The Detroit Lions announced that Aidan Hutchinson, one of their captains and the leader of their defense, will miss the rest of the 2024 season after suffering a broken tibia and fibula during last Sunday’s game against the Cowboys.

"Last night, Aidan Hutchinson underwent successful surgery at Baylor White Medical Center in Irving, Texas, to repair the tibia and fibula fracture he sustained. Hutchinson will return to Detroit this week, and we expect him to make a full recovery. There's no set timeline for his return to play this year," the team said in a statement.

Hutchinson, 24, got injured in the third quarter of the game where Detroit crushed Dallas 47-9 in Week 6 of the season. It happened on a play where the defensive end sacked Dak Prescott, but while turning to bring down the quarterback, the lower part of his left leg collided midair with the left leg of his teammate, Alim McNeill, who was firmly planted in the turf. This caused Hutchinson’s leg to bend dramatically and resulted in the fracture.

According to specialists, this type of injury usually takes at least six months to recover from. "I feel for Hutch. It’s tough for him and for the team. Obviously, he’s going to be out for a while. It’s hard when you lose someone like him, but we’ll get through this. We wish him the best," said Lions coach Dan Campbell. Aidan Hutchinson was drafted by the Detroit Lions as the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and quickly became the leader of the defense, earning the role of team captain.

In his rookie season, he recorded 52 tackles and 9.5 sacks, and in 2023 he added 51 tackles with 11.5 sacks. In five games this season, he’s already racked up 7.5 sacks. His total of 28.5 sacks is a Lions record, something the team hadn’t seen since 1983 with the legendary William Gay.

In his three full seasons and so far in 2024, the Plymouth, Michigan native is third among NFL defenders with the most quarterback pressures (191), only trailing the 49ers’ Nick Bosa (228) and Cowboys’ Micah Parsons (226).