Hutchinson honored as NFC Defensive Player of the Week

The Lions are getting big contributions from a rookie class this season that is shaping up to be a foundational part of their future.

Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson became the second Lions rookie to win NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors Wednesday after his three-tackle, two-takeaway performance against the New York Giants.

Hutchinson intercepted a Daniel Jones pass in the second quarter that set up the Lions’ first touchdown and recovered a Giants fumble in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory.

The rookie first-round pick leads the Lions with 51⁄2 sacks and has two interceptions.

“The kid, it’s one of the reasons why he liked him. I mean, he’s competitive now. He wants to be – he wants to play within the system, do his job, but he also, he wants to be a differencemaker,” Campbell said last week. “Like he views himself as somebody like, ‘I can change the game.’ Like, ‘I can do that.’ And so I think when you get in those critical moments, those high-pressure situations, he’s somebody that thrives in that, like he enjoys that. He doesn’t go the other way and get real tight and tense. He wants to go make a play.”

Lions rookie Kerby Joseph won NFC Defensive Player of the Week after his two-interception game against Aaron Rodgers in a Week 9 win over the Green Bay Packers. Joseph had his third interception of the season against the Giants and also has forced two fumbles in seven starts.

Hutchinson is the third Lions player to win a player of the week award this season. Secondyear receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after a Week 2 win over the Washington Commanders, when he caught nine passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns.