The Lions drafted Aidan Hutchinson second overall this year with the hope that he’d be an impactful player on the edge of their defense and they got an illustration of how impactful he can be on Sunday.
Hutchinson sacked Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz three times in the first half of a 36-27 Lions victory. He’s the first Lions rookie and the fourth youngest player in league to record that feat.
The rush of sacks came a week after Hutchinson was held to one tackle against the Eagles and the rookie said that lessons from the opener helped him break through against Washington.
“You learn from stuff and you move on,” Hutchinson said, via the team’s website. “I don’t think that I played bad in the first game. But definitely, I had a lot more opportunity I felt in this game and I made the most of it. I think I played good in both games but definitely, I made the most of my opportunities in this game.”
It’s tough to expect three sacks on a weekly basis, but the Lions will be looking for Hutchinson to continue making plays and Sunday’s outing was a good sign that he’s growing more comfortable with life in the NFL.