Detroit Lions defensive star Aidan Hutchinson suffered a horrific broken leg against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Hutchinson, the NFL’s sack leader, suffered the injury early in the third quarter as he tried to tackle Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
The 24-year-old’s leg appeared to snap above the ankle when it collided with the left leg of teammate Alim McNeill as Hutchinson was pulling Prescott down.
As Hutchinson fell to the ground he winced in clear pain while the damage to his tibia bone was obvious on replays.
There was a delay of about 10 minutes as medical personnel tended to Hutchinson while players from both teams made a large circle around the second overall pick in the 2022 draft.
FOX refused to show replays of the incident while former NFL star JJ Watt posted on social media that the injury was ‘horrific’.
After Hutchinson was loaded onto a cart with a cast on his leg, teammates and Dallas players reached over to pat the 24-year-old.
It was announced after the game that Hutchinson underwent immediate surgery at will remain in Dallas so doctors can evaluate him.
‘He’ll be down for a little while,’ Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters.
Lions running back David Montgomery said: ‘Aidan is definitely the heartbeat of our team and that defense. We’re going to take it personal. We want to do it for 97.’
Hutchinson was drafted with the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NFL draft and has proven to be a transformative presence for the Lions, who are Super Bowl contenders this season.
If he has broken his leg, it will likely be the end of Hutchinson’s season after just six games.
Hutchinson’s injury marred what was otherwise a superb day for the Lions as they claimed a thumping 47-9 win over the Cowboys.
Jared Goff passed for 315 yards and three touchdowns while David Montgomery rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns for the Lions, who have won three in a row.
Prescott passed for 178 yards and was intercepted twice, both by Brian Branch, as the Cowboys dropped to 0-3 in home games.
