Film breakdown: Aidan Hutchinson’s 4.5 sacks vs. Buccaneers

Breaking down each of Aidan Hutchinson’s 4.5 sacks from Week 2 in our latest film breakdown.

Detroit Lions Pro Bowl edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson is taking the league by storm in 2024. Through two games, Hutchinson has 5.5 sacks, 18 pressures, 14 pass rush wins, and a PFF pass rush win percentage of 42.3%, all of which lead the NFL.

In Week 2, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Hutchinson put up some remarkable statistics, which led to some impressive streaks (provided by the Lions PR team), including:

• He had 4.5 sacks in a single game (second most in team history)
• His five quarterback hits tie a franchise record (the third time he has hit this mark)
• Became the fourth NFL player in league history to record a three-sack game in each of his first three seasons, joining Justin Houston, Jevon Kearse, and Reggie White.
• He has now registered a sack in four straight regular season games (ties a franchise record)
• He has 10.5 sacks over that same four-game span (franchise record)
• He has at least four QB hits per game going back five regular season games (NFL record since the league started tracking this stat in 2006)

“It was fun out there,” Hutchinson said following Week 2’s game. “I felt like I was in a flow state. Just staying very focused the whole game. And I think our rush lanes were very good. A couple of those sacks were (because) our d-tackles (were) getting great penetration, and I’m just kind of wrapping off. So, it’s definitely—a lot of my production, I think was our D-line playing at a high level but I was reaping a lot of the rewards. But I think it was definitely the result of everybody rushing really hard.”

Let’s take a closer look at each of Hutchinson’s 4.5 sacks in our latest film breakdown.

Sack No. 1

Situation: 1st quarter, 3rd and 3, ball on Lions 3-yard line
Lions front: 43, with a SAM (Derrick Barnes) on the line-of-scrimmage
Hutchinson: Wide-9 on the left side of the defense

With the Bucs inside the 5-yard line, the Lions put five defenders on the line of scrimmage with Hutchinson lined up outside of the right tackle, Justin Skule. At the snap, Hutchinson takes three steps up field waiting for Alim McNeill to get the right tackle for a pick. This allows Hutchinson to stunt and dip underneath McNeill. Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield has eyes on Mike Evans, who ran a quick slant in front of Terrion Arnold, but Barnes dropped into the coverage lane, forcing Mayfield to halt his throw.

By the time Mayfield’s arm comes out of the halted throw, Hutchinson has beaten the guard inside and has a free run at the quarterback, dislodging the football when he delivers the sack.

The stunt works beautifully, but it’s Barnes dropping into the throwing lane that provides the extra half-second Hutchinson needs to get home.

Sack No. 2

Situation: 1st quarter, 2nd and 10, ball on Lions 44-yard line
Lions front: 3-down linemen with SAM (Barnes) on line-of-scrimmage
Hutchinson: Wide-9 on the left side of the defense

Hutchinson sprints upfield and directly into the right tackle, dips under the initial stab/punch from the right tackle, then knocks him off his spot with a bull rush. Hutchinson uses an upward chop to lift and throw the tackle’s outside arm out of his path while gaining separation by pushing off with an inside arm extension. He’s completely free of the block just as he arrives at Mayfield for his second sack.

The Lions also blitzed the MIKE (Malcolm Rodriguez), occupying the left guard, while the left tackle was waiting on Barnes to pass rush (he dropped into coverage instead). As a result, Levi Onwuzurike was left unblocked and he arrived at Mayfield almost simultaneously as Hutchinson, but Hutchinson was awarded the sack because he was the defender who wrapped up Mayfield and took him to the ground.

