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    • Detroit Lions need to make a statement without Aidan Hutchinson
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    Detroit Lions need to make a statement without Aidan Hutchinson

    Vaseline Posted on

    ARLINGTON, Texas – They wanted to make a statement, and they did. And if you can forget for a moment the shock of Aidan Hutchinson’s horrific leg break – that’s a big ask a day later, I know – and think about what these Detroit Lions did Sunday afternoon at AT&T Stadium, you’ll realize the possibilities are still there.

    For everything.

    Including the Super Bowl.

    The Lions looked so dominant against the Cowboys on both sides of the ball. And while the defense will take a hit in Hutchinson’s absence, it’s not without talent either.

    How the pieces fit together without the Pro Bowl defensive end is a question that will take some time to answer, although we’ll get some answers soon. The Lions travel to Minneapolis next week to play the undefeated Minnesota Vikings in their first NFC North matchup.

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    The division seems inexorable so far, with even Chicago showing some teeth by the week. The battle against the Vikings and the Green Bay Packers, who won again on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, would not be easy before Hutchinson went down.

    But 47-9 isn’t nothing, even considering that Dallas was missing its best defensive player and is hardly the NFC East juggernaut of a year ago. The Lions played their most complete game of the season at Jerry Jones Stadium and made sure no errant pass interference flag or miscommunicated qualifying receiver report would spoil the ending.

    Not that the Lions had revenge in mind.

    Sunday’s outburst had “nothing to do with last year,” according to Jared Goff. This is a completely new team… and we wanted to play a good game.”

    Good game?

    Did you want?

    Understatements, both.

    Goff was cautious here, and as a leader in the locker room, that makes sense. Why stir something up?

    He did admit that he felt just as good when he got into the game for good, and that many of his teammates did too. The bye week undoubtedly helped. That also applied to the performance against Seattle two Mondays ago.

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    That night, at Ford Field, the offense took place against the Seahawks and resembled the unit that tore the league apart a year ago. With Hutchinson out for a while – likely this season – that will have to continue.

    Maybe the pace of 89 points in two games is a bit much, but their margin for error has only gotten smaller. Good thing the Lions are used to this and came within four points of a Super Bowl 10 months ago with a team on par with Goff and his electric group of playmakers.

    That is, if the Lions can get this close to the big prize with a defense that ranks near the bottom of the league against the passing game, why can’t they do it again with an offense that is starting to look evenly matched? ? better than last winter.

    But even without Hutchinson, this defense still has a chance to be better than it was a season ago. Firstly, the rear end has been improved and is getting better by the week.

    Safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph roam the Texas plains like hawks watching jackrabbits, and if their coach says they’re just starting to click, they are; Dan Campbell is not known for exaggeration.

    Still, we don’t need the head coach to tell us how much better the defensive backfield looks, whether it’s the young safeties or the new cornerbacks, with Terrion Arnold and Carlton Davis III challenging the playmakers on the edge.

    Sanctions remain a problem, but the ledger supports the aggressiveness and contributes to a defense that is beginning to discover an identity. Yes, Hutchinson was at the center of that, and the pass rush won’t be the same.

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    This year, however, with the improved play at the back and depth up front, even with the loss of Marcus Davenport to injury, the defense is better equipped to handle games without him. Without their star up front, staying in the top 10 could be more difficult defensively.

    However, Super Bowl teams do not have to live there. Not if the offense is elite. And that is the challenge.

    Can the defense stay somewhere in the middle for the rest of the year? Can it force an expedient stop?

    Because this is all an elite offense needs to make it to February. Even without a middle-of-the-pack defense, the Lions almost reached the Super Bowl. And if they had pulled off another opening loss or two in the second half against San Francisco in the NFC title game, they might have been lining up against Kansas City in Las Vegas two weeks later.

    That’s certainly a lot of pressure on the offense. And it’s not an ideal way to live. But what’s ideal about a potentially season-ending injury to your best defensive player?

    It’s true that in a coach’s mind, where perfect teams are built, the best teams need both sides of the ball to pick each other up.

    In the reality of the NFL, no team operates so harmoniously. With the Lions’ offense still being the dominant part of the team — in part because of the offensive line — the team didn’t lose its way to scoring on Sunday afternoon in Texas.

    Hutchinson might not be around for a while, probably not until next season. But the math is: an elite offense and a mediocre defense are enough to have a chance Real chance.

    And since the offense just reminded us how good it can be, why should we doubt the numbers?

    The Lions certainly aren’t. They also don’t concede anything defensively. Campbell wouldn’t let them anyway.

    As linebacker Alex Anzalone said Sunday night:

    “We knew this was going to be a statement game… one of the defining games of the season.”

    They wanted, he said, to “prove a point.”

    They did. Also made a statement.

    And although he and his team have lost a crucial part of the brotherhood, they are eager to create another one.

    They’ll get their chance in a week.

    Contact Shawn Windsor: [email protected]. Follow him @shawnwindsor.

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