10:58pm: Rapoport has officially reported that Hutchinson’s broken tibia is season-ending. The loss is obviously huge for the Lions’ defense who will need to triage their defensive ends group, but the loss of this season is perhaps bigger for Hutchinson. The 24-year-old’s incredible production through four games had him in conversations as a potential Defensive Player of Year, albeit an extremely early candidate for the award.
Hutchinson will miss the remainder of the season, but his prognosis to return for 2025 does not appear to be in question. The Lions, though, still have 2024 to contend with. How they will address the defensive ends position remains to be seen.
7:14pm: The Lions experienced an impressive win today in a dominant performance over the Cowboys. In the midst of that victory, though, the team suffered a brutal loss. As star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson tackled quarterback Dak Prescott for the team’s third sack of the day, Hutchinson appeared to suffer a serious leg injury. 
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, head coach Dan Campbell told reporters that Hutchinson would stay in Dallas for immediate treatment and that “obviously he’s going to be down for a little while.” Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports reported that Hutchinson would be undergoing immediate surgery for a broken tibia, an injury he reported to be “season-ending.” The Lions will likely have more tests performed and treatments done before coming to that conclusion themselves.
As Hutchinson descended to the ground in the third quarter, bringing Prescott down with him, cameras could just pick up what appeared to be a bend in Hutchinson’s leg below the knee, a gruesome indicator of a broken bone. The medical carts were rushed onto the field, where an aircast was applied to his left leg before he was carted off the field into the locker room, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport followed that up with a quick report that Hutchinson had been ruled out for the remainder of the game with a lower leg injury.
The NFL’s No. 2 overall draft pick in 2022, Hutchinson has lived up to his draft stock thus far. As a rookie, Hutchinson was dynamic all over the field. Not only did he make plays on an improved defense as a pass rusher, totaling 9.5 sacks and 15 quarterback hits, but he also added value as a disruptive force. Hutchinson tallied nine tackles for loss, three passes defensed, three interceptions, and two fumble recoveries during his rookie campaign.
Hutchinson avoided a sophomore slump, improving on his rookie numbers with 11.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, 33 quarterback hits, one interception, seven passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and two more fumble recoveries. In only four games in 2024, Hutchinson was showing signs of improvement once again. He entered the day with 6.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits, and a forced fumble, all stats that were on track for new career highs. He added a sack, a tackle for loss, and three quarterback hits before exiting today’s contest.
Hutchinson’s injury is only the latest of what has been a slew of injuries in Detroit this year. The Lions already have 13 players on injured reserve, including five on the defensive line and eight on the defensive side of the ball. By the end of today’s game, Detroit ruled out seven more players, including Hutchinson.
If Hutchinson’s leg injury is as serious as it appeared, his name will be the latest placed on IR in Detroit. The Lions’ defensive ends room is looking extremely bare with Marcus Davenport, John Cominsky, and Nate Lynn all on IR. In addition, or more aptly subtraction, James Houston has missed two games, as well.
Houston suffered a fractured ankle in Week 2 of the 2023 season, and though he attempted to make a comeback late in the year, the injury ended up being season-ending. He seems to be healthy at this point, but a combination of limited snaps and healthy scratches have kept him from contributing this year. Houston made an impact in 2022 as a rookie, tallying eight sacks across from Hutchinson, but lately has struggled to get back on the field. His return could be key during this time when bodies are scarce.
If the Lions can get Houston back to his rookie form, he would likely line up across from Josh Paschal as the starter. One would also expect practice squad edge rusher Isaac Ukwu to get promoted to the active roster after getting elevated from the practice squad today. Past that, Detroit will need to get creative with how it fills out the ends of its defensive line. There’s seems to be a bit of hope that Hutchinson might return late in the year as major outlets and Campbell have yet to call the injury a season-ender, but the outlook is grim for now.
