The Detroit Lions defense has produced a lot of lowlights in the first two games of the 2026 NFL season, the latest a 41-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night. One player has been the exception, and the Aidan Hutchinson sack streak is now the longest in franchise history.
The rare bright spot on that defense is defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. He got to Josh Allen in the first quarter for what turned out to be his only sack of the night, and he already has three on the season. That is a great start for Hutchinson, and it would be a better one if there were more edge rushers like him on the roster.
The Aidan Hutchinson Sack Streak Is Now a Lions Record
Hutchinson has always been the kind of player who can record a sack or more in any given week. He is starting to become automatic when it comes to sacking the quarterback.
Tim Twentyman of detroitlions.com reported the number that matters after the loss in Buffalo. Dating back to last season, Hutchinson has recorded a sack in six consecutive games, a new Lions franchise record.
“The top graded player from PFF among Lions defenders Thursday was fifth-year edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (89.4). After recording two sacks against the Saints to begin the season, it took just three plays Thursday night for Hutchinson to record sack No. 3 as he beat right tackle Spencer Brown to get to quarterback Josh Allen. He also forced a fumble on the play that was recovered by Buffalo.
Hutchinson now has 15 total pressures in two games to start the year and has established a new franchise record by producing at least one sack in six-straight games dating back to last season. Hutchinson is off to a terrific start.”
Ten Days of Rest, Then the Jets
The short week buys the Lions some rest. They do not play again until Sunday, Sept. 27, when they host the New York Jets. If Hutchinson were to get another sack or more in that game, it would not be too early to start talking about the sack record.
Myles Garrett’s 23 Sacks Are the Next Bar
A season ago with the Cleveland Browns, Myles Garrett broke the NFL single-season sack record. Garrett finished the season with 23.0 sacks, clearing the 22.5 that Michael Strahan set in 2001 and T.J. Watt matched in 2021. If Hutchinson was able to break that record this season, it would be one crazy accomplishment.
Detroit’s defense is not very good this season, and Hutchinson is not the reason why. He finished last season with 14.5 sacks, fourth in the NFL and tied for the second most in a single season in team history, so getting home is nothing new to him here.
