Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Sunday that the team has no timeline yet for defensive end Aidan Hutchinson after a knee injury forced the star out of a 35-10 win over the New England Patriots.
Campbell said the club will learn more once it returns to the United States and undergoes further tests. Hutchinson injured his right knee while celebrating a first-quarter sack of Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Maye also left with an ankle injury on the same play and did not return. The Lions defense then limited backup Tommy DeVito as Detroit improved its record with a dominant road victory in Germany.
“We’ll see where Hutch is at, but we got to step up now,” Campbell said in his post-game press conference. “We need some guys to really step up, and, if that is the case, fill that void.”
Hutchinson entered the contest as one of the NFL’s top edge rushers. He carried a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 91.7 that ranked first among edge defenders, and he added a sack Sunday to push his 2026 total to six. The former second overall pick recorded 14.5 sacks in 2025 and signed a four-year, $180 million extension with Detroit last October.
This marks the second time this season the Lions defense has lost a key player to a serious injury and been forced to respond. Linebacker Jack Campbell suffered a neck injury two weeks earlier against the Minnesota Vikings, was transported to a hospital, and was later placed on injured reserve. Detroit still secured a win that day.
“As far as his game was concerned, our guys stepped up and finished, man,” stated Campbell. “We stayed strong. This is the second time this has happened. Our guys have responded in a tough situation and didn’t bat an eye. We just went back to work. That’s not an easy thing to do.”
Without Hutchinson, the Lions leaned on edge rushers D.J. Wonnum and rookie Derrick Moore. Moore, a second-round pick, recorded two sacks for the second consecutive game and now has four on the season. Wonnum, returning from a concussion, added one of his own. Detroit finished with five sacks overall.
Campbell praised the depth along the defensive line and noted that several interior players helped control the pocket. Alim McNeill, Sky Gil-Howard, Tyleik Williams, Levi Onwuzurike, and Tyler Lacy all contributed as the unit adjusted on the fly.
“I know this, Derrick Moore gets better every game,” said Campbell on his faith in the group without Hutchinson. “The more reps he gets, he gets better. It was good to get Wonnum back today.”
He added that the interior remained effective. “We know what (Alim McNeil) is,” said Campbell on the breakout interior lineman. “Sky (Gil-Howard) can create in there. So can Tyleik (Williams). So— and all those guys, even Levi (Onwuzirke), (Tyler) Lacy, they bring a different flavor, but they push the pocket. They’ve got length. But I think the important thing here is, man, we did what we had to do to get out of this game.”
The win was not always clean, but Detroit controlled the game after the early injuries. Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown powered the offense as the Lions moved to 7-2. They return home next week to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who could be without quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Campbell offered no further medical details on Hutchinson beyond the expectation of additional testing stateside. The coach emphasized that the group already showed it can respond when a leader is unavailable.
“We’ll know more when we get back in the states,” Campbell said. “But any time you lose a player of his caliber, the type of teammate he is, he’s a captain of ours, that doesn’t make things easy. But, I thought guys stepped up in his wake, and showed up for us today and helped us out.”
