Aidan Hutchinson eyes No.1 seed for the Lions after a surprising 6-2 start to the season

Lions could face tough competition from Minnesota Vikings who now stand with a record of 5-4.

Aidan Hutchinson eyes No.1 seed for the Lions after a surprising 6-2 start to the season

Aidan Hutchinson (Via Yahoo Sports)

The Detroit Lions have improved fairly from being gritty underdogs to one of the most loved ones across the league, in the past three seasons. This season, they stand with the second-best record in the NFC at 6-2, after the Philadelphia Eagles at 8-1.

As the team has now entered their bye week, they ought to strike with a realistic shot of claiming the No. 1 seed within their division. With that being said, Lions’ defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has spoken explicitly on this subject, during many of his interviews on behalf of the USAA folks. It is meant to motivate people to make more efforts to appreciate and honor the current as well as former military members for their services, rather than simply thanking them on Veteran’s Day.

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The second-year edge rusher acknowledges the fact that holding home-field advantage can be a note-worthy maker during the playoff run. That’s why, Aidan Hutchinson aims to hold the top spot, surpassing the reigning champions Eagles.

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During a conversation with Pro Football Talk, the Lions’ defensive end said: 

Of course, that's the goal man. We're not naïve, we do take it one game at a time, but we're in this thing thinking about the big picture.

Hutchinson further added:

That's how you go through, week to week, you have that big picture in mind. One of those small steps to get to that big picture is winning the NFC. That's our goal, man, and we're gonna do whatever it takes to get it.

The Lions have come off strongly this season with just two defeats in hand. Their major blowout loss was against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7. That surely taught him a valuable lesson which they need for motivation as they prepare for the playoff race.

How the Vikings are the major challenge for the Lions?

As the Lions set goals to win the NFC North, they would face tough competition from the Minnesota Vikings who now stand with a record of 5-4 after winning four consecutive games. Quarterback Josh Dobbs is coming to be strong support for the Vikings after leading a surprising 31-28 win against the Atlanta Falcons.

Lions vs Vikings
Lions vs Vikings (Via Pride of Detroit)

Vikings’ head coach Kevin O’Connell has high hopes in Dobbs and believes “he can change the game athletically with his legs.” Within the division, the Lions are at a 1.5-game lead over their rivals Vikings.

The Lions would face the Vikings twice in the final three weeks of this season. With a one-game lead, Detroit are at No. 2 over seed, with the Eagles ahead by 1.5 games within the NFC division. If they ought to win the division, the Lions can hardly afford a loss moving forward in the regular season.

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