Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson carted off with broken tibia

Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was carted off the field
 Sunday after breaking a tibia. Sam Hodde/Getty Images

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Detroit Lions star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson broke a tibia during Sunday's 47-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys in a scary scene at AT&T Stadium.

On a play in which he was sacking Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Hutchinson hurt his left leg. When Hutchinson was pulling Prescott down, he collided with teammate Alim McNeill's left leg, causing the leg to appear to snap above the ankle.

As team doctors rushed to his side, members of the Lions and Cowboys quickly gathered around Hutchinson. Hutchinson's leg was set in an air cast, and he left on a truck.

The Lions said after the game that Hutchinson went through prompt a medical procedure at a Dallas-region clinic.

I despise it for Hutch. That is intense. Campbell stated, "It was challenging." Right now, he's in good hands. He is being cared for. He'll stay here, and it's obvious that he'll be down for a while. That's hard, but we'll know a lot more after this and obviously wish him the best. Losing someone like him is hard.

The injury was "frightening to see," according to McNeill. Even though he was involved in the play, he was unaware of the severity of Hutchinson's injury immediately after it occurred.

McNeill stated after the game, "That's what I felt, but I haven't seen it myself so I couldn't really tell." I didn't know if that was him, but I did feel someone's leg with me and saw Hutch down, which is crazy.

Lions running back David Montgomery, who wrapped up with two surging scores, said he has confidence that Campbell and his staff can get ready players to fill Hutchinson's job.

"It is a regrettable loss for us. "A big, big, big blow for us, and it's just more personal for us now because of the kind of guy Aidan is and the kind of character he has and the things he brings to the locker room and this team," Montgomery said. As a result, I am aware that for me personally, I will take it very personally for a man like Aidan because he was and will continue to be the team's lifeblood."

According to ESPN Research, Hutchinson, the second pick in the 2022 NFL draft, has 7.5 sacks this season, the most by a Lions player through five games since 1983 (William Gay). Even though the Lions were coming off a bye week, Hutchinson led the NFL in sacks, pressures, and pass rush win rates heading into Week 6.

Detroit's defensive linemen Josh Paschal, Levi Onwuzurike, DJ Reader, and Isaac Ukwu will likely be heavily relied upon to fill in for Hutchinson. James Houston, who was declared inactive for the Dallas game, may reappear due to the injury.

Onwuzurike said, "We're all feeling for him 100%." Recovering from a man like Hutch is difficult. That s--- is difficult. He's an oddball. He was presumably going to break the sack record this year so when you lose somebody like that, that is genuine extreme yet we have hungry folks. ... So, I think the guys will take care of everything."

McNeill stated that neither he nor his teammates on the defensive side of the ball anticipate any significant changes to the schematic.

"We're still going to get off the ball off that edge, play that run, and set that edge, but I don't think too much will change," McNeill told ESPN as he left the locker room. "Maybe some third-down stuff, but I don't really think too much will change." "I don't think anything will be too drastic, but it will just be a change in rotation and things like that."