Alex Smith Suffers Horrific Injury 33 Years To The Day After Joe Theismann's Broken Leg

Alex Smith sustained a horrific injury on the exact same day as former Washington Redskin, Joe Theismann, did exactly 33 years ago.

Redskins quarterback, Smith, was sacked midway through the third quarter. He was brought down to the turf by linebacker J.J. Watt and cornerback Kareem Jackson.

Smith was immediately in a massive amount of pain and rightly so. It was revealed after the game that he had broken his tibia and fibula. Ironically enough, this past Sunday was the same day Theismann also broke his leg which ultimately ended his career.

Theismann couldn't resist sending out a tweet reminding everyone of what happened to him 33 years ago. He was sacked by former New York Giants linebacker, Lawrence Taylor, back on November 18th, 1985.

That was also Theismann's last game of his twelve-year career. He was 36-years-old and decided that it wasn't worth the recovery time to try and make a comeback. Theismann spoke to an Associated Press reporter and expressed how he had to turn away after he saw the injury.

He said that seeing Smith go down like that reminded him all too well about the way his career ended. That day back in 1985 is also something that Theismann said will never forget because of how it changed his life.

Unlike with Theismann, this injury shouldn't be career-ending for Smith. He is 34-years-old instead of 36 like Theismann was. He also just signed a four-year $94 million contract this past off-season, so there's definitely interest on both sides for a return as soon as possible.

This season-ending injury is just so devastating for both sides. For Smith, it seems doubtful that he will be ready for the start of next season. He is looking at six to eight months alone for just his leg to heal, it'll likely take at least another month or two to get back into football shape.

For the Redskins side, they just lost their quarterback for the rest of this season and likely the start of next. Backup quarterback, Colt McCoy will get the reins for the starting job for now. They did just sign Mark Sanchez as his backup if anything does go wrong.

The Redskins currently sit at top of the NFC East with a record of 6-4. The Dallas Cowboys sit in second in the division only a game behind them.

They also play the Redskins this Thursday on Thanksgiving. The Redskins will need McCoy to carry the team the rest of the way while Smith is out.

WHAT THIS MEANS

The Redskins' season seems all but lost now with Smith being done for the season. McCoy definitely isn't anywhere close to what Smith was for the team. But, if the Redskins have any hope at winning this division they will need running back Adrian Peterson to carry the load.

Peterson has rejuvenated himself with the Redskins this season. He has averaged 73 yards per game but will need to do more than that down the stretch. If he can provide that to the offense, then that will take pressure off of McCoy' shoulders.

Then maybe they will have a chance to hold onto the division, but it's unlikely they would go far in the playoffs without Smith.