Lions star Aidan Hutchinson undergoes surgery to repair fractured tibia and fibula

ARLINGTON, Texas — Detroit Lions star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered a gruesome leg injury in Sunday's lopsided 47-9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

While sacking Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the third quarter, Hutchinson's leg whipped around and inadvertently hit teammate Alim McNeill. Hutchinson stayed down on the field and removed his gloves and helmet as trainers tended to him. The air cast was brought out and he was eventually carted off.

After the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Hutchinson suffered a broken tibia in his left leg which required immediate surgery at a Dallas-area hospital. As a junior at Michigan in 2020, Hutchinson suffered a fracture in his right ankle — not the same leg he hurt Sunday — that required surgery and limited his season to three games.

"Aidan Hutchinson underwent successful surgery to repair a fractured tibia and fibula at Baylor White Medical Center in Irving, Texas last night," the Lions said in a statement Monday morning. "Hutchinson will return to Detroit this week and is expected to make a full recovery. There is no timeline for his return to play at this time."

A source close to Hutchinson told The Detroit News on Sunday that the injury appears less severe than a worst-case scenario and Hutchinson might be able to return for the Super Bowl, should the Lions make it.

"He's being taken care of. He'll stay back here (in Dallas), he's being taken care of. Obviously, he's going to be down for a little while," Campbell said. "So that's tough, man. It's hard when you lose somebody like him. But we'll know a lot more after this and obviously wish him the best."

The entire Detroit sideline came out and surrounded Hutchinson while trainers worked on him, with quarterback Jared Goff being the closest player to him. Hutchinson's teammates addressed him as the cart drove off.

"Those are hard moments. That's hard for everybody, when you're standing there and that's one of (your teammates) and something like that happens," Campbell said. "Our guys have done a good job — and our coaches — of just getting them refocused on the job ahead of you, because if you dwell on that too much and you start playing a little timid, that's when you get hurt."

Hutchinson is in the midst of a season that put him as one of the frontrunners for Defensive Player of the Year. Entering Sunday, the former Michigan standout led the league in sacks (6 1/2) and pressures (40). Hutchinson has never missed a game in his NFL career to this point.

With Hutchinson likely to miss extended time, it's a devastating blow for Detroit. The Lions are already down fellow pass rusher Marcus Davenport, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3's victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Prescott suffered a season-ending compound leg fracture and dislocated ankle at AT&T Stadium in Week 5 of the 2020 season. He said he "hated" to see the injury to Detroit's defensive star and offered words of encouragement in the immediate aftermath. Prescott, who has multiple teammates who attended Michigan, added he'll probably get Hutchinson's phone number to reach out again.

"That's tough, tough to watch. ... Having experienced it, knowing where he is in that moment, hated it for him. Hated it. Hated every bit of it," Prescott said. "But for me initially, I just told him, keep his head up. It's part of the story. I promise, the way this guy started his career, the guy he seems to be ... he'll be better after it.

"I know it's probably hard to imagine right now...(but he's a) hell of a player. I mean, hell, he did it going out on a sack, so I mean, game-changer, wishing him the best in his recovery."