DETROIT – We’ve learned much more over the past 24 hours about the injury to Detroit Lions star Aidan Hutchinson.
What happened
Hutchinson got hurt during Sunday’s blowout win over the Cowboys in Dallas.
The injury happened three minutes into the third quarter, with the Lions up 34-6 and Dallas facing a second and five from its own 34.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott took the snap and barely had time to drop back before Hutchinson was in his face. Hutchinson wrapped him up, but as they were going to the ground, Hutchinson let go and flinched in pain.
It was sack No. 7.5 for the former University of Michigan star, which leads the NFL. But Hutchinson stayed on the ground after the play.
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Hutchinson carted off
Replay showed that Hutchinson’s left leg bent awkwardly, and as he was lying on the ground, he appeared to say that he knew it was broken.
The game was delayed for several minutes. Trainers from both teams rushed onto the field and fitted Hutchinson with an air cast.
The FOX broadcast said the replay would not be shown again, due to its graphic nature.
Hutchinson eventually left the field lying on his back on a cart, a massive cast on his leg.
The mood in the stadium never recovered -- that much was obvious even on TV.
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Detroit Lions confirm injury
On Monday morning, the Lions issued a statement confirming that Hutchinson broke his tibia and fibula.
Here’s the full statement:
“Aidan Hutchinson underwent successful surgery to repair a fractured tibia and fibula at Baylor White Medical Center in Irving, Texas last night.
“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.”
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Doctor breaks down injury
Dr. Frank McGeorge joined the Detroit Sports+ crew to talk about the injury timeline for Hutchinson.
He explained how Hutchinson took a blow to the side of his left leg. It was a whipping injury, which caused the lower part of his leg to go in the other direction.
“You can expect the fibula took the hit first, so that’s why he fractured his fibula," McGeorge said. “If the tibia was going to break, the fibula would have to break, as well, just based on the mechanics of that injury.”
The tibia is the primary weight-bearing bone, and that’s what needs to be repaired. The fibula doesn’t bear a lot of weight, but having an extra broken bone never helps, he said.
“More likely, they did an intramedullary nail, which is essentially a nail that runs down the entire shaft of the tibia and helps stabilize it, helps maintain its ability to bear weight, maintain its angulation,” McGeorge said.
He explained that the bone needs to be lined up properly from many different directions, which inserting a nail can accomplish.
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Likely recovery timeline
Dr. McGeorge gave some initial thoughts on the possible recovery timeline for this injury.
“When I think about a tibia, tib/fib fracture, I think to myself, ‘Well, you know, so you’re probably talking 6-12 weeks of healing time,‘" McGeorge said. “Well, healing time doesn’t mean back-to-play time.
“That means that you would be able to get up and maybe go to your refrigerator. You’ll be able to maybe go start some early rehab, but you’re not going to be playing high-level athletics at all with that kind of injury, early on."
So what are the chances that Hutchinson could come back this season?
“There’s a ton of online speculation as far as whether he might make it back in time for playoffs or Super Bowl, or something like that," McGeorge said. “Honestly, I would say, based on the timing, it’s pretty unlikely that he’s going to see this season at all."
Long-term outlook
Dr. McGeorge said it’s difficult to say right now what the long-term implications might be for Hutchinson’s career, because it’s not known what else might have been injured in the leg.
“It’s hard to really make guesstimates," McGeorge said. “I will say, this is definitely going to affect him, because there’s a psychological component to it, as well. There’s a rehab component. I mean, it’s going to hurt. So he’s going to be a little less likely, I think, to do more aggressive things, initially.
“Now, big picture, he’s a great guy. I know his dad. He comes from, I would say, good stock. I would expect him to be able to overcome all of this. I would expect that he’s going to be able to train through this and rehab through this. But really big picture, not knowing the extent of the other injuries, it’s hard to know what this means for his career beyond just this season."
What about next season?
When asked about whether Hutchinson would likely be limited by training camp before next season, Dr. McGeorge had a fairly positive outlook.
“Once he heals up, actually, I would expect he’d be able to make it back to training camp," McGeorge said. “I think that’s far enough out that he should be able to recover pretty much completely by that point in time -- again, assuming that there’s no other surprises that we don’t know about.“
Aidan Hutchinson makes statement
The House Hutch posted a statement Monday on Instagram.
