Joining Forces with Aidan Hutchinson, Lions Unleash 6’4″ Game Wrecker with 17 Sacks

The Detroit Lions have one of the best teams in the league, so they won’t have to fill many holes in the summer of 2025. However, they could use an addition along the edge.

Next season, Aidan Hutchinson and Za’Darius Smith are set to start for the Lions. However, Smith is 32 years old and will be a free agent in 2026.

At such a crucial time, Detroit should begin to think about the future now that they know that. That’s why Jake Rill of Bleacher Report thinks the Lions will pick Marshall EDGE Mike Green in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Green said he was going to join the draft in the middle of December. He moved to Marshall in 2023 and had 4.5 sacks in his first year with the Thundering Herd.

But Green’s game went to a whole new level when he became a full-time starter in 2024. He had 17 sacks, which is the most in the country and is sure to have scouts all over the country interested.

Matt Holder of Bleacher Report wrote in his scouting report, “So, if Green can add the necessary size and strength in an NFL weight program, he can become an every-down player as a standup outside linebacker in odd fronts.”

“By his first few years, he’ll probably be more of a third-down pass-rusher,” the coach said.

It looks like most experts agree that Green will need time to grow at the next level, especially as a run blocker. Which is why the Lions are a great place for Green to land. He could play as a backup and learn from Hutchinson and Smith, which would take a lot of pressure off of him.

Also, most people agree that Green is a star for the second round. However, it wouldn’t seem too crazy to draft him late in the first round. They could also trade back to get another pick and still get their guy if they really want him and think he’ll be available in Round 2.

The Lions need to get more help along the edges in 2025, no matter what they do. That’s why Green could be a good choice for Detroit at the end of the first round.

Lions are in wait-and-see mode after X-rays were negative for rookie cornerback.

DETROIT — Terrion Arnold, a rookie cornerback for the Detroit Lions, suffered a foot injury and did not return during the team’s major Week 18 triumph against Minnesota Vikings.

Arnold’s X-ray findings were negative, according to Dan Campbell. However, the Lions’ head coach stated that his foot was sore and that no further information would be available until Monday.

The cornerback was injured in the third quarter while making a tackle on Vikings running back Aaron Jones. Arnold looked to get some unfortunate friendly fire on the play, with Brian Branch treading on his outstretched foot.

Kindle Vildor ended the game opposite Amik Robertson as an outside cornerback. Vildor nearly forced a turnover, swatting the ball out of Justin Jefferson’s grasp in relief down the stretch.

In other injury news, Pat O’Connor, a veteran defensive lineman, left in the second half and did not return. The Lions stated that O’Connor’s injury was to his calf. Kevin Zeitler, an offensive guard, suffered a hamstring injury and watched the rest of the game from the sidelines.

The good news is that the Lions secured a first-round bye with their victory. They will not have to fly to Los Angeles for the wild-card round, instead waiting for the results from around the NFC to determine who will come to Detroit for divisional-round play.

Dan Campbell sends Kevin O’Connell a chill massage following the Lions’ victory over the Vikings.

On Sunday night, Dan Campbell provided some positive reinforcement to Kevin O’Connell.

The matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night was essentially a playoff game. The Lions won 31-9 to secure the No. 1 spot in the NFC playoffs, while the Vikings are the No. 5 seed and will travel to face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round next Monday night (Jan. 13).

The Lions will host the lowest remaining seed in the Divisional Round, following the NFC wild card games. That only eliminates the No. 2 seed Philadelphia Eagles and the No. 3 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers as potential Divisional Round opponents for now.

On Sunday night, the Vikings looked like a squad that would be “one and done” in the playoffs. Aaron Glenn, the Lions’ defensive coordinator, demonstrated how to transform Sam Darnold into his former self on video. Chris Shula, the Rams’ defensive coordinator, will likely replicate this approach next week.

Dan Campbell delivers Kevin O’Connell an optimistic, foreboding message.

Postgame handshakes between head coaches typically include cliché’ niceties (“good luck,” for example), which is just OK. They rarely deviate from this broad structure, however we do witness more hostile postgame handshakes with little or no words spoken between the coaches.

During their postgame handshake on Sunday night, Lions head coach Dan Campbell had a unique message for Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell.

“Great job; I’ll see you in two weeks,” Campbell said O’Connell as he shook his hand.

O’Connell didn’t seem surprised by Campbell’s statements, and he appeared to find amusement in the bold assertion.

Campbell expressed optimism that the Vikings will win the Rams in Los Angeles, despite what he saw firsthand at Ford Field on Sunday night. It also means he believes the Eagles and Buccaneers will win their Wild Card Round games as favorites, leaving the Vikings as the lowest seed remaining in the Divisional Round.

Maybe Campbell is hoping to meet the Vikings again in the playoffs, even if the “beating a team three times in a season is hard” statement still holds true. But let’s not get too deep, and instead interpret Campbell’s “I’ll see you in two weeks” as a dose of positive feeling for the coach he just beat.

By buying $2 million worth of tickets at Ford Field, the Vikings undermine the Lions’ home field advantage.

There is only one game left in the season for the 14-win Minnesota Vikings, and it’s a crucial one. They are traveling to Detroit to play the Lions, as you have already heard. Since the winner will be proclaimed NFC North champions, the stakes are quite high. The No. 1 NFC seed in the playoffs will also go to the victor.

Not being able to play at home is undoubtedly a significant disadvantage, particularly in a game of this significance. However, the owners of the Minnesota Vikings are making every effort to ensure that Vikings supporters attend the game in Detroit.

Nearly 2000 tickets are purchased by Minnesota Vikings owners in Detroit.

The Minnesota Vikings’ owners, the Wilf family, just accomplished something extremely amazing and somewhat unexpected. They personally intervened and spent $2 million to purchase 1,900 seats, which they are now reselling to Vikings supporters for a much reduced cost.

The Vikings took the extraordinary step of purchasing 1,900 tickets for the away game on the secondary market in the days before Sunday night’s matchup against the Detroit Lions, at a cost of over $1,000 each, for a total of almost $2 million. After that, the team sent season ticket holders an email giving them the chance to purchase the tickets at a significantly reduced price, often as low as $200 each.

Breer claims that the Vikings are selling season ticket holders the seats for as little as $200 apiece. Additionally, he mentioned that the NFL decided that the Vikings were not in violation of any regulations after the Detroit Lions voiced their worries and contacted the league about it.

“After the team’s ticket office saw the odd activity and learned about the email, the rival Lions reported it. “As a valued season ticket member, we would like to extend an invitation to you to purchase lower-level seats for the game on Sunday night,” the email stated. The club stated in the email that the tickets were “intended to be used by Vikings fans and not positioned for resale,” and that they were offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

According to reports, when the Lions brought this up to the league office, they were informed that the Vikings had not broken any laws in doing so.

Owners that care about their supporters and go above and beyond to provide the club an edge are an example of top-notch ownership. Additionally, Breer noted that the Vikings’ sideline is just behind these tickets, which might facilitate sideline communication.

The Wilfs are making every effort to get the Minnesota Vikings another home playoff game, and this game may be the most important regular-season match in the team’s history. Time will tell if their efforts are successful.

If the Vikings win, U.S. Bank Stadium will be the first stop on the NFC’s path to the Super Bowl. The Vikings would guarantee more football at the Bank as the top seed, giving them home-field advantage, something the Wilfs would surely appreciate.