Lions pass-rusher fuels Super Bowl hype

The Detroit Lions are entering 2024 with higher expectations, and star edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson isn't shying away from them.

"I feel like it's the year," Hutchinson told Brad Galli of WXYZ-TV in Detroit. "With every fiber of my body, I feel like it's the year. Honestly, from this year on, every year is the year. With the guys that we have, I hope that we're going to sustain the success for a long time."

The Lions almost made their first Super Bowl appearance last season, but they fell to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. "It's gonna be twice as hard to get back to this point next year," Detroit head coach Dan Campbell said following the 34-31 loss.

Campbell may be right. Per ESPN's Eric Woodyard, the Lions have the 11th-toughest schedule in the league in 2024. Not to mention, NFC North rival Green Bay should vie for a divisional title if quarterback Jordan Love builds off a season in which he finished second in the league in touchdown passes (32 in 17 games).

However, Detroit kept its core intact, signing quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and offensive tackle Penei Sewell to contract extensions.

Hutchinson could be in store for another monster season after making his first Pro Bowl in 2023. In his edge defender rankings, Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema rated the 23-year-old No. 6 in the league.

"Hutchinson ascended to an elite level in his second season, earning a 91.4 pass-rush grade," wrote Sikkema. "His 101 quarterback pressures in the regular season ranked second only to Micah Parsons. His pass-rush win rate also leaped from 12.2 percent in 2022 to 21.3 percent in 2023."