Here’s what it said:
“In light of Aidan’s injury last night, we want to thank you all for the outpouring of love and well wishes. Your support through this shocking situation means so much to our family.
“We are blessed to share that Aidan’s surgery was a success. Thank you to the doctors and nurses who have taken such good care of him.
“Aidan wants you all to know that his healing redemption story has begun. He is holding the motto of Detroit close to heart: resurget cineribus. He will rise from the ashes.”
Dan Campbell: ‘Don’t count him out'
When he spoke Monday afternoon, Campbell said he didn’t want to completely dismiss the possibility of Hutchinson making it back on the field this season.
Here’s what he said:
“I know that there was an update with Hutch and his surgery. Surgery went great, which is all good news. I kind of mentioned this yesterday, but man, Hutch is a captain for us. Highly productive player. Great teammate. Does everything right, and was having one hell of a game, one hell of a season.
“So look, that hurts. It hurts to lose somebody like him -- not only the player, but the person that’s in that locker room, the leader that he is. But that being said, listen, we move forward.
“And let me say this: It’s 4-6 months -- I would never count Hutch out. Ever. So, yeah, probably a long road, but I would never count him out, and I would say if anybody can make it back, it’d be him."
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Teammates talk postgame
Several of Hutchinson’s teammates spoke about the injury after the game.
“Really tough,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “He’s a guy who’s part of the heartbeat of this team. He’s a leader. He does everything right. He’s a great teammate. He’s everything you want in a player and a teammate, and to have him go down like that and to be visibly upset is tough for all of us. He will be fine. He’s going to come back eventually, whenever that may be. But knowing him, he will be fine and he will bounce back."
“The first thing that I always do: I give grace and I give thanks to God, just ask him to cover him,” running back David Montgomery said. “You know, that’s a big loss to us. Aidan is definitely the heartbeat of our team, of that defense, but he’s a warrior. He’s a strong dude. So we’re going to take it personal. We’re going to do it for 97. He deserves it, so it’s prayers up to him and I know God will cover him."
“We know how much Hutch means to this team, to this defense alone,” safety Brian Branch said. He’s a tone-setter, and just seeing him go down like that -- you don’t ever want to wish that on none of us. Alex (Anzalone) pulled us together, and we all knew, we already knew we had to do it for Hutch.”
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Michigan football coach
Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore spoke about Hutchinson’s injury during his Monday press conference.
“I really just want to -- I texted (Hutchinson),” Moore said. “Also, just want to say a prayer to him and his family. Horrific injury -- I mean what a great human being. Obviously, an outstanding player, but a great human being, and left a legacy here. I know he’s the heartbeat of that team. So really just want to say a prayer to him and his family, tell them that they’re in our thoughts."
Moore was on Michigan’s offensive coaching staff all four years that Hutchinson was in Ann Arbor, from 2018-2021.
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Lions pass rush
No team wants to lose a star player, but this injury is particularly devastating for the Lions.
This franchise has never been to a Super Bowl, and this is probably the best Lions team in more than 60 years.
But if there’s one weakness, it’s the pass rush. Hutchinson is a bit of a one-man wrecking crew.
Without him, the Lions will likely struggle to pressure the quarterback, and that’s a difficult flaw to overcome in the NFL.
Detroit’s offense looks elite, especially along the offensive line and in the backfield. This still looks like a Super Bowl contender, but Hutchinson was probably the most important player on the roster.
Who has to step up?
Campbell spoke Monday about some of the guys who could step up in Hutchinson’s absence.
Here’s what he said:
“What gives me hope moving forward is Aaron Glenn. We’ve been coaching here four years, and he’s done everything in his power to work around any personnel we have and use the players that we have and get the most production we can. We will be able to adapt to that.
“I have a lot of faith in that D-line room. (Alim McNeill), Levi (Onwuzurike), (D.J.) Reader, and (Josh) Paschal. And that group that’s going in there -- (Isaac) Ukwu, we’ve got (Al-Quadin) Muhammad on practice squad, (Mitchell) Agude, (James) Houston’s still here.
“So we’ve got options, and it’s why we play with three phases -- so we play offense, defense, special teams. It’s why we do it. We help each other out, so we’ll be just fine. We’re going to move forward."
