Just seconds before the two-minute warning of the first half, Washington’s Kyle Allen was injured by Jalen Ramsey. The football world paused for a moment as Alex Smith stepped on the field.
It’s been 693 days since Smith broke his fibula and tibia in his right leg. He faced several hurdles after the gruesome injury including having three metal plates inserted, 17 surgeries, contemplating amputation and battling a life-threatening infection.
Elizabeth Smith, Alex’s wife, told ESPN’s Stephania Bell what she heard while waiting for updates from the hospital: “Elizabeth, we’re doing the best we can. And right now, our first priority is we’re going to save his life, and then we’re going to do our best to save his leg and anything beyond that is a miracle.”
Smith faced a long recovery process but vowed to see the field again.
“I need to prove that I can come back and play quarterback in the NFL, and if I can do that, that would be great and it’ll get figured out,” Smith said in an interview with ESPN’s Outside The Lines.
Washington considered putting Smith on IR to open the season but he wouldn’t back down. On July 24, doctors cleared him to return to football. On August 16, the team welcomed him back fully.
Despite the 30-10 loss to the Rams, head coach Ron Rivera saw today’s game as a win for Smith. He took a hit by Aaron Donald moments after retaking the field, but hopped up and stayed in the game.
“That’s the one thing we didn’t see through training camp was whether or not he could take the hit,” Rivera said in a postgame interview. “He handled it, he handled it very well.”
Smith was sacked six more times before finishing the game 9-of-17 for 37 yards.
No matter how the game went today, NFL fans can agree that seeing Smith again was nothing short of a miracle.
Photo: (Steve Helber/AP Photo)
