Twice on Friday, Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams started running through players poised to do more in the wake of Aidan Hutchinson's injury. The first name he brought up in both cases was "Mac." You don't have to tell Alim McNeill.
After notching two sacks in his best game of the season in the Lions' rout of the Cowboys last Sunday, McNeill was asked this week if that's the type of performance he expects from himself moving forward: "A thousand percent," he said. "One thousand percent."
The Lions will try to replace Hutchinson's production by committee. It's the only way they can come close to what he was providing on defense. But McNeill is being highlighted for a reason, and not just by Williams. As Dan Campbell said, "Mac’s going to have to play consistently at a high level. ... I thought he played outstanding (in Dallas), and we’re going to need him to do it again."
One way or another, most NFL teams can generate a pass rush off the edge.
Between McNeill and DJ Reader, the Lions have the pieces to wreak havoc from the interior. That's one way they can make up for what they've lost in an elite defensive end. After Hutchinson, Detroit's most productive pass rusher last season in sacks and QB pressures was McNeill, even while he missed four games. The same is true this season, with Levi Onwuzurike emerging as another force up front.
After a quiet start to year four in Detroit, McNeill is making himself heard. It was a coincidence that he got his $97 million extension a couple days after a standout game, but also a convenient reminder of why he's worth the money. He can stuff the run and stomp out quarterbacks.
"My main goal for that game was just to get off the ball and everything else would solve itself," he said of his showing against Dallas. "I was able to get off and read plays and diagnose things quickly, but nothing special. I was just using my hands and diagnosing run plays when they were there in front of me."
McNeill is using his hands better than ever before. He had one especially impressive rush last week against All-Pro guard Zach Martin when he lifted Martin's hands and then chopped them down to knock the vet off balance before powering past him to sack Dak Prescott for an eight-yard loss. McNeill said that it's a move he's "been working on, trying to perfect" after seeing other dominant defensive tackles put it to use.
"I’ve seen a couple guys use that, just splitting the hands to get ‘em down, anyway you can get the hands down," he said. "I’ve seen Fletcher Cox hit it a lot of times. I’ve seen Brandon Graham hit it, Derrick Brown, Christian Wilkins. ... Knowing who Zach Martin is, honestly, he’s one of the best to ever do it at that position, so yeah, that does give me confidence."
That was McNeill's second sack. His first came when the Lions rushed six and ran a twist with McNeill and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez where Rodriguez got after Martin from the inside and McNeill swooped through the gap behind him before the fullback in protection could react. McNeill dropped Prescott for a 10-yard loss.
On that rush, McNeill said he's first "trying to sell speed to make the guard (Martin) think that I'm coming, and give Malcolm space to be able to do what he needs to do and get in there and pick. And then I can just come right around the edge."
Of course, both of those sacks came with Hutchinson on the field. The first was aided by Hutchinson applying pressure off the edge. But the Lions used several stunts to keep the Cowboys' offense on its heels after Hutchinson's injury, with McNeill often in the middle of them.
Prescott threw his second pick to Brian Branch after McNeill and Onwuzurike teamed up on center Cooper Beebe. When Martin slid over to help, McNeill slipped past him to force Prescott's errant pass. McNeill finished with seven QB pressures after racking up six the game prior against the Seahawks. He had mustered just three pressures total in the first three games.
"Listen, Mac showed up," Campbell said the day after the Lions' win over the Cowboys. "And Mac wasn’t pleased with the way he played against Seattle, so he was a man on a mission coming out (of the bye) and he was locked in this week. His mind was right. He was going to be a factor in this game, and that’s what we expect every week out of Mac."
To Williams, McNeill was "just more in attack mode" against Dallas. And while McNeill might have felt otherwise, Williams said that it "started against Seattle when you look at the way he was affecting the quarterback."
"And really, he just picked it up. He’s a great player, great teammate and now we’re going to count on him in a leadership role. But he just attacked the line of scrimmage and took advantage of his matchups," said Williams.
It's not all on McNeill. And it's not just Hutchinson's pass-rushing abilities the Lions have to replace. He also played an important role in shutting down the run, which has become the foundation of Detroit's defense. In McNeill's words, "Hutch was going in there to destroy somebody, pass rush and the run game." The Lions have to play with the same ferocity without him.
McNeill talks about "biting people's faces off." That's a good place to start. The Lions won't be as intimidating without Hutchinson on the field, but they can be just as violent. Quarterbacks might not fear them the same, but a bevy of blitzes, stunts and powerful one-on-one rushes by players like McNeill can change that.
"So yeah," said Campbell, "how much" more can McNeill give the pass rush in Hutchinson's absence? "A lot."
"And he’s one of those guys we’re going to lean on," he said.