3 Detroit Lions to blame for heartbreaking OT loss to Seahawks

Being a Detroit Lions fans is not for the faint of heart. Case in point, this team had every fan on a high after they upended Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs last week. So, naturally, they came out in Week 2, blew an early lead to the Seattle Seahawks, fought back to force overtime, and promptly couldn't stop Geno Smith to lead to a 37-31 loss.

In the grand scheme of things, this isn't too detrimental to the Lions. The Packers lost, so they are still tied for the best record in the NFC North after two weeks. They've also played two playoff teams from last year, beating the reigning Super Bowl champs and then forcing OT against Seattle.

That logic, however, doesn't erase the heartbreak of Sunday's loss. And when that happens, you have to start pointing some fingers. These three Lions in particular deserve the, well, lion's share of the blame for the Week 2 loss to the Seattle.

Detroit Lions to blame for OT loss, No. 3: Aidan Hutchinson

It seemed like everything was shaping up for this to be a massive game for the Lions defense. The Seahawks were without Charles Cross and McClendon Curtis at tackle for this game, which set up big for Aidan Hutchinson and the Detroit pass rush to make life difficult for Geno Smith. In fact, the Rams gave the blueprint for that in the second half of Seattle's Week 1 loss.

Instead, Hutchinson and the Lions pass rush were largely ineffective and held at bay. There was no presence of any meaningful substance in the Seahawks backfield and it was costly. All told, Detroit managed just one sack, one tackle for loss and one QB hit in the game.

Hutchinson is the obvious target to blame. Last year's first-round pick should've taken better advantage of a great matchup and put pressure on Smith, who largely picked the Detroit secondary apart. But in totality, it's Hutchinson and the entirety of the defensive front that deserves the blame for this.

It should be noted that Hutchinson could've made a huge play in overtime but the refs missed an obvious hold. That might've changed the narrative in itself. But through four quarters of play and overtime, the Lions front seven didn't do much to inspire confidence as they were unable to create pressure despite being matched up with backups on the edge.