Ever since he suffered a gruesome leg injury in October, there has been hope that Detroit Lions star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson could return by the Super Bowl should the Lions get there.

Hutchinson suffered a broken tibia and fibula in the Week 6 contest against the Dallas Cowboys, but because it was a clean break, there’s a chance Hutchinson could be back on the early end of his the four-to-six month recovery timeline.

But a report on Sunday from FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer is even more optimistic than that. Glazer reports that there is hope that Hutchinson could return by the NFC Championship Game if the Lions make it that far.

Will Aidan Hutchinson return for playoffs?

On Monday, head coach Dan Campbell weighed in on the idea that Hutchinson could be back by the playoffs. First, here’s the report from Glazer on the Lions star’s possible return by the NFC title game.

“[Detroit] might be getting one of their biggest stars back a little bit sooner than maybe they thought in Aidan Hutchinson,” Glazer said. “Here’s where he is — he’s actually doing some underwater running on an underwater treadmill, he’s able to walk on land, as they say. He’s supposed to use a cane, but he’s not really using it right now.

“They are actually holding out hope, just because of how hard he works, that he could possibly be back not [for] the Super Bowl, but the NFC Championship Game, depending on how that bone feels, and Dan Campbell says also, how much practice he can get,” Glazer added.

Here’s what Campbell said about a possible postseason return for Hutchinson.

Aidan Hutchinson injury update

“This is a tough injury,” Campbell said of Hutchinson, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “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.”

Hutchinson’s recovery seems to be going well. He recently posted a video of himself walking without the assistance of crutches.

Hutchinson suffered the injury on Oct. 13, and the Super Bowl is on Feb. 9. That means the Michigan product would have to get healthy and in football shape before the four-month mark in his recovery. For the NFC Championship, Hutchinson would have to get back two weeks before that.

While Lions fans should absolutely hold out hope, just know there is a steep hill to climb for Hutchinson to pull off a return for either of those playoff games. Make sure to temper expectations.