Detroit Lions pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson was carted off the field after suffering a broken tibia in the third quarter of Sunday's win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Hutchinson was injured while sacking Dak Prescott. With the Cowboys quarterback in his grasp, Hutchinson's left leg whipped into teammate Alim McNeill, who was also pursuing Prescott.
Following the game, head coach Dan Campbell confirmed Hutchinson had injured his tibia and would remain in Texas to undergo surgery and further evaluation.
"He's in good hands right now," Campbell said. "He's being taken care of. He'll stay (in Dallas) and obviously he's going to be down for a little while. So that's tough, man. It's hard when you lose somebody like him. It's hard when you lose somebody like him. But he'll know a lot more after this and obviously wish him the best."
Hutchinson underwent surgery on Sunday night, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday morning, and should return to Detroit in the coming days. He is expected to miss the rest of the 2024 season but make a full recovery ahead of the 2025 campaign, Rapoport added.
The third-year defensive end was on the turf in pain as the Lions' medical staff attended to him. His leg was put in an air cast before he was carted off the field with players from both teams lending their support. Hutchinson was quickly ruled out of the game following his exit.
The Lions held a 34-6 lead over the Cowboys at the time of Hutchinson's injury.
Detroit went on to win, 47-9, to secure a 4-1 record following its bye week, but any celebrations following the rout were tempered considering the Lions lost their top defender to a serious injury.
Hutchinson came into Week 6 as the league's leading sack-getter (6.5) and is the heartbeat of the Lions' energetic defense. Since entering the league in 2021, the former No. 2 overall pick has been an absolute game-wrecker, collecting 27.5 sacks in 38 games played.
The 24-year-old began his 2024 campaign seemingly better than ever, highlighting his sack-leading effort with a 4.5-sack game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2.
The Lions head on the road in Week 7 to face the undefeated Minnesota Vikings in a pivotal NFC North matchup.