The Detroit Lions have been rolling right along this season and are looking like the Super Bowl contender many pegged them as ahead of the 2024 season. However, their impressive campaign thus far has not come without plenty of bumps in the road, with the injury to Aidan Hutchinson being one of them.
The Lions lost their best defender in the Week 6 win over the Dallas Cowboys, when the former No. 2 overall pick suffered a broken tibia and fibula that is expected to sideline him four to six months.
Prior to his injury, Hutchinson was leading the NFL in sacks and pressures and was well on his way to becoming the Defensive Player of the Year, which only made his injury tougher to swallow.
All that said, there is still at least a shred of hope that Hutchinson can make it back at some point this season, although that will require a deep run in the playoffs by the Lions to even have a chance.
Aidan Hutchinson injury update
Hutchinson recently showed the latest progress in his recovery, which involved him taking steps in a pool. Here’s a look at the video Hutchinson shared on Instagram.
“One step at a time,” the caption on Hutchinson’s post said.
That video was posted just a shade over one month after Hutchinson had surgery to repair his injury, which makes his progress all the more impressive and breeds hope that he can indeed make it back by the Super Bowl.
Is Aidan Hutchinson coming back this season?
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, because Hutchinson’s injury was a clean break, there is optimism that he can get back by the Super Bowl, assuming the Lions make it that far.
Sources say there are several factors that point to Hutchinson potentially being back at the early benchmark of four months — which would be right at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Feb. 9, 2025 — provided Detroit makes it, of course.
Though Hutchinson’s injury was horrific and chilling to watch, the fracture itself was actually a clean break, sources say. There was no ligament damage. There was no nerve damage. The kinds of issues that can result with such a serious break were not present — very good news.
Adding to that, head coach Dan Campbell wouldn’t rule out the Lions getting their star edge rusher back at some point this season.
“I would say if anybody can make it back, it would be him,” Campbell said.
Hutchinson’s injury occurred on Oct. 13, and the Super Bowl will take place on Feb. 9, so he would actually have to make it back slightly earlier than the given recovery timeline for him to play in the Big Game.
For now, Hutchinson’s return can be classified as a long shot, but never say never for a 24-year-old physical specimen like the Michigan product is.
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