Quick takeaways from Detroit’s Week 2 win

The Detroit Lions made the home fans happy with the 36-27 victory over the Washington Commanders in Week 2. An absolutely dominant first half turned into an uneasy battle in the second half, but the Lions made enough plays on both sides of the ball to secure the victory.

Given all the injuries and the defensive lapses that plagued the team in the Week 1 loss to the Eagles, the win is a sweet one for head coach Dan Campbell. Evening the record at 1-1 avoids a catastrophic start to the season that would potentially lose confidence from the players, something Campbell’s mentor, former Saints head coach Sean Payton, noted after the game.

Here are some quick takeaways from watching the Lions victory in real-time.

Aidan Hutchinson went off

This is the exact kind of impact performance the Lions envisioned when they drafted Hutchinson No. 2 overall last April. Hutchinson was a dominant presence along the defensive front.

No. 97 bagged three sacks on Commanders QB Carson Wentz, all in the first half. He also notched two tackles-for-loss in the run game and helped force both a safety and an intentional grounding penalty that led to it.

Hutchinson was hobbled a bit in the second half, playing with a large wrap around his upper leg. But he still made a big impact, nearly bagging sack No. 4 and giving Wentz and the Washington OL nightmares until the very end of the game.

Give Dan Skipper the game ball

Sep 18, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions running back D’Andre Swift (32) scores a touchdown against Washington Commanders during the second half at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Junfu Han-USA TODAY Sports

Sep 18, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions linebacker Anthony Pittman (57) tackles Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz (11) during the second half at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Junfu Han-USA TODAY Sports

Sep 18, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson watches a play against Washington Commanders during the second half at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Junfu Han-USA TODAY Sports

Junfu Han-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Skipper had never started in an NFL game before. He’d also never played anything but offensive tackle before dating back to his college days at Arkansas.

Yet there was Skipper starting at left guard in place of injured Jonah Jackson. In emergency duty, Skipper more than held his own. The sixth-year vet gave up an early sack…