Aidan Hutchinson's Hit on Drake Maye That Injured Patriots QB Addressed by NFL Rules Expert

The New England Patriots' disappointing season took a nightmarish turn during Sunday's 35-10 loss against the Detroit Lions in Munich.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye suffered an injury early in the first quarter after being sacked by Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson on third down. Despite an outcry from fans, Fox Sports rule analyst Mike Pereira said during the broadcast that Hutchinson's sack was "not a hip-drop" tackle, per ESPN's Mike Reiss.

"Three things have to happen: You have to unweight yourself, swivel all around the back and land on the back of his leg below the knee," Pereira said. "This was more of a horse collar-type pulled down from behind. [But] certainly not a horse-collar penalty."

NFL officiating analyst Walt Anderson confirmed Pereira's explanation through a league spokesman, Reiss reported. Anderson noted that the sack did not qualify as a hip-drop tackle because there was no swivel or unweighting. It also did not qualify as a horse collar tackle because Hutchinson did not grab Maye's collar or nameplate.

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Hutchinson reached around Maye's right shoulder pad and landed on Maye's lower leg as he brought him down. The third-year quarterback limped to the sideline before returning to the locker room for further evaluation.

Hutchinson celebrated the sack with his typical leap in the air, but he landed awkwardly and injured his right knee.

Both Maye and Hutchinson were ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Patriots backup quarterback Tommy DeVito wasn't able to find much production with New England's injury-riddled offensive unit. He completed 12 of 24 pass attempts for 81 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

The Patriots will head into their much-needed bye week with a 5-5 record and a long flight home.