Alex Smith suffers gruesome leg injury on the 33rd anniversary of Joe Theismann’s similarly gruesome injury

The veteran quarterback is unlikely to return to Sunday’s game.

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 gruesome lower leg injury. 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 that will require surgery:

Here’s a zoomed-out look at the play that caused the injury.

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.

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 won’t return Sunday, and a quick armchair analysis suggests it could be a while before he returns to the field. Theismann, who had his career ended by a similar (and oft-replayed) hit on this day 33 years ago, saw the similarities between the two gruesome tackles immediately.

Theismann, coincidentally enough, was at FedEx Field to watch Smith’s injury live Sunday afternoon.

As for McCoy, he’d only thrown 11 regular season passes from 2015 until Week 11. He’s suddenly in line to start the final six games of the season, which 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 — meaning Washington can win with him in the lineup, though the team’s 1-3 record with McCoy as a starter is still troubling.