The Detroit Lions were in the midst of one of the best days in recent franchise history. The team was destroying the Dallas Cowboys in their own home, taking a whopping 34-6 lead with over 26 minutes of game time left. But then, disaster struck. Star pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson got injured while trying to sack Dak Prescott, as his leg collided with a teammate at a high velocity.
Although it was tough to tell exactly what happened at first, slowing down the video revealed a truly gruesome injury. Hutchinson was in severe pain and had to be tended to for a long while on the field, before ultimately being put on a stretcher and carted off. With the Lions being legitimate Super Bowl contenders, an injury to Hutchinson could prove season-altering.
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Speaking after the game ended, Lions head coach Dan Campbell gave somewhat of an ambiguous answer on Hutchinson’s status for the rest of the year.
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 when you lose someone like him. But we’ll know a lot more after this. And, obviously, wish him the best.
Aidan Hutchinson is expected to be out of action until the 2025 season
Campbell’s initial answer sparked a little bit of hope for Lions fans, but Campbell just didn’t want to give the full outlook until he has all of the answers. Despite that, Hutchinson is fully expected to miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs.
The typical return period for a fractured tibia is 4-6 months, but making Hutchinson’s case worse is that he had a compound fracture that needed emergency surgery.
A compound fracture is when the bone breaks through the skin. All of that leads to a lengthier recovery timeline than usual.
