On October 12, the Lions had perhaps their most dominant victory of the season, with a 47-9 deficit over the Dallas Cowboys. Unfortunately, the win left a bad taste in the mouth of football fans across the country as they watched Lions star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson go down in the third quarter with a gruesome apparent leg injury. He was carted off the field as the Lions and Cowboys encouraged him on the way out. Following the game, Hutchinson underwent surgery for a fractured left tibia and fibula.
The absence of Hutchinson for very possibly the entire season leaves a large gap in the Lions defense. The Lions were already thin on the defensive line, as Marcus Davenport already went down earlier in the season. They are left with James Houston and Josh Paschal as the starting defensive ends, who combined to have only one sack through six games during this season. Also, the Lions lost a huge leader both on the field and off the field, as Hutchinson was named captain of the defensive line for the first time in his career.
Also, it is important to put into perspective how dominant Aidan Hutchinson was through his first five games of play. He led the league with seven and a half sacks, which is absolutely incredible. Hutchinson’s phenomenal play was recognized across the National Football League, as he was considered the early favorite for the Defensive Player of the Year award. He has been exceeding the expectations of a second overall draft pick and is proven to be one of the best defensive players in the entire game of football.
Now, let’s explore how the Lions can move forward from this. The most popular option from Lions fans collectively is Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby. Maxx has been an elite player in the league for quite some time. The reason why he could be a great fit in Detroit is because of his history. He began his career just down the road in Ypsilanti as a superstar for Eastern Michigan. He was so good to them that they named their stadium after him. Also, Maxx’s tough mentality would fit perfectly into Dan Campbell’s football philosophy.
Ultimately, the Detroit Lions are still a very good football team whether they have Aidan Hutchinson or not, and they showed that against the Vikings. Although, a game-changing player like Aidan Hutchinson or even Maxx Crosby could be the difference between a Super Bowl winning team and a Super Bowl losing team. The Lions have a decision to make.
