Detroit Lions pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson is expected to miss the rest of the NFL season after suffering a broken tibia in Sunday’s 47-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Hutchinson was carted off the field and immediately taken to hospital in Dallas where he underwent surgery on the injury, which was sustained when his left leg collided with the left leg of team-mate Alim McNeill as Hutchinson was pulling Dallas’ Dak Prescott down on a sack in the third quarter.
Speaking after the match, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said: “It’s tough. He’s in good hands right now.
“He’s being taken care of. He’ll stay back here.
“Obviously, he’s going to be down for a little while. That’s tough. It’s hard to lose someone like him but we’ll know a lot more after this and obviously wish him the best.”
Hutchinson’s injury was sustained while the 24-year-old was recording sack 7.5 of an impressive season which had made him the early favourite for the Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Amid concerning scenes, there was a delay of about 10 minutes as medical personnel tended to Hutchinson while players from both teams made a large circle around the second overall pick in the 2022 draft.
“That’s hard for everybody when you’re standing there and that’s one of yours and something like that happens,” Campbell added.
“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 landed on top of Hutchinson’s left leg after the injury occurred, sustained a similar injury to his right leg on the same field in Week 5 in 2020, ending his season.
Dallas’ star quarterback was among the players who tried 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, it’s blurry. So I don’t even know if he heard them. Don’t care if he heard them. I understand where he was.”
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