Defensively, the Detroit Lions have begun to hit a wall this season as they press forward, and a big issue the team has faced has been struggles with the defensive line.
Detroit isn’t pressuring the quarterback well enough, having collected just four sacks in the last four games. Obviously, that isn’t good enough to change the game, and it’s been a huge reason for the recent struggles the Lions have seen. They didn’t collect a single sack in a 31-24 Week 12 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Aidan Hutchinson is a big flashpoint given his importance as an elite edge-rusher. Lately, Hutchinson hasn’t gotten the job done personally, totaling only 1.5 sacks in the last four games. There’s been more attention from the opposition cast his way, and it’s forced Hutchinson to deal with different looks.
“It’s interesting. There is the chippers. There’s the the guards coming back to double team you, and it makes those reps that you get that you do you know you have a one-on-one, (it) makes those that much more precious for sure,” Hutchinson said.
Lions need Aidan Hutchinson at his best to remain in the playoff hunt
Hutchinson would admit that he hasn’t made the most of those particular reps. As for the team, he is aware of the issues plaguing the defense and their pass rush. He sees the struggles in flow and doesn’t have a good answer for why other than to say the team needs to keep trying to break through.
“I think it’s just not flowing right now. I don’t know (why). It’s something that can be a tedious thing sometimes, but sometimes there can be certain games where you feel like who’s not going to get a sack, you know? So, I don’t know. It’s something you got to look at for sure.”
It will be up to Kelvin Sheppard to figure out a way to either manufacture more pressure or find players capable of delivering within Detroit’s scheme. Either way, Hutchinson is clearly well aware that the Lions aren’t getting it done from a rush standpoint, which is a big reason for their defensive problems.
At 7-5 after the Thanksgiving Day loss, the Lions are in a tough place. They need wins down the stretch to remain viable playoff contenders in the NFC. While it looks like a bad position to be in, Detroit can get right back on track in Week 13 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Naturally, the Lions have higher expectations for themselves to be atop the NFC, which is something Hutchinson admitted after the loss to the Packers. Even so, he is focused on improvements and sticking with the plan in the weeks ahead.
“It’s not expected. Obviously, (losing) puts us behind the eight ball in terms of what we want to do this season. It’s real adversity, and we have a decision to make and a decision to continue to figure it out and let this thing click in all three phases. We got a good challenge next week in Dallas to do that. We got to learn what we can and try to move on as fast as we can (because) there’s a lot of football to be played.”
Detroit’s season is far from over, and the pressure is on Hutchinson and his defensive teammates to step up and make a difference in the trenches with better pocket pressure.
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