Injuries are a big thing in the NFL, but the Detroit Lions will need to find a way to thrive in their games without one of their key players in the rotation for the rest of the campaign as Aidan Hutchinson is expected to miss some key games in the 2024 season with a broken tibia, needing him to be carted off the field that proved to be hard to watch for many fans.

According to head coach Dan Campbell, Hutchinson did not travel with the team after the game and is slated to remain in Texas, where he is expected to undergo surgery and go through further evaluation – which will define his status for the rest of the season. Fans and players are now awaiting news of his health in the coming weeks.

Right now, this spells a lot of problems for the Lions, who just lost one of their best pass rushers and a key defender moving towards the crucial stretch of the NFL season, and this says a lot about how Hutchinson has been really valuable for the team at this point in time. Now they need to find alternatives if they are going to come up with needed wins in the season.

An Untimely Injury for Detroit

Detroit is one of the teams that have continuously made impressive splash in the season so far, managing to pick up a 4-1 record in their first five games so far. They even managed to win in that game against the Dallas Cowboys, but at the cost of Hutchinson, who has been, by far, the best player in the squad thanks to his elite defensive performances and two-way reliability for most of the game.

"He's in good hands right now," Campbell said. "He's being taken care of. He'll stay (in Dallas) and obviously he's going to be down for a little while. So that's tough, man. It's hard when you lose somebody like him. It's hard when you lose somebody like him. But he'll know a lot more after this and obviously wish him the best."

Hutchinson came into Week 6 as the league’s top sack-getter at 6.5, and he was truly the anchor of the Lions’ top-tier defense so far. Since coming up with an impressive rookie year in 2021, the former no. 2 pick has shined bright on the big stage and has been phenomenal this season as well.

Recovery in Question

At the age of 24, Hutchinson obviously has a lot of game left in his career, but his recovery today will be crucial if he’s going to come up with a return to form in his games. At this point, keeping him grounded in Texas for a surgery and evaluation there is a good move, and it does seem that they will be eager to see some good news on his progress.

Now more than ever, Hutchinson has become quite a valuable player for the team, and it does seem that they will hope to see him return to action right away as he’s been really the heartbeat of the Lions’ defense that has been impressive for the season so far, and that says a lot about Detroit’s chances of winning.

If you don’t believe how valuable Hutchinson is, just compare how the Lions will perform in Week 7 when they take on the Minnesota Vikings, which is currently one of the only two undefeated teams in the season so far.