ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Aidan Hutchinson is likely done playing this year due to the leg injury sustained against the Cowboys, but surgery to repair his fractured tibia and fibula “went great”. Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday he isn’t ready to declare his star pass rusher out for the season.
Hutchinson was carted off the field during the third quarter of Detroit’s 47-9 win over Dallas and underwent surgery at Baylor White Medical Center.
“The surgery went great — it is all good news,” Campbell said. “It’s probably 4-6 months, but I would never count Hutch out. It hurts, but if anyone could make it back, it is him.”
Hutchinson is expected to return this week to Detroit from the Dallas-area hospital.
“It’s really tough, and he’s a guy who’s part of the heartbeat of this team,” Lions quarterback Jared Goff said after the game. “He will be fine; you know, he’s going to come back eventually whenever that may be. But knowing him, he will be fine and he will bounce back.”
Hutchinson’s leg appeared to snap above the ankle when it collided with the left leg of teammate Alim McNeill while Hutchinson was pulling down Dallas QB Dak Prescott for a sack.
“I haven’t seen it myself, so I couldn’t really tell,” McNeill said. “I didn’t know if it was him or not, but I did feel somebody like leg-whip me, and then I see Hutch down. That’s wild to see. I hate that for him.”
The Lions were leading 34-6 at the time of Hutchinson’s injury, who entered the game as the NFL leader in sacks with 6 1/2.
Medical personnel provided assistance for about 10 minutes as both teams formed a circle around the second overall pick in the 2022 draft.
After Hutchinson was loaded onto a cart with a cast on his leg, teammates and Dallas players reached over to support the 24-year-old. Hutchinson had recorded the third Detroit sack of the game, while McNeill had the first two.
“That’s hard for everybody when you’re standing there and that’s one of yours and something like that happens,” Campbell said. “If you dwell on that too much and start playing timid, that’s when you get hurt. So guys snapped right back in, and they focused on the moment.”
Prescott, who landed on top of Hutchinson’s left leg during the injury, had a similar injury to his right leg on the same field in Week 5 of 2020, which ended his season.
Dallas’ star quarterback attempted to offer Hutchinson words of encouragement as he was taken off the field.
“It’s just something that I felt in the moment,” Prescott said. “I’ll probably get his number from one of the Michigan guys in the locker room and reach out again. When you’re in that situation, everything is blurry. I don’t even know if he heard them. It doesn’t matter; I understand where he was.”
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