The Detroit Lions would typically be celebrating a huge 47-9 victory, but the major news from their win over the Dallas Cowboys was the serious injury suffered by defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who broke his leg early in the third quarter.
Hutchinson was hurt while sacking Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, colliding legs with teammate Alim McNeill. He was placed in an air cast and taken off the field on a cart, undergoing immediate surgery for a fractured left tibia at a hospital in the Dallas area.
Reports from late Sunday suggested that Hutchinson could potentially return in time for the Super Bowl if the Lions make it that far. While recovering from a broken leg in under four months would be impressive, it also indicates optimism about his readiness for next season.
On Monday morning, the Lions provided an update via Twitter.
“Aidan Hutchinson underwent successful surgery to repair a fractured tibia and fibula at Baylor White Medical Center in Irving, Texas last night. He will return to Detroit this week and is expected to fully recover, though no timeline for his return to play has been set.” The tibia is the shin bone and the fibula is the calf bone, both located in the lower leg. After Sunday’s game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell confirmed the fractured tibia, and the additional fibula fracture was expected given the circumstances.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Hutchinson’s season is over, which aligns with the typical six-to-eight-month recovery time for such injuries. Schefter added that a rod was inserted in Hutchinson’s leg during the surgery.
Overall, the update on Hutchinson on Monday morning was as anticipated: he had successful surgery, is expected to make a full recovery, and will miss the remainder of the season.
