Aidan Hutchinson erupts for three sacks of Brock Purdy
DET • DE • #97
Lions Pro Bowl edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson is on a roll. He has eight sacks in the last four games (including the playoffs) after having just 6.5 sacks in his first 15 games of 2023. Hutchinson has recorded 11 consecutive games with five or more quarterback pressures (including the postseason), which is the longest streak by any player since Pro Football Focus began tracking this statistic in 2017. His 118 quarterback pressures this season are the most in the NFL, which also includes postseason play.
However, he is facing a quarterback in Brock Purdy who has only been sacked three times since Week 14. Hutchinson matches that total on Sunday. San Francisco allowed a quarterback pressure rate of 40.3% in the regular season, the seventh-highest in the NFL. In the NFC title game, Hutchinson gets home again and again and again.
Christian McCaffrey becomes first RB to break 100 yards against the Lions this season
Detroit is the first team since last season’s 49ers to not allow a running back to have at least 70 rushing yards in a game for the entire regular season. The Lions have also limited explosive runs as they still have yet to allow a run of over 30 yards to a running back this season, including the playoffs. Detroit’s defense ranked top three in the league in rushing yards allowed (88.8 rushing yards per game allowed, second-fewest in NFL) and yards per carry allowed (3.7, third-fewest in NFL) in 2023.
I didn’t realize that the Lions run defense had been THAT good