The Detroit Lions hardly broke a sweat against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, running away with the easy win, 34-10, at Ford Field.
The Lions notched their third victory in a row after dropping their opening assignment against the Green Bay Packers. Detroit held a commanding lead, 20-7, at halftime after scoring 13 in the second quarter and never looked back.
While they cruised to the convincing win, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson admitted that he experienced a minor concern during the game.
“Aidan Hutchinson said he got the wind knocked out of him at one point during the game. (He) lingered on the ground for a little bit but said he didn't want people to have flashbacks to last year, so he got up quickly after that,” reported The Athletic's Colton Pouncy on X.
The 25-year-old Hutchinson was limited to four games last season after fracturing his tibia and fibula. Before the injury, he had recorded a league-leading 7.5 sacks and 19 total tackles.
But it looks like Hutchinson has fully recovered. He recorded a sack for a third straight game and forced a fumble for the second time in less than a week. He now has four sacks in six total tackles, as he looks to help the Lions top the NFC in back-to-back years.
“I feel like I’m in a good spot, just going to continue to stack games,” said Hutchinson in a report from the Associated Press.
Early this month, Lions coach Dan Campbell didn't hide his excitement to see the one-time Pro Bowler back on the gridiron.
“He’s put in a lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of hard work to get back to where he’s at right now. When you have the game taken away from you—for whatever reasons—it just gives you a little extra motivation to come back,” said Campbell in a report from Pro Football Talk's Myles Simmons.
Detroit will gun for a fourth consecutive win against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.