In just his second NFL season, Aidan Hutchinson is seeing immense success. From ranking second in the league in pressures, finishing the regular season 101, to taking a supporting role in propelling the Lions to a playoff win for the first time in three decades, he’s practically drowning in success.
Advertisement
While there’s much to factor in for this reversal of fortune for the Lions, teammate compatibility has been a driving force for the resurgent team. And there’s one teammate that Hutchinson personally relies on the most. Defensive tackle Alim McNeill. Hutchinson told NFL on NBC’s Mike Tirico,
“I mean just having a guy who can push the pocket, having a guy that can create pressure on the interior, it’s amazing. We all love a great interior push, a great D tackle to kind of rush with us and he’s really kind of come into that role. He’s improved so much this year and you know to have him in there with me, we’re just both going through it but I know I can trust him with everything.”
McNeill’s importance to Hutchinson and the team as whole was suddenly in the limelight when he came back after an injury. As he made his way back into the defensive line, his talents were visible more than ever. He was the only defender alongside Hutchinson creating consistent pressure on the year, and when he went down, it was easier for opponents to key on taking away the team’s top pass-rushing threat.
After a relatively low sack showing, Hutchinson has heated up when the team needed it the most, recording seven sacks, 15 quarterback hits and 23 pressures in the last three games. Per PFF, McNeill ranks fifth among interior defenders, recording three pressures across 43 snaps last week, becoming a key cog in the Lions’ rushing attack machine against LA. The Lions are burning hot, and these two have emerged as the hottest embers of the defense.
Hutchinson’s part in the revival of the Lions tastes espiecially sweet to him, considering he’s a Detroit native. When he was drafted, he not only had the joy of making it to the big leagues as a No. 2 overall pick, but the added prestige of joining his hometown team. And now he’s helped them win their first playoff game in decades. Talk about cherry on top.
A Special Season for Detroit
Born and brought up in Plymouth, Michigan, and making his way to Michigan football, playing for his hometown in the big leagues is special for the 23 year old. He talked about the craziness of the draft, and ending up in Detroit except all odds. He said,
“How in the hell did I end up in Detroit? Like what are the odds because in my mind I was going to Jacksonville for months and then a week before the draft it kind of changed and I was like let’s do it man, I get to be home and my story is so weird, it’s just unbelievable. I’m taking the same expressway I took to high school and it is a very interesting story but I’m so grateful for everything.”
However, while he may have grown up in Michigan, little Hutchinson’s loyalties lay elsewhere. Having not seen his hometown win a playoff game in all his years, Hutchinson rooted for the famed Patriots. But for many Lions fans, their loyalties never wavered, and here we are, decades later, finally witnessing the Lions in the divisional round of the playoffs.
This season has become extremely special for Detroit fans, like Jim Bloom, a third-generation Lions season ticket holder. Jim was at the playoff win in January 1992, and he was at the playoff win on Sunday, and he will be there again when the Lions take on the Bucs, and if they make it to the Super Bowl, he’ll follow them there. Jim’s family has had season tickets for at least 70 years, thanks to his grandfather, who was the team’s oral surgeon.
The pressure is high on the Lions for Sunday’s matchup. Will they be able to take the team higher, or have they come as far as they could this season?
