Aidan Hutchinson's 2024 Impact on Lions Shown in Eye-Opening Advanced Stat

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nick Meyer | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 4:23 PM ET

The Detroit Lions lost Aidan Hutchinson to a broken tibia and fibula in his left leg against the Dallas Cowboys last season, an injury that derailed what most people thought was a Defensive Player of the Year caliber season from the Lions pass rusher.

Hutchinson has turned heads with his injury recovery journey this offseason as the former Michigan star seeks a long-awaited return to regular season game action.

On Wednesday, a Lions beat writer shared an advanced stat that clearly illustrated Hutchinson and the Lions' other pass rushers' value to the team and how it can affect opponents in a profoundly unrealized way.

"Why sacks are such a key statistic in NFL. When offenses took a sack on a drive last season, they scored a TD on that drive just 8.2% of the time," Lions reporter Tim Twentyman wrote on X.

"The percentage of scoring at all (TD or FG) was just 26.2%. Sacks equate to drive killers. That's one big growth opportunity for #Lions in 2025," Lions reporter Tim Twentyman.

Hutchinson had 7.5 sacks in five games played with the Lions last season, a total that kept him near the top of the NFL leaderboard for weeks to come after his injury.

Hutchinson is expected to join a newly enhanced Lions defensive line that includes rookie Tyleik Williams from Ohio State, a powerful and quick interior rusher capable of putting quarterbacks under duress and making life problematic for opposing running backs.

If Hutchinson is healthy, he has the talent to match or improve upon last season's numbers in due time.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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