Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson will undergo surgery after suffering a gruesome leg injury in the win over the Cowboys

The Detroit Lions had everything under control with a stunning 47-9 win at the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but then suffered what seemed like a major loss.

Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit's best defensive player and NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate, was injured by a sack by Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the second half. He winced in pain as he wrapped Prescott, then lay still. A cart came to the field for him.

Replay showed that when Hutchinson turned while wrapping up Prescott, his leg struck a teammate. The force of the blow apparently caused Hutchinson to break his leg. Players from both teams came onto the field as Hutchinson was loaded onto the cart and his injured left leg was fitted with an air splint.

WARNING: The playback on Fox is graphic.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell confirmed after the game that Hutchinson will undergo surgery for a broken leg and that he will remain in Dallas for treatment. A specific timetable for his recovery is unknown. The Lions confirmed after the game that Hutchinson had suffered a shin injury, but that it was not a compound fracture as initially thought.

“He’s in good hands right now,” Campbell said. “He's being looked after…Obviously he's going to be out for a while. So this is tough, man. It’s hard when you lose someone like him.”

The Lions were leading the Cowboys 34-6 at the time of Hutchinson's injury. They were on their way to improving to 4-1 and looking like one of the best teams in the NFL. But losing Hutchinson for a while would severely dent their hopes of reaching the first Super Bowl in franchise history.