On Oct. 13, 2024, Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson suffered a severe injury while sacking Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott during their NFL matchup. This injury echoed Prescott’s own experience in 2020, when he suffered a similar leg injury during a game against the New York Giants.
After the game, Prescott expressed sympathy for Hutchinson: “Having experienced it, I know where he is at that moment. I hated it for him. But I told him to keep his head up. It’s part of his story. I believe he’ll be better after this, even if that’s hard to imagine now.”
Prescott, who was seen talking to Hutchinson multiple times while he was down, understands the emotional and physical toll of such an injury better than most. He plans to offer Hutchinson further support, saying he’ll likely get Hutchinson’s number from a mutual contact and follow up: “I remember Logan Ryan gave me words of encouragement when I was injured. His follow-up meant the most, and I’ll do the same for Aidan.”
Ryan, a safety for the New York Giants at the time of Prescott’s injury, had suffered a broken fibula in a previous season. He shared two inspirational books with Prescott: Kobe Bryant’s autobiography, The Mamba Mentality: How I Play, and Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim Grover.
Prescott’s comeback after his 2020 injury has been remarkable. He missed the rest of the season but returned in 2021, playing his best football yet. Hutchinson, who was leading the NFL with 7.5 sacks at the time of his injury, was a frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year. Now in his third season, Hutchinson had already established himself as one of the league’s top pass rushers.
“He went out on a sack, being a game-changer,” Prescott said, wishing Hutchinson a strong recovery. “It’s going to be a mental challenge as much as a physical one.”
While there are no official reports on Hutchinson’s recovery timeline, Lions head coach Dan Campbell noted that “he’ll be down for a little while.” ESPN’s Adam Schefter later reported that Hutchinson had suffered a broken tibia.
