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Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson undergoes surgery to repair broken tibia, fibula

The Pro Bowl pass rusher will return to Detroit this week, the team said, and is expected to make a full recovery.

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Lions pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson was injured on a second-half sack during Sunday's game against the Cowboys. (Jerome Miron/AP)
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ARLINGTON, Tex. — The Detroit Lions lost one of their top players Sunday when Pro Bowl pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered a severe injury to his lower left leg during the second half of their lopsided victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Hutchinson underwent immediate surgery to repair a broken tibia and fibula Sunday night at Baylor White Medical Center in Irving, Texas, the team announced Monday morning. He will return to Detroit this week, the Lions added, and is expected to make a full recovery, although there is no timeline for when he will play again.

“He’s in good hands right now,” Lions Coach Dan Campbell said during his postgame news conference. “He’s being taken care of. He’ll stay back here [in the Dallas area] and, you know, obviously he’s going to be down for a little while. And 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.”

Hutchinson was injured in the third quarter on a sack of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. He remained on the turf as medical staffers rushed onto the field to examine him. Some fellow Lions defensive players took a knee nearby as they watched.

Most Lions players left their sideline to gather around Hutchinson as he was placed on a cart and taken off the field with his left leg in an air cast.

Hutchinson’s absence from the lineup will be a major loss to a team that is back in Super Bowl contention after losing last season’s NFC championship game to the San Francisco 49ers. The Lions beat the Cowboys, 47-9, on Sunday to improve to 4-1.

“Obviously that’s tough — tough to watch,” Prescott said during his postgame news conference. “… Knowing where he is in that moment, I hated it for him. Hated it. Hated every bit of it. But for me initially, I just told him [to] keep his head up. It’s part of the story. I promise the way that this guy has started his career — the guy he seems to be, not knowing him — he’ll be better after it. I know it’s probably hard to imagine right now. But the last part I just told him is, ‘It’s part of the story.’”

Prescott’s 2020 season was ended by a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle suffered during an October game against the New York Giants.

“[He’s a] game changer. I wish him the best in his recovery,” Prescott said. “I know it’s going to be a mental challenge just as much as it is physical. But the way that he’s started his career [and] the player that he seems to be, I imagine he’ll be just fine and recover from it.”

Hutchinson’s sack Sunday gave him 7.5 for the season. He was the NFL’s sacks leader entering Sunday’s games. He is in his third season and has 28.5 career sacks.

The Lions selected him second in the 2022 draft out of Michigan.