What happened to Aidan Hutchinson? Lions DE suffers gruesome leg injury, gets carted off the field vs Cowboys

Aidan Hutchinson suffered a gruesome leg injury in the third quarter of the Lions' game against the Cowboys in Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season. The defensive end reached Dallas' offensive backfield as he has done on multiple occasions and got to Dak Prescott. As he tangled with the quarterback, he fell and it looked as if his left leg was bent out of shape.

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It was immediately apparent that he had fractured his fibula or tibia. It later became apparent that he had collided with his teammate Alim McNeill, who himself had managed to get to the Cowboys quarterback and was trying to add to his two sacks in the first half. Aidan Hutchinson was attended to on the field before being carted off and it looks as if his season is done.

Aidan Hutchinson's injury could have significant impact on Lions' season

Aidan Hutchinson is most likely out for the year and that will have a significant impact on the Lions' defense. Detroit reached the NFC Championship game last year based on an elite offense commanded by offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and helmed by Jared Goff. However, their defense was equally important and the defensive end's ability to disrupt the opposition was at the heart of it.

Aidan Hutchinson had begun this season with a similar mindset and he had 6.5 sacks already coming into Week 6, which included a bye in Week 5 for the Lions. Except for the game against the Seattle Seahawks, he had a sack in every game this season. The highlight was his performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he recorded 4.5 sacks.

He added one more sack in this game and it looked as if Hutchinson was going to be firmly in contention for the Defensive Player of the Year come the end of this season. Instead, he now faces an extended spell on the sidelines because of this injury.

Given how severe the fracture looked, the concern for Detroit now will be twofold. Firstly, they will have to find ways to spread his defensive output across the team. Alim McNeill, whose errant shin caused this in the first place, will be one of the players asked to pick up the slack. Secondly, they will have to see that Aidan Hutchinson's recovery proceeds smoothly so that his playing ability is not affected when he comes back and he can return and be part of their long-term plans.