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Aidan Hutchinson on injury: 'On track' to play for Detroit Lions in Super Bowl
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- Aidan Hutchinson on injury: 'On track' to play for Detroit Lions in Super Bowl
The Detroit Lions are picking up the microphones themselves to give a dash of hope to a fanbase sick over the injury bug.
Star defensive pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson appeared on a podcast with actor, Michigan native and Lions fan Taylor Lautner this week and said he is "on track" in his recovery from a broken leg to return to play in the Super Bowl, should the Lions make it that far.
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"I'm on track for my goal of returning for the Super Bowl," Hutchinson said in the podcast clip. "And so I keep telling all the boys when I see them in the facility, 'you just gotta get there and I promise you I'm gonna be back.'"
Hutchinson has been out since breaking the tibia and fibula in his left leg in Week 6 in a win over the Dallas Cowboys . Hutchinson was given a four-to-six-month recovery timeline after he went down on Oct. 13, which was four months before Super Bowl 59, scheduled for Feb. 9.
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Before going down, Hutchinson led the NFL with 7½ sacks and seemed on his way to having an All-Pro season. The Lions have continued to lose bodies on the defense, particularly the front seven, including losing starting defensive tackle Alim McNeill to a torn ACL on Sunday.
He went on to say in the podcast that "there is no other way" besides coming back when he's received any skepticism on the potentially tight recovery timeline. The clip of Hutchinson's interview on Lautner's podcast was shared on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football," show on Tuesday, but the full interview hasn't been released yet.
Hutchinson's interview segment was released the same morning Dan Campbell went on local radio and told fans to adjust to the new reality of their situation.
"My mom was like, I remember we were talking yesterday and she was like 'but Aidan, like what if you don't get back, like what if you can't' and I was like there's no other way."
Aidan Hutchinson of the Detroit Lions is tended to by medical staff after injuring his leg while recording a sack on Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024.
Earlier in December, Campbell said he wouldn't count Hutchinson out despite the severity of the injury.
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"This is a tough injury," Campbell said on Dec. 9. "It is, but I just would never count him out just knowing who he is. He's working, he is progressing, but I can't say — I can't give you a timeline and I don't know if he'll have the time to get there, but if anybody could, it's him."
The Lions' odds of making the Super Bowl have dipped after losing four more starters to long-term injuries this week. Detroit had +260 odds to win the Super Bowl last week according to BetMGM , which has since dropped to +425. Detroit is tied with the Bills for the best odds.
The Lions lost McNeill and Khalil Dorsey to season-ending injuries, David Montgomery to a likely season-ending knee injury and cornerback Carlton Davis III for at least six weeks with a fractured jaw. The Lions have nearly two dozen players on injured reserve and only expect returns of a few like Alex Anzalone , Kalif Raymond and Ifeatu Melifonwu .
The Lions finish the regular season with road games against the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers before facing the Minnesota Vikings at home. The Lions have clinched a playoff spot, but are still locked in a tie for the NFC North and top seed in the NFC.
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Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press . Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22 , and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Aidan Hutchinson on injury: 'On track' to play in Super Bowl for Lions