Sack No. 3

Situation: 1st quarter, 3rd and 8, ball on Bucs 44-yard line
Lions front: 3-down linemen with two linebackers (Rodriguez and Barnes) on line-of-scrimmage
Hutchinson: Wide-9 on the left side of the defense

With five defenders showing blitz, the Bucs counter by keeping the back in to block, leaving Hutchinson one-on-one with the right tackle. This time, Hutchinson attacks the upfield arm of the tackle, chopping it down, then dipping under it as the tackle attempts to reset the arm high. The tackle can’t recover and Hutchinson lunges for Mayfield, taking him down for his third sack.

This sack is dangerously close to being penalized as a hip-drop tackle. Per NFL rules, there are three components that must all happen in order for a referee to identify a hip-drop tackle penalty:

• the defender grabs the ball carrier with both hands or wraps with both arms
• the defender unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body
• the defender lands on and traps the ball carrier’s leg(s) at or below the knee

Hutchinson’s actions certainly check the boxes on the first two components, but he does not trap Mayfield’s legs, and therefore, fails to meet the qualifications in component three. Thus, no flag.

Sack No. 4

Situation: 3rd quarter, 3rd and 6, ball on Bucs 34-yard line
Lions front: 3-down linemen with SAM (Barnes) on line-of-scrimmage
Hutchinson: Wide-9 on the left side of the defense

At this stage of the game, the Bucs are chipping both edge rushers with skill players split out on the line of scrimmage. At the snap, running back Rachaad White attempts to chip Hutchinson, but the edge rusher is so quick off the snap that the back can only deliver a glancing blow, which only mildly slows the rusher down.

Similarly to sack No. 3, once engaged with the right tackle, Hutchinson attacks the upfield arm, chops it down, and dips to bend the edge. Once Hutchinson gets the corner, he lunges at Mayfield with both arms wide and manages to trip up his right ankle as the quarterback attempts to escape the pressure. Mayfield falls to the ground with his knee hitting the turf just before Barnes arrives.

There’s an argument that could be made that Barnes deserves a half-sack as his presence could have influenced Mayfield to fully fall to the ground, but Hutchinson gets the full credit based on how these plays typically get awarded.

Sack No. 4.5

Situation: 4th quarter, 3rd and 7, ball on Bucs 27
Lions front: 3-down linemen with SAM (Barnes) on line-of-scrimmage
Hutchinson: Wide-9 on the left side of the defense

With four sacks under his belt, the Bucs are now chipping Hutchinson on every play, and frequently double-teaming him. On this play, tight end Cade Otton fully engages Hutchinson before slipping out into his route, leaving the right tackle plenty of time to set up his block. Hutchinson pushed upfield to engage the tackle, but because of the chip, he was late to the party. To keep himself in the play, Hutchinson quickly disengages from the block and keeps his eyes on Mayfield.

The Lions ran an interior stunt with McNeill and Onwuzurike, which forced Mayfield to scramble. With Barnes closing one escape lane, Mayfield steps forward but is thrown off balance as McNeill grabs the quarterback’s shoulder pad. As Mayfield attempts to escape forward, Hutchinson retreats back toward the line of scrimmage, closing off that lane. Mayfield then jukes to his right, where Hutchinson dives and grabs him by the waist as Onwuzurike closes from behind and helps finish the sack.

Because both defenders are engaged with Mayfield to complete the sack, a half-sack is awarded to both players.

“He’s a hell of a player,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said following the game. “You see the same things that you always see. We tried chipping him, we tried to do a lot of things. He makes plays. He made our life miserable over there. Hats off to him.”

Hutchinson was an absolute menace in Week 2 and it should come as no surprise that he is leading the league in basically every pass rushing category. But as good as he has been, he still has room to develop and develop into an even bigger monster.

“Every time you watch him, he gets better and better and I was pretty blown away last night,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Monday. “He’s a force. He’s a force. He played all but, whatever that was, six or seven plays. He just, he’s relentless, he’s powerful, he’s explosive. They sort of tried to double him and chip him and nudge him and he was a force. […] Those guys up front did a really good job, but Hutch is playing at the highest level you can play right now, and I would anticipate he’s going to take it up another notch. He keeps getting better and better and better.”