Everything we know about Aidan Hutchinson's horrific leg injury against the Cowboys

DALLAS – The Detroit Lions embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, but the game itself was overshadowed by Aidan Hutchinson's horrific leg injury.

Here's everything we know about the injury.

What happened

The injury occurred three minutes into the third quarter, when the Lions defeated the Cowboys 34-6.

Dallas faced a second-and-5 from its own 34-yard line.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott took the snap and barely had time to retreat before Hutchinson punched him in the face.

Hutchinson wrapped him up, but as they fell to the ground, Hutchinson appeared to let go and wince in pain.

It was sack No. 7.5 for the former University of Michigan star, which leads the NFL. But Hutchinson remained on the ground after the game.

Scene after injury

The replay showed Hutchinson's left leg was bent awkwardly, and as he lay on the ground he appeared to say he knew it was broken.

The game was delayed for several minutes. Coaches from both teams rushed the field and gave Hutchinson an air toss.

The FOX broadcast said the replay would not be shown again due to its graphic nature.

Hutchinson eventually left the field lying on his back on a cart with a massive cast on his leg.

The atmosphere in the stadium never recovered, you could even see it on TV.

Initial diagnosis

Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after the game that Hutchinson remained in the hospital in Dallas for treatment.

“It would be the – it’s the tibia,” Campbell said.

Campbell was asked if Hutchinson needed immediate surgery for a “complicated fracture” and he replied “yes.” The team later corrected this and explained that it was not a compound fracture.

What Dan Campbell said

Here's what Campbell said about the injury in his postgame press conference.

“It was tough,” Campbell said. “He’s in good hands at the moment. He is taken care of. He's going to stay here and of course he's going to be down for a while.

“This is hard. It's hard when you lose someone like him. But after that we will know a lot more and of course wish him all the best.”

He was later asked about the initial diagnosis.

“The fact that it’s an injury,” Campbell said. “That’s how it’s going to be – he’s going to be out for a while.”

Jared Goff speaks out

Here's what quarterback Jared Goff said after the game about Hutchinson's injury.

“Really tough,” Goff said. “He’s a guy who is part of the heartbeat of this team. He is a leader. He does everything right. He's a great teammate. He's everything you want in a player and teammate and it's hard for all of us to see him go down like that and be visibly upset.

“He'll be fine. He will come back at some point, whenever that may be. But if I know him, he'll be fine and get back on his feet.

What we don't know

Aside from the details shared by Campbell, we have no official diagnosis from medical experts on Hutchinson's injury.

While it appears Hutchinson will be out for the season, we don't know the official timeline for his absence either.

We should know a lot more about the injury in the next few days.

Lions pass rush

No team wants to lose a star player, but this injury could be particularly devastating for the Lions.

This franchise has never been to a Super Bowl and this is probably the best Lions team in more than 60 years.

But if there is a weakness, it's the pass rush. Hutchinson is something of a one-man wrecking crew.

Without him, the Lions may struggle to pressure the quarterback, and that's a difficult flaw to overcome in the NFL.

Detroit's offense looks elite, especially along the offensive line and in the backfield. This still looks like a Super Bowl contender, but Hutchinson was probably the most important player on the roster.

David Montgomery aftermath

Running back David Montgomery was interviewed on the field after running 80 yards and scoring two touchdowns in the game.

FOX's Erin Andrews asked him about Hutchinson.

“The first thing I always do: I give God grace and thank God, just ask God to protect him,” Montgomery said. “You know, this is a big loss for us. Aidan is definitely the heartbeat of our team, this defense, but he's a warrior. He's a strong guy. So we take it personally. We'll do it for 97. He deserves it so it’s up to him to pray and I know God will protect him.”

Postlude by Brian Branch

Safety Brian Brach spoke about the injury on the Lions' postgame show. Branch caught two passes and had six tackles (five solo) in the game.

“We know how much Hutch means to this team, just to this defense,” Branch said. He calls the shots, and just watching him go down like that is something you wouldn't ever wish on any of us.

“Alex (Anzalone) brought us together and we all knew we had to do it for Hutch.”

The Lions beat the Cowboys

The Lions won the game 47-9 and scored on every single drive from the first offense.

The Cowboys failed to get into the end zone.

Detroit outgained Dallas 492-251 yards.

Campbell pointed out that the defense forced several turnovers in the game – notably three interceptions and two fumbles.

The Lions are now 4-1, good for the second-best record in the NFC, behind only the Vikings at 5-0.