Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson runs out of the tunnel during the Lions season opener against the Los Angeles Rams at Ford Field in Detroit, on Sunday, Sept. 8. 2024. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
On a day when Dan Campbell made an impassioned speech on local radio extolling the resiliency of his team after Sunday’s painful 48-42 loss to MVP front-runner Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions fans who were down in the dumps got another reason to believe their Super Bowl dreams can still come true despite an injury-ravaged roster.
Pro Bowl defensive end Aidan Hutchinson vows to play in Super Bowl LIX if the Lions reach the big game in New Orleans on Feb. 9.
Hutchinson, the 2022 No. 2 overall pick, has been out since Week 6 when he suffered a broken tibia and fibula in a 47-9 victory against the Dallas Cowboys.
Since then, the Detroit defense has continued to be wracked by injuries, including three more key losses last Sunday with cornerback Khalil Dorsey’s season-ending fractured leg, defensive lineman Alim McNeill’s season-ending torn ACL and cornerback Carlton Davis’ fractured jaw.
Hutchinson strongly believes he’ll rejoin the Lions for their final championship push if they can reach the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl.
“I’m on track for my goal of returning for the Super Bowl, and so I keep telling all the boys when I seem them in the facility, ‘You guys just got to get there, and I promise you I’m gonna be back,'” Hutchinson said Tuesday on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”
Hutchinson said his mom asked him about the chance of not being able to come back so early from his leg fractures. He refuses to consider that a possibility.
“There’s no other way,” he told her.
If Dan Campbell didn't get Lions fans fired up enough today, here's a clip from Taylor Lautner's interview with Aidan Hutchinson– which he says he will be back for the Super Bowl– that we showed on @gmfb today. pic.twitter.com/q31uLxmUef
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) December 17, 2024
The Lions’ health issues have now affected the offense. Running back David Montgomery, who leads the team with 12 rushing touchdowns, will miss Detroit’s Super Bowl run after suffering a season-ending knee injury against Buffalo.
“We’re going to miss him,” Campbell told reporters.
