon, members of the Rams spoke on his impact, along with the impact of his unit.

Matthew Stafford

Stafford, who will have to keep his head on a swivel, spoke about the Detroit defensive line. One of the matchups to watch this week will be Hutchinson versus Warren McClendon. Rob Havenstein is set to come back soon but McClendon has been having a phenomenal year. Perhaps a position controversy is on the horizon.

“They’re really physical, great get off, disciplined, high effort, talented," stated Stafford. "They're what you want in the front. They affect the game both in the run game and the pass game. It's been a big challenge every time we've played them. It starts up front with those guys and trickles into the back end. They're the engine.”

Jared Verse

Verse is a fan of Hutchinson's game, stating that he watches Hutchinson a lot in order to try and emulate portions of his attack. Verse continued to show respect as they represent the NFL's next breed of pass rushers.

“When you see somebody like that, I'm able to humble myself and know this is my strength, this is what a lot of people look at me for and how they can take away from my game," said Verse. "I know this guy's really good at that, this guy's really good at this and be able to look at these other guys and be like, ‘I need to be able to copy this. How does he do it? What's his first step looking like? How's his hand looking?’ A lot of the best pass rushers, a lot of great pass rushers, they're in their three-point stances, I got away from that. I'm like, ‘Okay, what's the difference between a three point and two point?’ I'm doing a lot more research on stuff like that.”

Mike LaFleur

LaFleur spoke on the defense in general, adding his thoughts on the star pass rusher.

“They play so hard," stated LaFleur. "They take after their coach. They take after their city. They've had a incredible foundation since [Lions Head Coach] Dan [Campbell] took over. We played them late in the year in ‘22 when I was with the Jets and I couldn't be more impressed with their play style on both sides of the ball. Nothing's dropped off. All they've done is just get better football players each and every year."

May 28, 2025; Woodland Hills, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur watches during organized team activities at Rams Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"They are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. [Lions Defensive End Aidan Hutchinson] ‘Hutch’ is an absolute freak in terms of the way he plays on the edge. It's never been different since dating back to obviously his time at Michigan and all that. They’re that same Detroit. Every time you pop on the tape, your guys better strap up for 60 minutes, three and a half hours, whatever it's going to take.”

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