Bold prediction for Detroit Lions vs. Arizona Cardinals: Can Aidan Hutchinson give an encore in Arizona?

Aidan Hutchinson was unstoppable in Week 2 as the Detroit Lions hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field. Hutchinson recorded three sacks in the first ten minutes of the game and finished the day with 4.5 total sacks. He did it against Tampa Bay’s backup right tackle, who was no match for the Lions’ rising star. Luckily for Hutchinson, there are more backup tackles on the schedule this week.

Bold prediction of the week: Aidan Hutchinson to score 3+ sacks against the Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals will have to plan ahead after watching Hutchinson wreak havoc against the Bucs last week. The Cardinals themselves are operating with a backup right tackle, and their situation could be even worse. Their starter, Jonah Williams, landed on the injured list earlier in the season, and the Cardinals have since settled on Kelvin Beachum at right guard.

The result was not so great:

But it gets worse. Earlier this week, Beachum suffered a hamstring injury that put him on the injury report. That’s bad news for the Cardinals, who have only one other healthy tackle on their roster, and he was just promoted from the practice squad.

All of this suggests that the Lions’ defensive line can apply solid pressure against Kyler Murray. For Hutchinson, this bodes well for sacks. We’ve often seen Hutchinson enter opposing pockets relatively late and not be able to finish with a sack. He thrives when he can apply pressure early, like last week when he was able to outrun the Bucs’ right tackle from the start. Kyler Murray, on the other hand, is great at extending plays after he completes his reads. A key to turning pressure into sacks will be getting to Murray before he completes his reads, and this sets the Lions up to do just that.

The Lions’ defensive line is also getting stronger. Marcus Davenport has been practicing fully all week and will add a stronger pass rush element opposite Hutchinson. DJ Reader will also likely see more snaps as he shakes off his rust and plays his second game of the season. The Lions will be at full strength against a handicapped Cardinals line, and that will be key to stopping the Cardinals’ offense.

Ultimately, three sacks in a week is something to write home about. To do that after previously recording 4.5 sacks against one of the league’s most elusive quarterbacks would be improbable. As it stands, the stars are aligned for the improbable to become a reality.