The Detroit Lions have to make a statement without Aidan Hutchinson

ARLINGTON, Texas – They wanted to make a statement, and they did. And if you can forget for a moment the shock of Aidan Hutchinson's horrific leg break – that's a big question just a day later, I know – and think about what those Detroit Lions did at AT&T Stadium on Sunday afternoon, you'll notice them Opportunities are still there.

For everything.

Including the Super Bowl.

The Lions looked so dominant on both sides of the ball against the Cowboys. And while the defense has taken a hit in Hutchinson's absence, it's not without talent either.

How the pieces fit together without the Pro Bowl defensive end is a question that will take some time to answer, although we will have some answers soon. The Lions travel to Minneapolis next week to play the undefeated Minnesota Vikings in their first NFC North game.

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So far the division appears to be unforgiving, with even Chicago showing some teeth each week. Facing the Vikings and the Green Bay Packers, who beat the Arizona Cardinals again on Sunday, wasn't going to be easy before Hutchinson went down.

But 47-9 isn't nothing, even considering Dallas is missing its best defensive player and is hardly the NFC East juggernaut of a year ago. The Lions played their most complete game of the season at Jerry Jones Stadium, ensuring that no errant pass interference flag or incorrectly delivered report from the eligible receiver would spoil the finish.

Not that the Lions have revenge on their minds.

Sunday's collapse, Jared Goff said, had “nothing to do with last year. This is a completely new team… and we wanted to have a good game.”

Good game?

Wanted?

Understatements, both.

Goff was cautious here, and as a leader in the locker room, that makes sense. Why stir anything up?

He admitted that he felt better than ever coming into the game and that many of his teammates felt the same way. The bye week undoubtedly helped. Such was the performance against Seattle two Mondays ago.

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Facing the Seahawks that night at Ford Field, the offense looked like the unit that roiled the league a year ago. With Hutchinson out for a while – probably the entire season – this will have to continue.

Maybe the pace of 89 points in two games is a bit too high, but their margin for error has decreased now. Good thing the Lions are used to it and came within four points of a Super Bowl ten months ago with a team as strong as Goff and his electrifying group of playmakers.

That said, if the Lions can get this close to the big prize with a defense that's near the bottom of the league in passing, why can't they do it again with an offense that's starting to look balanced? better than last winter.

But even without Hutchinson, this defense still has a chance to be better than it was a season ago. On the one hand, the backend has improved and is getting better every week.

Safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph roamed the Texas plains like hawks eyeing jackrabbits, and if their coach says they're just starting to click, they are; Dan Campbell is not known for exaggeration.

Still, we don't need the head coach to tell us how much better the defensive backfield looks, whether it's the young safeties or the new cornerbacks, with Terrion Arnold and Carlton Davis III challenging the playmakers on the edge.

Penalties remain an issue, but the record supports aggressiveness and helps the defense begin to discover an identity. Yes, Hutchinson played a pivotal role in that, and the pass rush won't be the same.

MORE FROM SHAWN WINDSOR: The Lions appear to be the Super Bowl favorites against the Cowboys, but Aidan Hutchinson's loss is incalculable

This year, however, the defense is better equipped to handle games without him thanks to improved play on defense and depth on offense despite the loss of Marcus Davenport to injury. Without their star at the helm, it could be more difficult to stay in the top 10 defensively.

However, Super Bowl teams do not have to live there. Not when it's an elite offense. And that is the challenge.

Can the defense stay somewhere in the middle the rest of the year? Can it force favorable stops?

Because that's all an elite offense needs to get to February. Even without a midfield defense, the Lions almost reached the Super Bowl. And if they had picked up another first down or two in the second half against San Francisco in the NFC title game, they might have faced Kansas City two weeks later in Las Vegas.

That's definitely a lot of pressure on the offense. And it's not an ideal way to live. But then what is ideal about a potentially season-ending injury to your best defensive player?

It's true that in a coach's opinion, wherever perfect teams are put together, the best teams need both sides of the ball to support each other.

In the reality of the NFL, however, no team operates in such harmony. With the Lions' offense still the dominant part of the team – due in part to their offensive line – the team didn't lose its way toward its goals Sunday afternoon in Texas.

Hutchinson may not be around for a while, probably not until next season. But the math is: an elite offense and a mediocre defense are enough to have a chance – a real Chance.

And since the offense has only reminded us how good it can be, why should we doubt the numbers?

It's definitely not the Lions. By the way, they don't concede anything defensively either. Campbell wouldn't let them anyway.

As linebacker Alex Anzalone said Sunday night:

“We knew this would be a statement game… one of the defining games of the season.”

They wanted, he said, to “prove a point.”

That's what they did. I also made a statement.

And although he and his team have lost an important part of the Brotherhood, they are eager to create a new one.

They'll get their chance in a week.

Contact Shawn Windsor: [email protected]. Follow him @shawnwindsor.

The Detroit Lions have to make a statement without Aidan Hutchinson

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