By Moses Joshua 
Detroit’s star edge rusher opens up about frustration, pride, and why the defense believes the team is “close.”
A Loss That Hit Different
You could hear it before he ever said a word—Aidan Hutchinson wasn’t just disappointed. He was gutted. After the Detroit Lions fell 16–9 to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football, the Pro Bowl edge rusher stepped to the podium with a tone that told the real story: this wasn’t a game the Lions lost; it was a game they thought they had won.
“It sucks. It really does,” Hutchinson admitted after the game. “It’s one where defensively we really felt like we had control of the game the whole time.”
And truthfully? He had every reason to feel that way.
When the Defense Does Everything Right… and Still Walks Away Empty
The Lions offense struggled all night, repeatedly leaving the defense to deal with short fields and dangerous situations. And yet, Detroit’s defense kept answering.
“Even ball was put on the 50-yard line a few times, you know, and we were able to get really critical stops in those scenarios,” Hutchinson said. “So in terms of how we responded to adversity today… it’s really something to build on for sure.”
It wasn’t false optimism. It wasn’t spin. It was a defense recognizing just how good it played—and how much more painful that made the defeat.
Hutchinson doubled down on the belief that the Lions entered the matchup fully confident.
“I didn’t think there was ever any doubt in our team going into this game,” he said. “I thought we were all very confident.”
This wasn’t a speech searching for silver linings. This was a leader frustrated not by failure, but by a missed opportunity his unit had fought too hard to earn.
Yes—Detroit Actually Stopped the Tush Push
The Eagles’ infamous “tush push,” also known as the “Brotherly Shove,” has powered Philadelphia to two seasons of short-yardage dominance. Teams have sold out to stop it. Almost no one has succeeded.
But on Sunday night?
The Lions did.
“That’s huge,” Hutchinson said proudly. “I mean, that’s a credit to the big guys. I got in there on one, so I can say I was a part of it. But that’s a credit to DJ, Alm, Roy, and Tyreek… and our linebackers going over the top.”
He couldn’t help but crack a small smile when reflecting on it.
“I was watching it from the sideline and it was damn impressive watching them do what they did.”
Stopping the signature play of one of the NFL’s best offenses should have been the spark for a statement win. Instead, it became another reason the loss stung so sharply.
“We’re Going to Dig Our Way Out of This”
At 6–4, the Lions weren’t pretending the situation was ideal. But Hutchinson made it clear: this isn’t a group losing belief.
“Obviously not ideal going into it,” he said. “But I know we’re going to dig our way out of this and we are close.”
Close. It’s the word players repeated all night. Close to executing. Close to sealing wins. Close to looking like the team that stormed through the NFC last season.
Hutchinson, for his part, isn’t wavering.
“Just winning as a team every week,” he said. “I know Dan will have us ready.”
The Bottom Line: This One Hurt Because Detroit Deserved Better
Aidan Hutchinson didn’t sound defeated—he sounded driven. The kind of driven that usually precedes a surge, not a slide.
The truth is simple:
The Lions defense played winning football.
They stopped the run.
They contained explosive plays.
They denied short-field opportunities.
They shut down the “tush push.”
They kept Detroit alive from kickoff to the final whistle.
And that is exactly why this loss cut so deep.
They had control.
They played their hearts out.
And somehow, it still slipped away.
Aidan Hutchinson felt the pain of that.
The rest of the NFC should probably feel the warning.