Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson gets real on nail-biting comeback win over Giants
Aidan Hutchinson got real on the Detroit Lions needing to fight through a close matchup against the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon.
Going into the matchup, Detroit had a 6-4 record on the season. They've continued to stand out as one of the most entertaining teams in the NFL, even though they sustained more losses this year after their 15-2 campaign in 2024.
Hosting the Giants could have been a simple win for the Lions to get. However, Jameis Winston and Wan'Dale Robinson had other ideas as they applied plenty of pressure on the Lions to respond with big plays throughout the course of the game. It even went all the way to overtime, which had Detroit need a clutch touchdown rush from Jahmyr Gibbs to take the final lead of the game.
Hutchinson reflected on the win after the game, per 97.1 The Ticket. He praised the team for coming together and pulling off the rally to stop the Giants' advances.
“When it was 27-17 with 10 minutes left, I think everyone was like: uh-oh. We ended up finding a way to pull it out…I don’t think we’ve really done that this year, been down in the 4th and made the comeback, so to get that done is huge,” Hutchinson said.
How Aidan Hutchinson, Lions played against Giants
It was a solid 34-27 home win for Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions to earn, stopping a potential upset from the Giants in overtime.
New York made plenty of noise throughout the game, taking a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. They continued to control the momentum as they led 27-17 in the fourth quarter, but Detroit finally woke up to score the last 17 points of the day.
Jared Goff delivered a solid performance to help Detroit complete the rally. He completed 28 passes out of 42 attempts for 279 yards and two touchdowns and one interception.
Jahmyr Gibbs torched the Giants' run defense all game. He had 15 of the team's 20 carries for 219 yards and two touchdowns while recording 11 catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Amon-Ra St. Brown caught nine passes for 149 yards and a touchdown.
Detroit improved to a 7-4 record on the season, holding the third spot of the NFC North Division standings. They are above the Minnesota Vikings while trailing the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. In terms of the NFC standings, they sit at eighth place. They are above the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys while trailing the San Francisco 49ers and Packers.
The Lions will look forward to their next matchup, remaining at home. They host the Packers on Nov. 27 at 1 p.m. ET.
Seahawks Star Rips Defense After Letting 1-10 Titans Hang Around
The Seahawks beat the Titans 30-24 and improved to 8-3, but Devon Witherspoon had to keep it real. Seattle’s star cornerback flat-out said the unit didn’t meet its own standard in Nashville, pointing to busted containment on Cam Ward and late-game breakdowns that let a 1-10 Titans team hang around far too long.
“I think we played all right,” Witherspoon said in a postgame press conference. “I mean, I don’t think we played to our standard. We gave up too many points, to be honest… we was letting the quarterback get outside, we wasn’t plastering, staying on our man, and they was able to create plays when they needed them.”
‘We Didn’t Play to Our Standard’: Witherspoon’s Honest Review
Even in a win, Witherspoon sounded more like a coach than a two-time Pro Bowler.
He kept coming back to the same theme: the defense didn’t do enough to close the door. Ward extended plays outside the pocket, receivers worked free late in downs, and the Titans kept hanging around despite Seattle jumping out to a big lead.
“In the end, it boiled down to all being a close game,” Witherspoon said. “So it’s like we got to be better on defense for sure.”
Head coach Mike Macdonald didn’t exactly disagree. He credited the team’s resilience but admitted they’d like to “close the game out earlier”, and he was openly frustrated about giving up a 90-yard punt return touchdown with no edge contain.
Praise for Nick Emmanwori and Macdonald’s ‘Crazy’ Defense
Witherspoon’s criticism didn’t stop him from hyping up a few teammates.
Asked about rookie safety Nick Emmanwori, he lit up. He said Emmanwori is doing “everything we wanted him to do,” calling it “hard to describe” how good he’s been and admitting his expectations for the 6-foot-3 safety are sky-high. In classic Spoon fashion, he joked that Nick is “big as [expletive]” for a rookie and that there’s basically nothing he can’t do.
On one of the game’s biggest hustle plays, Ward reversed field and looked like he might break free for a huge gain — until Emmanwori chased him down from the back side. Witherspoon called it a “great effort play” and said it was exactly what they’re taught: always race to the football, always have your teammate’s back.
He also tipped his cap to Macdonald, saying it’s “a testament to how Coach Macdonald’s able to cook up some crazy stuff and put us in the best position to win.” That’s coming from a player who’s been asked to wear multiple hats himself, bouncing between slot, outside corner and sometimes even safety looks in this scheme.
‘Mission Over Anything’: Why Seahawks Say They’ll Be Better
Despite the blunt critique, Witherspoon kept circling back to one big-picture idea: the “mission.”
“We always just put the mission over anything else,” he said. “No matter what happens or what the outcome may be… just stay the course of the mission. Don’t let it default to anything else.”
He admitted the Seahawks “could have played a lot better on both sides of the ball,” but emphasized how much better it feels to correct those issues after a win instead of a loss. That lines up with Macdonald’s own “defend a blade of grass” mantra and his constant messaging about resilience when things get weird late in games.
For now, the tape will show both truths: a defense that made enough plays — including a fourth-down stuff by Brandon Pili and a few key rushes late — and one that still left plenty of meat on the bone.
If Witherspoon has his way, the next time the Seahawks let a struggling opponent back into a game, it’ll only be on film from this week, not something that becomes their new identity.
