Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson among biggest tests for Cardinals in Week 3

TEMPE — Much like the Arizona Cardinals, the Detroit Lions led by head coach Dan Campbell pride themselves on playing with violence and a high motor.

And much like safety Budda Baker, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson encapsulates exactly what his team is about.

The third-year pro is well on his way to a consecutive double-digit-sack season, entering Week 3’s matchup against the Cardinals with a league-leading 5.5 sacks.

Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Hutchinson’s 11 pressures and 67 pass rush attempts are both tied for the fifth most among league defenders through two weeks. He’s 17th with a quarterback pressure rate of 15.9%.

DENIED! Strip sack by none other than @aidanhutch97 🔥

📺: #TBvsDET on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/8PIsOuNg6C

— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024

“You have to be (aware of where he is at all times),” quarterback Kyler Murray said Wednesday. “He warrants that, he’s a great player. The things he has done in his short career are pretty impressive.

“He is who he is and he’s going to continue to be that guy for the rest of his career. We definitely have to be aware of him.”

And although he mostly lined up on the left end a majority of the time in Week 2, Hutchinson has the versatility to rush off both sides.

So, while right tackle Kelvin Beachum is expected to see a big dose of Hutchinson on Sunday, left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. could also be in for some action against the No. 2 overall pick out of Michigan.

“He is in a really good scheme. They give him some freedom and he’s got a skill set,” head coach Jonathan Gannon said Monday. “Wherever he got drafted, you could tell why he got drafted that high.”

Hutchinson presents a big challenge for an Arizona offensive line that is coming off a stellar showing against the Los Angeles Rams.

He is far from the only Lion to watch, though, especially when looking at the offensive side of the football:

The Lions’ two-headed monster

Detroit has plenty of receiving weapons (more on them later), but the offense runs on a strong ground game behind the duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

The complementary backfield has been nearly an even split, with Montgomery (28) outpacing Gibbs (24) by just four carries. The difference in rushing yards is even tighter with two separating the former (126) and latter (124). Montgomery also has the lead in touchdowns (two) over his counterpart (one).

Montgomery brings added physicality to the position. Gibbs on the hand brings added shiftiness and ability as a pass catcher.

Among Lions pass catchers, Gibbs trails only wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) in catches with 11 for 56 yards.

More slot problems

The Cardinals came away victorious when it came to limiting slot wide receiver Cooper Kupp in their win against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.

If they want to have the same result against the Lions, keeping the versatile Amon-Ra St. Brown in check could go a long way towards achieving that.

Cardinals safety Budda Baker on WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and the Lions offense as a whole: pic.twitter.com/nyMVCKB4vA

— Cardinals Corner (@AZCardsCorner) September 19, 2024

After posting a lackluster stat line of three catches for 13 yards in Week 1, the four-year pro bounced back with an 11-catch, 119-yard showing in Sunday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Don’t let his inconsistent start to 2024 fool you, either. St. Brown is coming off 11 games of at least 90 receiving yards on his way to 1,515 just a season ago.

Quieting St. Brown won’t fall solely on nickel corner Garrett Williams, either, with the wideout finding plenty of success lining up out wide.

“St. Brown’s a great player, a guy who can run the whole route tree,” Baker said Thursday. “An all-round great player and a player that of course we gotta understand where he is on the field. Ultimately whatever (defensive coordinator Nick Rallis) calls, it’s about doing our job and taking it one play at a time.

“St. Brown is a great player, but that offense is a great offense. It’s about understanding our rules and bringing our rules to the field as soon as we get the play calls in.”

Jamo

St. Brown may be quarterback Jared Goff’s favorite target, but it’s Jameson Williams who is pacing the team in yards (200) and receiving touchdowns (one) entering Sunday’s tilt.

Aside from his speed, what makes Williams such a menace is his playmaking ability with the ball in his hands.

Of his 200 receiving yards, 86 have come after the catch.

27-yard gain by matching Jameson Williams with an underneath linebacker

Amon-Ra and LaPorta push coverage downfield. Creates a void.

Ragnow 77 peels back to get just enough pic.twitter.com/sBmG3cwTkE

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) September 10, 2024

“He’s fast, very fast,” Baker said. “Can run the whole route tree. I would say the speed and the athleticism that he has when he catches the ball, he can get a lot of YAC.

“That’s definitely something that we understand and know. … He can run anything. He’s probably about (180 pounds). We understand that change of direction is very good.”

Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker on what stands out about Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams: pic.twitter.com/uki26MFUT7

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 19, 2024

Don’t overlook LaPorta

Compared with those listed above, fellow playmaker and tight end Sam LaPorta is having a slow start to the year.

After reeling in 86 balls on 120 targets for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, LaPorta has just six catches on eight targets for 58 yards in two games played this year.

“Last week it was [Amon-Ra] St. Brown. This week it’s LaPorta. Next week it’s going to be somebody else,” Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson told reporters Thursday. “That’s just the nature of the beast. … We’ve got a lot of weapons and it’s hard to guarantee someone five to eight targets every single game. That’s just not how it works.”

The Cardinals haven’t had much trouble against tight ends the past two weeks. Let’s see if they can keep that trend afloat for another game.

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