Everything you need to know about Alex Smith’s gruesome leg injury
Washington will be without its starting quarterback for the rest of the season. Alex Smith had to be carted from the field in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Texans after suffering a sack that resulted in two broken bones in his lower leg.
Backup Colt McCoy will handle the team’s snaps in his stead.
Shortly after the game, Washington head coach Jay Gruden told reporters Smith suffered compound fractures to his tibia and fibia that will require surgery.
Cameras captured the incident in full detail, but the close up image is pretty graphic. Here’s a zoomed-out look at the play that caused the injury. You can see the more gruesome close up image here.
It was an ignominious end to a rough day for the veteran quarterback. Smith had been intercepted twice on the day, with one of those picks being returned 101 yards by safety Justin Reid to give Houston a 17-7 advantage in the third quarter. He was trying to will Washington back into contention when he suffered his brutal hit.
McCoy came on in relief to find Jordan Reed in the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown pass moments later that cut the Texans’ lead to 17-14.
The Texans held on to win the game, 23-21.
An eerie coincidence
Washington lost another quarterback to a brutal broken leg on the same day 33 years ago. Like Smith’s injury, Joe Theismann’s broken leg was caught on camera, with the bone sticking out and everything, for all the world to see. Theismann, who was at the game, quickly noted the similarities.
It was just an eerie moment,” Theismann said after the game. “It was surreal. You see him go down in a pile and then there’s a shot that showed his leg bent and I turned away right after that. I feel so bad for him.”
That wasn’t even the only coincidence. The final score of Washington’s game 33 years ago was also 23-21. Smith and Theismann both broke their legs on the 40-yard line.
It was Hall of Fame pass rusher Lawrence Taylor who’s tackle resulted in Theismann’s injury. Future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt and Kareem Jackson sacked Smith on the play where he was injured.
That injury ended Theismann’s career.
“The memory is vivid,” Theismann told ESPN. “It’s like all of the senses, all of the people, all of the memories, everything that happened in that instance all comes back to me. ... If there is a positive aspect, it’s that so much of medicine has changed.”
What’s next for Alex Smith?
First up is surgery to repair the broken bones. After that, he’ll begin a long process of recovery.
“Just breaks your heart because this is what he loves to do, loves to lead this team, loves to be with the guys, and now the season is over and he has a long way back. It’s just hard to watch that happen to any athlete,” coach Jay Gruden said after the game.
Smith signed a four-year, $94 million deal with Washington this spring. For now, the team is outwardly hopeful that Smith will recover at return to the playing field at some point in the future. Whether or not he’ll be able to play in 2019 is still up in the air.
What does this mean for Washington?
Washington ran to the top of the NFC East behind a surprising 6-3 start to its 2018. Smith’s steady play was a big part of that. Rather than allow the team to wallow in the loss of former quarterback Kirk Cousins, Smith allowed little lapse in service thanks to his low-risk passing in the pocket. While he’d gained just 6.8 yards per attempt — his lowest figure since 2013 — he’d also thrown only three interceptions in 301 passes before Sunday’s game.
Smith’s season is over, obviously, and Colt McCoy takes over as the starter.
McCoy had only thrown 11 regular season passes from 2015 until Week 11. Starting the final six games of the season would be the most action he’s seen since 2011. He’s pretty much the epitome of a replacement quarterback with a career passer rating of 78.9.
Washington already has plans to bring in another quarterback and has a few names in mind, including EJ Manuel, TJ Yates and Mark Sanchez, according to Adam Schefter. Ian Rapoport reported that Josh Johnson will also work out for the team.
But Washington is probably going to need to win with McCoy in the lineup, and the team’s 1-3 record with McCoy as a starter is troubling.
