By Moses Joshua 
The Lions’ defensive cornerstone speaks candidly as Detroit’s playoff hopes tighten
A Defense Losing Its Grip
For weeks, the Detroit Lions have tried to halt a defensive slide that seems to worsen with each passing game. What began as a unit showing grit and promise has morphed into one searching desperately for answers — especially along the defensive line.
Detroit has produced just four sacks over its last four games, a drought that’s left the back end exposed and the scoreboard tilted against them. The problem hit a low point in Week 12’s 31–24 loss to the Green Bay Packers, where the Lions failed to register a single sack.
And when pressure disappears, the spotlight lands squarely on the team’s brightest edge threat: Aidan Hutchinson.
Hutchinson: “It’s interesting… those reps become that much more precious”
Seen as the anchor of Detroit’s pass rush, Hutchinson has been battling his own slump — just 1.5 sacks over the last four contests. Opponents have shifted more attention his way, and he openly acknowledged how different the battlefield has felt lately.
“It’s interesting. There is the chippers. There’s 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.
Double-teams and altered protections are nothing new for elite pass rushers, but Hutchinson admits he hasn’t fully capitalized on the few clean opportunities he has gotten.
Searching for Flow — and for Answers
While Hutchinson doesn’t shy away from responsibility, he also recognizes that the broader pass-rush effort simply isn’t clicking.
“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.”
The Lions’ staff, particularly defensive line coach Kelvin Sheppard, now faces the challenge of either scheming more pressure creatively or finding players who can win within Detroit’s structure. With playoff stakes rising, the margin for waiting on improvement has evaporated.
Playoff Pressure Mounts: “It’s real adversity”
Detroit dropped to 7–5 with the Thanksgiving loss — a record still good but hardly comfortable in a competitive NFC race. Hutchinson didn’t sugarcoat the impact.
“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… 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.”
Week 13 offers a chance to reset against the Dallas Cowboys, but the Lions’ postseason hopes hinge heavily on whether Hutchinson and the defensive front can reclaim their identity — and reintroduce fear into opposing backfields.
The Road Ahead
Detroit’s season is far from lost. But the path forward is clear: the Lions cannot survive in the playoff race without generating pressure, disrupting rhythm, and getting their star pass rusher back into his groove.
Hutchinson knows it. The team knows it. And with December approaching, there is no more time for stalls or stumbles — only solutions.