Aidan Hutchinson and the Detroit Lions kick off the 2022 NFL season against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The former Michigan star, picked 2nd overall by the Lions in the NFL Draft, was born and raised in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn and is eager to embark on his rookie campaign in his hometown.

Ford Field will be standing-room only on Sunday for a game not played on Thanksgiving for the first time since 2017, according to MLive’s Kyle Meinke. While the Lions struggled to a 3-13-1 record in Dan Campbell’s first season in 2021 — their fans forced to watch longtime starting QB Matthew Stafford win a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams — there’s optimism that a franchise that hasn’t had a playoff appearance since 2016 and hasn’t won in the postseason in 20 years may finally be turning the page.

“You’ve seen plenty of Aidan and his growth,” Lions left tackle Taylor Decker said. “He truthfully has gotten better every single day. You can see it. He learns quickly. He does kind of got that never-stop effort.”

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has a simple strategy for Hutchinson against the Eagles.

“We’re going to let Aidan be Aidan and you’ll see exactly what you’re going to get from him,” he said.