Lions Star DE Embraces Team Being 'Written Off'

The Detroit Lions are in the midst of a tough stretch, but they aren't looking for the easy way out.

After a devastating loss to the Philadelphia Eagles filled with missed opportunities, Detroit returns home for a three-game homestand against the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys.

This stretch offers a make-or-break scenario for the team with their playoff hopes, as they currently sit on the outside of the playoff picture. However, Aidan Hutchinson told reporters Wednesday that the team is embracing whatever negative opinions may be thrown their way.

“For sure. We’re 6-4 right now, I think people have written us off a little bit, and I think it’s a good spot to be in," Hutchinson said. "I’m excited and I think these next three home games, we’ve got to be 3-0. It starts with New York on Sunday.”

There's plenty of urgency for the team as they look to bounce back from a stretch where they have lost three of their last five games. The team has not lost consecutive games in nearly three seasons, and they have found numerous ways to bounce back.

Though Hutchinson has not seen direct negative feedback due to not being active on social media, he understands how the team may be viewed at this juncture. He and his teammates are driven to turn things around.

“I don’t know how much we fuel off it, because me personally, I’m not really on social media. I don’t see a lot of the stuff," Hutchinson said. "I just assume what people are probably saying about us because of the highs and lows with the week-to-week of football. I just know that looking at the rest of our schedule, we’re at a point where we’ve got to win."

The veteran defender is determined to help the team find more success in crucial situations and get back to their winning ways in clutch moments.

"If we get in a close game, we’ve got to win all of those close games if we wanna do what we wanna do this year," Hutchinson explained. "We all understand that, regardless of what people say about us. I think we’ve got a great shot to do it, we’ve just got to put all the pieces together. Even on the close games, we’ve got to pull them out.”