Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson appeared to injure his leg during Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots in Munich while celebrating a sack.
After pulling Patriots quarterback Drake Maye to the ground, Hutchinson leaped into the air to mark the moment. His landing was less smooth.
He immediately grabbed at his right knee following the celebration. Medical staff examined him on the field, officially noting that he is questionable to return to the game. The Michigan product then returned to the locker room for further evaluations and treatment. Lions officials confirmed in the third quarter that Hutchinson would not return.
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Maye was also injured on the same play. Trainers escorted him to the locker room with an ankle injury. His return was also listed as questionable, with backup signal-caller Tommy DeVito replacing him.
Patriots officials later ruled Maye out for the remainder of the game.
DeVito struggled in his first extended action of the season. Through the end of the first half, he completed four of his nine pass attempts with 16 yards and an interception.
The Lions held a 28-3 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Hutchinson isn’t the first NFL player to suffer a fluke injury during a celebration. In 2014, Lions pass rusher Stephen Tulloch suffered a nearly identical injury. He, like Hutchinson, jumped into the air after sacking Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during a Week 3 tilt. Tulloch botched the landing as his right knee buckled.
Tulloch’s injury was later diagnosed as a season-ending ACL tear.
Fans on social media also compared Hutchinson’s injury to one suffered by Arizona Cardinals kicker Bill Gramatica in 2001. He pumped his fist and jumped into the air before his knee, like Tulloch’s and Hutchinson’s, buckled. Gramatica finished the game despite the torn ACL, though he ended the season on injured reserve.
Hutchinson’s injury, if it is season-ending, would be gut-wrenching for Lions fans. The No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft missed the bulk of the 2024 campaign after fracturing his tibia and fibula during a game against the Dallas Cowboys.
His 2025 campaign featured 14 1/2 sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception. He was named an All-Pro for the first time in his career.
Hutchinson opened 2026 with six sacks through Detroit’s first nine games before the injury.
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