![\"Lions](\"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2242697101-e1763148721202-1.jpg\")
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In the\u00a0NFL, as in all of sports, giving your opponent any extra motivation ahead of any given game is usually frowned upon.<\/p>\n
In some cases, though, it\u2019s totally fine. Especially when you can back it up.<\/p>\n
Detroit Lions\u00a0edge rusher\u00a0Aidan Hutchinson, the second highest paid defensive player in NFL history, can very much back it up. And he very much has the\u00a0Philadelphia Eagles\u00a0on his mind ahead of a Week 11 showdown in Philadelphia between the defending Super Bowl champions and one of the favorites to knock them off their pedestal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really have had this circled on the calendar for a long time,\u201d Hutchinson told\u00a0NBC Sports Philadelphia\u2019s John Clark\u00a0on Friday, November 14. \u201cWe really see this as a must win.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Lions are 6-3 and tied for first place in the NFC North Division with the\u00a0Chicago Bears. The Eagles are 7-2 and in first place in the NFC East Division.<\/p>\n
The Lions had the greatest regular season in franchise history in 2024 by going 15-2 and earning the NFC\u2019s No. 1 overall seed. The main thing that held them back from advancing in the playoffs was the absence of Hutchinson, who suffered a gruesome fractured leg which cost him the final 12 games of the regular season and the playoffs, where the Lions were upset at home by the\u00a0Washington Commanders\u00a0in the NFC Divisional Round.<\/p>\n
This year, it\u2019s Super Bowl or bust for the Lions and Hutchinson, who signed a 4-year, $180 million contract extension on October 29.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a reason the Lions paid big for Hutchinson \u2014 he\u2019s been mostly unblockable since Detroit selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the\u00a02022 NFL draft.<\/p>\n
Hutchinson, 6-foot-7 and 268 pounds, had 11.5 sacks in 2023 and was named to his first Pro Bowl. He followed that with 7.5 sacks through 5 games before his injury in 2024 and has 7.0 sacks through the first 9 games in 2025.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s also the second-highest paid defensive player in NFL history behind just\u00a0Green Bay Packers\u00a0edge rusher\u00a0Micah Parsons, who signed a 4-year, $186 million contract extension just over a month before Hutchinson got his deal.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t just be a typical fan and follow the ball with your eyes when the Lions and Eagles square off. Please give some attention to the absolute master class in trench warfare that\u2019s about to occur between Hutchinson and 6-foot-8, 365-pound Eagles left offensive tackle\u00a0Jordan Mailata.<\/p>\n
According to Pro Football Focus, Mailata\u2019s 95.3 overall grade since the beginning of the 2024 season is 1st among NFL offensive tackles and Hutchinson\u2019s 94.3 overall grade since the beginning of 2024 is 1st among NFL edge rushers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t speak about this (Lions) defense without talking about\u00a0Aidan\u00a0Hutchinson,\u201d\u00a0Bleeding Green\u2019s Jonny Page wrote on his official X account on November 14.\u00a0\u201cWho, as we all know, is a superstar. He\u2019s an exceptional pass rusher who barely ever comes off the field, but rarely seems to tire. He can play both sides and can also rush the A-gap in obvious passing situations. Simply put, he\u2019s very very good!\u201d<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs\u00a0didn\u2019t start the\u00a0season the way that they wanted to\u00a0on Friday, September 5, in Brazil. Instead of kicking off their year with a win against the\u00a0Los Angeles Chargers, the Chiefs fell in an upset loss,\u00a021-27. The Chiefs were certainly favorites to win, so the loss strung a lot, but Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers were able to pull off the victory.<\/p>\n
But, the whole star-studded Chiefs crew was, of course, at the game and playing their heart out. It was a rough night for veteran tight end\u00a0Travis Kelce\u00a0and quarterback\u00a0Patrick Mahomes, but there\u2019s always the next game. The Chiefs will continue their season on Sunday, September 14, with a rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles, so they better be ready for that challenge. The Eagles won their season opener against the\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0on Thursday, September 4.<\/p>\n
Now, following the game, Kelce and his fianc\u00e9e Taylor Swift have another big event on the horizon. But, reports indicate that they will be skipping this event. It\u2019s one of the biggest events in Swift\u2019s business of the year.<\/p>\n
Swift and Kelce have attended many big events together, from Chiefs games to Swift\u2019s concerts. But, they\u2019ll apparently be skipping the\u00a0MTV VMAs\u00a0on Sunday, September 7, which is an event that Swift has frequented over the years. Many of the biggest names in music will be at the event, and even though MTV doesn\u2019t really play videos anymore, this ceremony is still one of the most significant in the music industry all year.<\/p>\n
So, why are they skipping it?\u00a0According to multiple reports, both Kelce and Swift have opted to stay away for a few reasions. For one, Kelce, of course, has been in Brazil for the Chiefs\u2019 kickoff game, so making it back in time and being ready to go to the VMAs would be a stretch. Also,\u00a0as Elle notes, for Swift, she\u2019s only been nominated for one award this year, because it\u2019s her off year. She\u2019ll probably be up for several awards next year, when her new album drops.<\/p>\n
In 2024, Swift won an armful of VMA awards. Her single\u00a0\u201cFortnight,\u201d\u00a0which features Post Malone, won Video of the Year, Song of the Summer, Best Collaboration, Best Editing and Best Direction. Swift also won awards for Artist of the Year and Best Pop Artist.<\/p>\n
As\u00a0Cosmopolitan\u00a0points out, via\u00a0Yahoo Entertainment, if Taylor Swift wins Artist of the Year, she\u2019ll make big history as the most decorated artist of all time at the VMAs with 31 awards. Swift and Beyonc\u00e9 are currently tied with 30 awards a piece.<\/p>\n
Taylor Swift dropped the news about her new album on Kelce and his brother Jason\u2019s podcast, the\u00a0\u201cNew Heights\u201d podcast\u00a0on Wednesday, August 13. Swift talked about\u00a0her new album\u00a0being on the way, which will mark her 12th and be titled\u00a0\u201cLife of a Showgirl.\u201d The appearance came just a few weeks before Kelce popped the question to Swift.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the\u00a0NFL, as in all of sports, giving your opponent any extra motivation ahead of any given game is usually frowned upon. In some cases, though, it\u2019s totally fine. Especially when you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11235,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t