Detroit Lions‘Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson had so many sacks last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he ran out of sack dances and celebration moves.
“Yeah, in the fifth inning, I had to throw my hands up in the air,” Hutchinson told reporters this week. “I thought, ‘This is one of those days where you’re like a magnet for the ball.’ It was fun.”
Officially credited with a career-high 4½ sacks in the 20-16 loss, the 6-foot-7, 268-pound Hutchinson could have another big day in the opposing backfield when he and the Lions visit the Arizona Cardinals Sunday at State Farm Stadium.
The NFL’s leading sacks with 5½ through two games, Hutchinson will be lined up against a backup right tackle for the third straight week. The only question is who will be the Cardinals’ backup?
Arizona lost starter Jonah Williams in Week 1 to a knee issue and he has since been placed on injured reserve. Veteran Kelvin Beachum, the only backup tackle currently on the club’s 53-man active roster, started last week’s game against the Los Angeles Rams but found himself on the injury report this week with a sore hamstring.
Asked Friday whether Beachum, 35, would be able to play Sunday, Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon could only say: “We’ll see.”
Last week, the Cardinals signed Jackson Barton, 29, to the practice squad, but he has played just 13 snaps in six NFL seasons. Another practice squad option could be Charlie Heck, 27, who played 41 games (including 21 starts) at right tackle for the Houston Texans over the past four seasons. A third option, if needed, could be rookie guard Isaiah Adams, 24, who started 10 games at right tackle during his college career at Illinois.
No matter who the Cardinals choose at right tackle, it probably won’t faze Hutchinson. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Michigan, he finished last season ranked first in quarterback hits (23) and second in pressures (101) and quarterback pressures (67).
And on Sunday, he could make history.
With 5½ sacks this year and five in his final two games of the 2023 season, Hutchinson needs just 2½ sacks against the Cardinals to surpass Hall of Famer Michael Strahan (12½) for the most sacks by a player over a five-game span since 1982, when sacks became an official statistic.
Although he doesn’t like to talk about himself much, Hutchinson said he was proud of his production.
“Yeah, I’m really proud,” he said. “Sacks are… it’s just a fun thing. It’s about being in the right place at the right time at the right moment. A lot of those sacks were just the defensive line — we were all rushing together as one. That always helps. It’s vital for anybody who gets sacks, really.”
The Cardinals can try to slow Hutchinson by attacking him with the help of a tight end or running back. Hutchinson said he was surprised the Buccaneers didn’t do much against him last week.
“I thought they were going to hit me harder in this game, but they didn’t,” he said. “At this point, I have no idea. Sometimes I think I’m going to get hit, but they don’t. I’m not really sure. We’ll see (Sunday). I’ll tell you after the game how hard they hit me.”
Whatever the Cardinals do, quarterback Kyler Murray said he will be fully aware of Hutchinson’s presence.
“Yeah, he has to be,” he said. “He deserves it. He’s a great player. The things he’s done in his short career are pretty impressive. He is who he is and he’s going to continue to be who he is for the rest of his career. We definitely have to pay attention to him.”
Likewise, Hutchinson said he and the Lions need to be mindful of Murray, especially when he decides to come out of the pocket as a running back or throws passes on the run.
“It’s always a tough task when you see him running all over the line,” Hutchinson said of Murray. “It’s always a good balance between trying to keep him in the pocket but also trying to get his best out of him.
“You really have to pay more attention to him because he’s very athletic and can do everything in that pocket. So you have to have a higher level of awareness and keep that in mind at all times.”
This article was originally published on the Arizona Republic: Lions defenseman Aidan Hutchinson could have a field day against the Cardinals
