Exactly one year ago today, all was well for the Washington Redskins.
The team was 6-3 with a top spot in the NFC East and a clear path toward a playoff berth.
What happened next changed not only the course of Washington’s season, but completely altered the path of Alex Smith’s career and put into motion the wheels of change for the Redskins franchise.
In the third quarter of a game against the Houston Texans, Smith dropped back to pass. Pressure came, and Smith’s leg was rolled up on, resulting in a compound fracture that would place his career in jeopardy. The Redskins would end up losing the game 23-21, which would kick off a brutal 365 days in which they would only win two of the next 16 games.
Since Smith went down on that fateful day — one that bore eerily similar circumstances to when Joe Theismann suffered a gruesome broken leg in 1985 — the Redskins have seen six different starting quarterbacks take the field, all of whom have faced insurmountable criticism. The need for a new answer at the position led Daniel Snyder and Bruce Allen to select a QB with their first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, a player who has yet to find his footing in the league. They’ve also seen a longtime head coach fired, and an interim flirting with the idea of being ousted as well.
In his first year with the team, Smith was off to a hot start and looked to be the answer to Washington’s woeful stretch. He ended up being just another chapter in the book of misery and misfortune. In the months after the injury, Smith has had a tough road getting back to the point where he can walk under his own power, and multiple infections and surgeries have slowed the recovery. However, he continues to be determined to play football again, no matter how unlikely it seemed a year ago.
As for the Washington Redskins, they’re still looking for an answer at the QB position, anyone who can bring the hope and success that Smith brought for nine games in 2018. It may have only been 365 days since he took the field for the Redskins, but it’s felt like an eternity, and there’s no end in sight.
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