Locker room buzz: Reactions to Hutchinson injury, emptying the clip in revenge game, playmaking o-linemen and safeties proclaim they're NFL's best
Arlington, Texas — The jarring loss of Aidan Hutchinson hung heavy over the postgame locker room, turning a highly impressive victory over the Dallas Cowboys bittersweet.
Defensive tackle Alim McNeill, who Hutchinson collided with causing the injury, talked about going numb in the moments after the play.
“It was wild,” McNeill said. “I didn't know what to say or what to do, honestly. What's crazy, I feel like we swapped. The same thing kind of happened to me last year when we collided. We collided again and it's Hutch (getting hurt) this time. I hate that for him. At that moment, I didn't know what to think. I was kind of lost and then we had to get back to the game. I kind of blanked, to be honest.”
That’s a brutal part of the business. One minute you’re surrounding and supporting your teammate, watching them be carted off the field, the next minute you’re trying to get your head straight as the ball is being snapped.
Hutchinson, who suffered a broken tibia, will stay in Dallas overnight to be evaluated. Teammate DJ Reader has been there before, and recently. He completed a lengthy rehab for a torn quad last month.
He’s empathetic but also didn’t want to sugarcoat the road ahead for Hutchinson.
“We're just going to be there and have our arms around him,” Reader said. “I damn near teared up after that. I know that feeling. I know that feeling when you're sitting there, face up, looking at the sky and you don't know the outcome. I'm just praying for my brother and I know he'll be all right.
“I'd just tell him that we're here for him,” Reader said. “It's tough any time you go through rehab. I'll just tell him you can't be mad about things lost. All you can do is rehab and come back stronger.”
What the Lions do at the position going forward, especially after already losing Marcus Davenport a few weeks earlier, remains to be seen. Undrafted rookie Isaac Ukwu debuted against Dallas and played a lot of Hutchinson’s snaps after the Pro Bowler’s exit. He earned praise from McNeill, and if the team needs more out of Ukwu, he’ll be ready.