INDIANAPOLIS -- The Detroit Lions won a game, but all signs indicate they lost a defensive end for the season in the process. And that makes them sick to their stomach.

Kerry Hyder was carted off the field on the defense's second series of a 24-10 exhibition win against Indianapolis, and even Jim Caldwell, typically so averse to talking about injuries, acknowledged the severity of his condition.

"He's got a significant Achilles injury," Caldwell said. "The doctors will take a look at him. But it doesn't look good."

Caldwell stopped short of declaring Hyder out for the season, but he doesn't typically talk like this unless he already believes a player is done for the long term.

The injury is a grave one for Detroit, which is now without all four of its top defensive ends. Ezekiel Ansah, Cornelius Washington and Armonty Bryant all sat out the preseason win with injuries. Ansah is still on the physically unable to perform list.

Washington and Bryant are getting closer to returning, but Bryant is also already suspended the first four games of the season because of a violation of the league's substance abuse policy.

That means Detroit was forced to give undrafted rookies such as Alex Barrett and Jeremiah Valoaga first-team work. They actually played well, leading the team with six tackles apiece. And they also combined for two of Detroit's five sacks.

But none of that mitigated the devastation that swept through the Lions' locker room after the game. Not only did they lose their sack leader from a year ago, but Hyder is also one of the team's most beloved players.

His story has been the team's best underdog tale in recent years. He spent a couple seasons toiling on the practice squad, and even returned to rookie camp as a veteran to bolster his case. When things weren't working out as a defensive tackle, he lost 40 pounds to make the move to defensive end.

Then he broke through with three sacks in last year's preseason finale. That helped earn him one of the final spots on last year's roster -- and then he proceeded to blister offenses for five sacks in the first month of the season. That led the entire league.

Hyder finished with eight sacks overall -- nearly one-third of Detroit's 26 overall -- and headed into this season with a job in hand for the first time in his hard-fought career.

Now, it's over after two meaningless series.

"It just makes you very sick to your stomach -- like you're going to throw up," fellow defensive end Anthony Zettel said. "Because you see the guy outwork everybody. Awesome teammate, better person, awesome father, brother. He's everything, man. And to see a guy like that go down, it really makes you sick to your stomach, because he's done nothing wrong."