ARLINGTON, Texas — Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was seriously injured during a game against the Dallas Cowboys, suffering a left tibia injury after sacking quarterback Dak Prescott.
Following the Lions’ 47-9 victory, coach Dan Campbell confirmed that Hutchinson would remain in the Dallas area for surgery.
The injury occurred in the third quarter when Hutchinson’s leg appeared to break above the ankle as it collided with the leg of teammate Alim McNeill while trying to bring Prescott down.
“I haven’t seen it myself so I couldn’t really tell,” McNeill remarked. “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.”
At the time of Hutchinson’s injury, the Lions were ahead with a score of 34-6. He entered the game as the NFL’s sack leader with 6.5.
Medical staff attended to Hutchinson for approximately 10 minutes while players from both teams formed a circle around the injured player. Once he was placed on the cart and had a cast applied, both teammates and Dallas players offered support.
Hutchinson contributed to the Lions’ defensive performance by registering the team’s third sack of the game, with McNeill recording the first two.
“It’s hard for everybody when you’re standing there and that’s one of yours and something like that happens,” Campbell expressed. “If you dwell on that too much and you start playing a little timid, that’s when you get hurt. So guys snapped right back in and they lived in the moment where we’re on.”
Prescott, who inadvertently landed on Hutchinson’s leg, had suffered a similar injury during the 2020 season when he fractured his right leg on the same field.
The quarterback was among those who sought to comfort Hutchinson as he was taken off. “It’s just something that I felt in the moment,” Prescott shared. “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, it’s blurry. So I don’t even know if he heard them.”