The Biggest Threat to Packers in Week 1 vs. Lions

The Green Bay Packers acquired one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers last week when they traded for Micah Parsons. The Detroit Lions will have a big addition to their defensive line, too, with the return of Aidan Hutchinson.

“You’re talking about one of the premier players in the National Football League,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said about Hutchinson.

Hutchinson had 7.5 sacks in the first five games of last season before suffering a broken leg. The Lions swept last year’s season series even with Hutchinson out of the lineup.

“The guy’s a game wrecker, and it shows up all over the tape, in both run game and in the pass game,” LaFleur said. “I think that’s pretty special to have a guy that’s capable of doing that, but he’s a relentless competitor. He works really hard, and he causes a lot of havoc.”

Spearheaded by a 4.5-sack game against the Buccaneers in Week 2, Hutchinson was looking like a real candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. He led the NFL in two key Pro Football Focus metrics, pass-rush win rate and pass-rushing productivity.

Hutchinson has had almost a year to recover from his injury and will be good to go against the Packers. He’s also beginning contract-extension talks, and with the Packers giving Parsons such a large contract, his value has only gone up. Not that Hutchinson is a player who lacks motivation, but the long layoff and looming payday should give him a little more juice.

“You’ve got to have a plan for him, wherever he’s at,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said on Thursday. “He’s a really active player and he does a really good job of just playing hard to the whistle and getting after people with relentless effort.”

There’s never a perfect way to gameplan for a player like Hutchinson. The easiest way to try to take him out of the game is to double him on pass plays and run the ball to whichever side of the line he’s not on, but the Lions have a great all-around defense, so that’s not always realistic.

The biggest advantage for the Packers is that Hutchison likely will be matched up against one of the better right tackles in the NFL in Zach Tom. Hutchinson took 70 percent of his pass-rushing snaps last year from the defense’s left side. If that continues under new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, that means a lot of big-time matchups.

“Obviously, he’s a really good player,” Tom said on Thursday. “He can change a game for them, so we have to know where he’s at at all times and just make plays when we can. Obviously, we’re going to have a plan for him, but it’s no different than any other week apart from the fact that he’s just a really good player.”

According to PFF, Tom allowed only three sacks, two quarterback hits, and 24 total pressures last season, making him one of the best pass blockers in the NFL. His run blocking is arguably better than his pass blocking. Pair that with Josh Jacobs’ ability to avoid defenders and break tackles, and they can still have enough confidence to run to the right.

Marcus Davenport is the defensive end opposite Hutchinson. Injuries limited him to only six games and 2.5 sacks the past two seasons.

With left tackle Rasheed Walker coming off a solid season and Davenport’s low production, the Packers should feel more confident sliding the pass protection to Hutchinson’s side.

The Packers gave up the second-fewest sacks last season with 22 but, as LaFleur mentioned, they didn’t have to face Hutchinson in either game.

With mostly the same offensive line as last year besides the addition of Aaron Banks and the move of Elgton Jenkins to center, the Packers will be looking to limit the impact of Hutchinson. If they can do that, their chances of earning a big opening win will improve. In Hutchinson’s career, the Lions are 14-4 when he had at least a half-sack but 11-10 when he’s shut out.

“I’m focused on the Green Bay Packers right now,” Hutchinson said of Parsons’ contract this week. “We’re focused on sacking Jordan Love.”