The Lions' defensive linemen and linebackers often start practice with a drill where one player dives onto a mat with a ball tucked under his arm, like he's lunging for an extra yard, while a second player dives toward him and punches at it in mid-air.
This game is about the ball, Detroit's defense likes to say.
"It's the NFL, everybody knows how crucial turnovers are," Aidan Hutchinson said Thursday. "But I just think we’re doing it, and we’re being about it, which is why we’ve had a good amount of success."
In the second quarter against the Chiefs last week, Hutchinson got a rare one-on-one with a tight end. As Patrick Mahomes dropped back on second down, Hutchinson long-armed Noah Gray 10 yards backward into Mahomes' lap. Instead of trying to level Mahomes upon arrival, Hutchinson worked an arm free and swatted the ball out of Mahomes' hands. Mahomes was lucky to recover it as he, Hutchinson and Jack Campbell dove to the turf.
It was Hutchinson's fourth forced fumble of the season, matching his total over the first three seasons of his career. He would have five if not for a holding penalty in the secondary that erased one of his two strip-sacks in the Lions' win last month over the Browns. As it is, Hutchinson is tied with Joey Bosa for the NFL lead in forced fumbles, partly because he's the outright leader in quarterback pressures (36) through six games.
It stems from a conversation Hutchinson had in the offseason with Lions new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. As they reviewed some of the tape from last season, Sheppard told Hutchinson, "You know you get a sack by knocking the ball out of the quarterback’s hands as well, but that’s a more impactful play." Hutchinson took it to heart.
"It's been a fun year, man," he said. "It's been different, because I feel like in my career I haven’t forced this many turnovers, even when I was at Michigan I didn't have a ton of forced fumbles. I’ve put a big emphasis on it this year, of attacking the football. And it helps that I’m there more, that as you grow as a player you get more opportunities to create turnovers, so there’s that. But just putting a focus on it. It’s a premium in the NFL."
Hutchinson has had at least one sack and a forced fumble in four straight games, tied for the longest streak in the NFL since 1999. He no longer has just the quarterback in his sights; he's also eyeing the ball. When he came around the left edge against the Bengals two weeks ago as Jake Browning looked downfield after setting up a flea-flicker, Hutchinson knocked the ball out with one hand as he wrapped up Browning with the other and drove him into the turf.
"The more you play," said Hutchinson, "the more the game slows down and the more you just see the field better, you see the plays, pre-snap you have a good idea of what’s coming your way."
And as Sheppard pointed out, "It's not only Hutch." The Lions have forced seven fumbles as a team, just one off the NFL lead. That includes two by Jack Campbell and another by Brian Branch. In fact, Campbell has been hunting the ball so ferociously that the NFL "just sent out a memo and a tape," said Sheppard, issuing a reminder (read: a warning) about his technique. This was in the league's weekly officiating video on points of clarification.
"Just the emphasis on punching the ball," said Sheppard. "They want to make sure you’re punching the ball and not the player, whatever that means."
Hutchinson started his streak of forced fumbles when he got Derrick Henry in the fourth quarter of the Lions' Week 3 win over the Ravens, a play for which he credited Amik Robertson's punch-out technique. (Robertson had two punch-outs in one game last season.) He got Joe Flacco the next week, Browning the week after that. The only thing likely gnawing at Hutchinson is that he's yet to recover one of his forced fumbles himself.
"Hutch will tell you, 'Look at Amik.' He’s been doing it for two years, violently attacking the ball. Look at Jack. ... It’s violent, it’s aggressive and it’s the way we play, and we won’t make excuses," said Sheppard. "I hope it continues to show up and I hope it upticks as we progress in the season."
Hutchinson had the best game of his career last year when the Buccaneers came to town with a backup right tackle in Justin Skule. Two of his 4.5 sacks ended with the ball on the turf. As Baker Mayfield put it afterward, "Aidan Hutchinson has no off switch." The Bucs are returning to town Monday night with a backup right tackle in Charlie Heck, who's allowed the second most quarterback pressures in the NFL this year.
In the national spotlight, the stage is set for Hutchinson to have another big game.
"Their offense is similar (to last year), but it’s a little bit different personnel that we’re going against, so it’s going to be a little different feel," he said. "But still hunting that dominant performance."