Aidan Hutchinson can cross one item off his to-do list. The Lions defensive end is headed to the Pro Bowl.
"It means a lot," Hutchinson said Thursday. "It was one of my goals coming into this year and to be able to achieve that is great. But right now, I got all my focus on this playoff run."
Hutchinson is coming off his best game of the season, a three-sack outburst in the Lions' controversial 20-19 loss in Dallas. Even with the Pro Bowl nod, it's been a frustrating year for the former second overall pick, whose surface numbers don't do justice to the havoc he's caused each game. That will all be washed away if Hutchinson carries his momentum from last week into the playoffs.
"I feel like I’m always a guy who as I get deeper and deeper into the season, that’s when I start to heat up a little bit," he said. "I feel like this has just happened these past few years, my last year at Michigan, last year and this year, I definitely heat up later in the season."
Indeed, Hutchinson caught fire toward the end of his final season in Ann Arbor. He had three sacks apiece in banner wins over Penn State and Ohio State, which launched him to the top of draft boards. And he went out with a bang in his first season in Detroit, sacking Aaron Rodgers twice under the Lambeau lights in a landmark victory for Dan Campbell's Lions.
"I feel like I'm going to make a play when it matters most and I take pride in that," Hutchinson said. "And I really do believe that, in the biggest games I feel like that’s when I show up. And usually the biggest games are at the end of the year."
With the playoffs on the horizon, maybe Hutchinson's performance last week is a preview of what's to come.
"He’s about to turn it up a little bit more," said defensive tackle Alim McNeill. "That’ll be really fun to see what he’s about to do, honestly, because he’s about to get heated up."
When Hutchinson is at his best, so is Detroit's defense. He is more valuable to the collective unit than any other player, partly because the Lions don't have anyone else who can consistently get after the quarterback. That was especially clear in Dallas when Hutchinson dominated up front and the Lions became the first team this season to hold the Cowboys under 30 points at home.
"I think it goes both ways, though," said Hutchinson. "When everyone is ballin' out, that even gives me more opportunities to ball out. It definitely goes both ways in that manner, where I could be the spark plug, but when everyone else is doing their job and doing their thing, it gives me more opportunities to get to the quarterback."
Hutchinson has gotten to the quarterback all season. He racked up six more pressures against the Cowboys to give him 93 on the year, third in the NFL behind fellow Pro Bowlers Micah Parsons and Nick Bosa. As Aaron Glenn said Thursday, "Aidan was being Aidan." Difference is, he got the quarterback on the ground. If that continues, there's no reason the Lions can't make a legitimate run in the playoffs.
"He’s relentless," said Campbell. "He gives everything he’s got to win the rep every time and to almost, and almost, and almost get there, and then you get there, and you get there, and you get there, I think that’s pretty satisfying. He’s always going to want more, but it makes you want to get more. And every time you’re able to beat a double team or beat a one-on-one a little bit faster, your confidence goes up and you gain experience doing it.
"And all of that’s not possible if you don’t put out the effort he’s putting into it either, by the way. You just can’t. Anyway, he’s playing at a high level for us.”
As Hutchinson heats up, there's still a smolder in Detroit's locker room over the way last week's game ended. The Lions were jobbed by the refs, and they know it. They want another crack at the Cowboys, even if that means they have to return to Dallas in the second round of the playoffs.
"I think it’s going to be one of those things where we look back at it as a blessing in disguise," said Hutchinson. "I think it’s going to be good for us."
But first things first. The Lions have one more game to win Sunday, and then the real season begins. Hutchinson smiled when asked about the thought of taking the field for the Lions' first home playoff game in 30 years.
"I’m already thinking about it," he said. "It’s hard not to. I don't really think you can put it into words. I think the whole fanbase is gonna be insane."