By the numbers: Aidan Hutchinson is jaw-dropping loss for Lions, big edge for Vikings

The Lions have nobody on the roster capable of coming close to producing like Hutchinson.

Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson before a play against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. / David Rodriguez Munoz / USA TODAY NETWORK

Detroit losing Aidan Hutchinson is like if the Rams lost Aaron Donald in his heyday or the Ravens lost Ray Lewis when he was the NFL's best middle linebacker. His presence on the field can be replaced with a body, but his production can't.

Hutchinson was a man on a mission this season. He pressured Matthew Stafford 11 times and sacked him once in Week 1. He was in Baker Mayfield's face six times and sacked him five times in Week 2. Kyler Murray was pressured eight times and sacked once by Hutchinson in Week 3. Hutchinson pressured Geno Smith a remarkable 15 times in Week 4. He pressured Dak Prescott five times before he suffered a broken leg on his sack early in the third quarter Sunday in Dallas.

Through five games, Hutchinson leads the NFL with 45 pressures and eight sacks.

In Detroit's sweep of Minnesota last season he had six pressures including three QB hits in Week 16 and he followed up in Week 18 with eight pressures and two sacks. He was a menace who changed the game.

Losing Hutchinson, whose game is based on speed, explosiveness, technique and relentlessness, will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replace. Minnesota knows what it's like having to try and stay afloat without key players. Last season, Justin Jefferson strained his hamstring in a Week 5 game against the Chiefs and he missed the next eight games. Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in Week 8 and missed the rest of the season.

The Vikings offense was able to compete at a survivable level because the coaching staff was able to scheme plays to maximize replacement players' abilities. The Lions aren't in such a position. A scheme cannot give a replacement edge rusher the speed, explosion and relentlessness of Hutchinson.

Detroit as a team has generated 118 quarterback pressures and Hutchinson owned 38.1% of them. No healthy Lions edge rusher has a pass-rush win rate higher than Isaac Ukwu's 11.7%, and he has just one game under his belt this season while spending the majority of his time on the practice squad.

Hutchinson's 38.3% pass-rush win rate is gone. The second-best win rate off the edge by a Lions defender was Marcus Davenport at 14.3%, but he's also out for the season with an elbow injury.

All of a sudden the Lions don't have a threatening presence rushing off the edge. That's a serious issue against a Vikings team that has two of the better starting tackles in the league with Christian Darrisaw on the left side and Brian O'Neill on the right side. That means Minnesota can focus its attention on blocking Detroit's powerful interior trio of Alim McNeill (16 pressures), Levi Onwuzurike (17 pressure) and DJ Reader (six pressures).

If the Vikings can limit an interior pass rush and the Lions can't replace Hutchinson on the outside, then quarterback Sam Darnold could have all day to throw the ball to some of the most dynamic receiving threats in the NFL.

Hutchinson's injury is a monumental loss for Detroit and a significant advantage for the Vikings.