There hasn't been a ton to be happy about for Lions fans this offseason. It's just been departure after departure, injury after injury – and on top of that all, the Bears have been especially insufferable this time around.
One of the few things that is exciting about this upcoming season is the return of Aidan Hutchinson. The Lions' star pass rusher was sorely missed during the back half of the season, and his return to the lineup is, more-or-less, the only thing keeping Lions fans optimistic heading into training camp.
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So it's only natural that someone, somewhere on the internet rained on that parade. That's kind of the internet's whole thing. Our friends at Pro Football Focus were up to the job this week, publishing a team-by-team list of things to be concerned about heading into the new season. The Lions one is, in a word, terrifying.
PFF's major concern about Aidan Hutchinson is absolute nightmare fuel
"Look, it hurts to even type it out. Hutchinson has been on a tear as a pass rusher basically since his junior season at Michigan. Before his season-ending injury in 2024, he boasted an absurd 95.0 PFF pass-rush grade and 38.3% pass-rush win rate — both by far the top marks among edge defenders. All reports indicate that he's good to go for 2025, but it is worth monitoring if he can quickly return to his elite form. The Lions have built their entire pass-rush plan around him, so the hope is that he can pick up where he left off last season."
At least it hurt them to type it out. A small price to pay for such a logical-but-totally-unnecessary piece of analysis. If Hutchinson isn't the player he was pre-injury, the Lions are cooked. That has a 3rd place finish written all over it. Personally, thinking about any of that does not interest me. I'd rather just assume that science has come so far that Hutchinson's knee is just as good – maybe better?! – than it was before, and the Lions will be fine.
It'll be fine. It'll be fine. It'll be fine. Maybe if I say it a few more times, I'll start to believe it.
