Detroit, MI – In an absolutely gruesome blow to the Detroit Lions, the star pass rusher, Aidan Hutchinson, was carted off with a broken tibia in Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears. The break occurred in the early second quarter as Hutchinson raked with an offensive lineman to bring down Bears quarterback Justin Fields. Hutchinson immediately crumpled, clutching at his right leg in visible agony.
Medical personnel approached the field, and a few moments later, they had placed Hutchinson’s right leg in an air cast. He left the field waving to the crowd from a cart. Later on, the Lions would explain that Hutchinson had broken his tibia and would be out indefinitely pending further evaluation and surgery.
The head coach, Dan Campbell, was candid about one of the untimely losses. “It’s very hard to see one of our leading men go down like that. Aidan has been a big part of our defense, and we all are pulling for him and his recovery. I mean we need to rally around him as a team and keep going,” he said.
He was the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and became a main cog in the Lions’ defensive unit after being signed. He offers a ton of energy, and an impressive pass rush, and has come into his own with a sack-leading performance on the team this season. To be out of the game for a while is a great boon to a Lions team to finally make steps forward in the NFC North.
The social networking community was flooded with support from teammates and opponents alike for Hutchinson. Another defensive lineman, Alim McNeill, wrote, “Hate to see my brother go down like that. We got your back, @aidanhutch97—bounce back stronger!” Even Bears’ Fields chirped in, using some Twitter ammo to send his speedy recovery wishes to the Lions defensive end, calling him “one of the toughest competitors that ever faced.”.
The Lions are still fighting for a spot in the playoffs and now will have to cope with life without their defensive star over the coming weeks; they will have to rely on their depth. Campbell said that several players, including rookie James Houston and veteran Charles Harris, will most likely take extra minutes as the team adjusts its strategy on defense.
Hutchinson goes to the surgery this week and the Lions hope he can recover fully; but at this point, there’s no guarantee of his return this season.
