Lions' DE Has Placed 'Big Emphasis' on Forcing Fumbles

Aidan Hutchinson has wasted no time reminding the NFL world why he’s one of the league’s premier EDGE defenders. 

After enduring a lost 2024 season due to a fractured tibia and fibula, the Detroit Lions star has stormed into 2025 with a vengeance. 

Through six weeks, Hutchinson has reclaimed his status as one of football’s most dominant pass-rushers. 

He’s tied for the NFL lead in forced fumbles (four) and ranks first in total quarterback pressures (36). He’s also tallied six sacks, and has earned an elite 92.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking second among all qualified EDGEs. 

Simply put, Hutchinson is generating turnovers and overall performing at an All-Pro level.

"It's the NFL, everybody knows how crucial turnovers are," Hutchinson told reporters Thursday. "But I just think we’re doing it, and we’re being about it, which is why we’ve had a good amount of success."

Hutchinson’s return to dominance has been marked by both consistency and impact plays. 

He’s registered at least one sack and a forced fumble in four straight games, tied for the longest streak by any player since 1999. That stretch has included several game-altering moments: a strip of Ravens running back Derrick Henry in Week 3, forced fumbles on Joe Flacco and Jake Browning in subsequent weeks and a highlight-worthy strip of Patrick Mahomes during Detroit’s loss last week to the Kansas City Chiefs.

In the Lions’ aforementioned Week 6 contest with the Chiefs, Hutchinson bulldozed tight end Noah Gray into the backfield, reached Mahomes and proceeded to rip the ball free – all without compromising his technique. Though the Chiefs recovered the fumble, it demonstrated just how proficient Hutchinson has become at forcing fumbles. 

"It's been a fun year, man. It's been different, because I feel like in my career I haven’t forced this many turnovers, even when I was at Michigan I didn't have a ton of forced fumbles," he expressed. "I’ve put a big emphasis on it this year, of attacking the football. And it helps that I’m there more, that as you grow as a player you get more opportunities to create turnovers, so there’s that. But just putting a focus on it. It’s a premium in the NFL."

That focus is showing up every Sunday. Hutchinson has made a living collapsing pockets and forcing quarterbacks off their rhythm, creating opportunities for his teammates to clean up behind him. 

The 2022 No. 2 overall pick’s energy and relentless motor continue to set the tone for Detroit’s defensive front.

As Hutchinson prepares for a Week 7 showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night, he’s eager to build on his dominant run. 

He’s familiar with Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, whom he produced 4.5 sacks and five quarterback hits against in a Week 2 matchup last season. But, Hutchinson isn’t taking anything for granted.

“He’s got a really crazy scramble tape of him getting out of sacks, so it’s been impressive to watch,” Hutchinson said of Mayfield. “We’ve got to be on our stuff if we’re going to get him on the turf on Monday. So, it’s a lot of just, take him to the ground and make sure he’s there, because he’ll fight out of some tackles and he’s really good with that.”

Off the field, Hutchinson has also been a lively presence inside the Lions’ locker room. 

On Thursday, he sported a USC hoodie after losing a friendly bet with teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown, a proud Trojans alum, following Michigan’s loss to USC last Saturday. 

The good-natured wager was just another reminder of the competitive spirit that defines Hutchinson both on and off the field.

"He was confident," Hutchinson said about St. Brown approaching him with the bet. "I was pretty confident, too. But hopefully (Michigan) can get back on track."

Hutchinson has been one of the NFL’s most prolific pass-rushers through the first six weeks of the 2025 season. And if he continues at this pace, the ‘25 campaign could mark not only the best of Hutchinson’s young career but also one that cements him as one of the league’s true defensive superstars.