The unbeaten Seattle Seahawks face their biggest test of the young season Monday night in Detroit, where they square off in primetime against a talented Lions team that’s one of the NFC’s favorites to reach the Super Bowl.
One of the biggest keys for Seattle will be keeping Detroit star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson in check.
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Hutchinson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 draft, has built on a stellar first two pro seasons with a sensational start to 2024. The Detroit-area native and former Michigan Wolverines standout exploded for 6.5 sacks, six tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits through the Lions’ first three games – all of which led the NFL through Week 3. He also has a Pro Football Focus pass-rush win rate of 37.9%, which is 9.5 percentage points higher than any other defender in the league.
How can the Seahawks keep the 6-foot-7, 268-pound Hutchinson from taking over the game? Former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus provided some analysis this past week during a pair of “Four Down Territory” segments on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.
For one, Bumpus said the Seahawks’ tight ends and running backs need to do their part to assist the offensive line.
“How do you help the offensive line?” Bumpus said. “You put tight ends on the line of scrimmage and also you help with the running backs. … I think our tackles are capable, especially (left tackle) Charles Cross. But help a brother out. Put a tight end on (him and) chip with the running back.”
Bumpus also said it’s imperative that Seattle mixes things up and gives Hutchinson a variety of looks.
“You’ve gotta keep this dude guessing, because if he can just line up and say, ‘I’m going one-on-one with this tackle,’ it’s gonna be an extremely long day,” Bumpus said. “Keep this man guessing.”
Bumpus mentioned using Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith in read-option plays that at least present the threat of him keeping the ball and running with it. He also mentioned using split-zone runs, which would feature a tight end pulling across the formation to seal Hutchinson on the back side. And he said Seattle can’t shy away from running at Hutchinson.
“You’ve gotta make Geno a fake runner,” Bumpus said. “You’ve gotta leave Hutchinson unblocked when you run your zone and have Geno fake the pull – even pull it one time to have (Hutchinson) second-guessing himself.
“You’ve gotta hold him on the back side with Geno, run at him with your tight ends, get a fullback in there and chip him. You’ve gotta make it a physical game for this dude. Run your split zone with your tight end. … And then you have to run at this dude. Be physical. Do not be afraid of him. If you are afraid, he smells fear.”
