Lions Don’t Need to Replace Aidan Hutchinson to Reach Super Bowl.
The Detroit Lions have no reason to panic after losing star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a broken leg. Some teams are immediately sunk when their star pass rusher goes down. The Steelers are 1-11 without T.J. Watt. The Niners struggle without Nick Bosa, the Browns need Myles Garrett and the Cowboys looked terrible without Micah Parsons last week. The Lions are different. Not only can they survive Hutchinson’s devastating injury… they’re still the team to beat in the NFC.
Detroit has been building a champion the right way. The Hutchinson injury is no reason to change course. The young nucleus makes them contenders for a decade. Trading away loads of draft capital for an older player like Maxx Crosby doesn’t make sense. Finding salary-cap space over the next few years will be a huge challenge in its own right. They’ve done an outstanding job drafting and developing players and shouldn’t veer off that strategy for short-term help.
The two dynasties of this century, the Patriots and Chiefs, wouldn’t make a costly blockbuster trade midseason. They made smaller moves, giving up mid- to late-round draft picks … just like the Lions probably will do in the coming weeks. New England and Kansas City trust their process and knew that the reasons they won were about more than just accumulating talented players.
Hutchinson will be out for four to six months with a fractured fibula and tibia. Head coach Dan Campbell says “never count Hutch out” in regard to an early return. Even if there’s no miracle and he’s out for the season, the Lions can’t be dismissed.
Here are five fundamental reasons Lions fans should still believe…
