After the Detroit Lions' 31-24 win over the New York Jets on Sunday, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson shared how pleased he was with Detroit's defensive resolve.
"The game was just getting weird. It was the DPIs... It's like, things were going against us. It was a little frustrating for sure. DJ Reed was covering his ass off on those plays. I was sitting there watching the replay. I went, 'I don't know how you can play that better as a corner.' I think he caught the second one, which was just like, Garrett's a great player, so he's going to do that, but I'm happy to how we responded for sure," Hutchinson said.
The Lions' defense forced punts on each of the Jets' first three possessions of the day. Detroit also limited New York to a field goal on a promising
Jets third-quarter drive thanks to back-to-back sacks. And then the Lions sealed the win with a strip-sack from Chuck Clark of Geno Smith. Lions linebacker Jack Campbell scooped the fumble to secure the Lions' win.
Asked if the Lions' Sunday performance calmed some of the nerves from those that were worried about Detroit's defense, Hutchinson made it clear that he's not focused on any of that.
"I don't care what people think about us. We're 2-1. We got the win," Hutchinson said, referring to the national media attention surrounding the Lions' defense. "We're gonna keep finding ways to get better, and that's all. It's the name of the game right now. It's a race for evolution and improvement."
"I don't care what people think about us. We're 2-1, we got the win, but we're going to keep finding ways to get better."
— Alex Crescenti (@alex_crescenti) September 28, 2026
Aidan Hutchinson certainly isn't apologizing for the @Lions 31-24 win against the Jets on Sunday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/yd4VMpog8c
Lions head coach Dan Campbell tipped his cap to Kelvin Sheppard's unit after the win.
"That's just what the doctor ordered," Dan Campbell said afterwards. "It took all three phases to win that game. And, as you go along this season, especially early, to figure yourself out, who you are, what you're going to become, how do you win? How do you win together? What it takes, the ebbs and flows of a game. And I was proud of our guys. I really was.
"And then for our defense to have to, man, they had to make that stop. You know, that's what it was going to come down to, and it was such a great call by Kelvin Sheppard and those guys executed."
The Lions' defense will now look to build off that momentum as they enter Week 4 when they visit the Carolina Panthers (1-2) on Oct. 4, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Kickoff between the Lions and Panthers is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions', Hutchinson 'don't care' what naysayers think about defense
