Smith injury hangs over Redskins’ loss
Justin Reid returned an interception 101 yards to help the Texans overcome a mistake-prone Deshaun Watson and beat the Redskins 23-21 on Sunday for their seventh straight win.
The Redskins’ loss came at a significant price when quarterback Alex Smith suffered a gruesome ankle injury on a sack in the third quarter.
Smith’s right ankle turned the wrong way as he was sacked by Kareem Jackson and J.J. Watt on a play eerily similar to Joe Theismann’s broken leg that came exactly 33 years ago to the day.
“I saw a pile of people go down, and then I saw Alex’s leg in the position it was in. And I turned away after that. It brought back vivid memories,” said Theismann, hurt on a hit by Lawrence Taylor during a victory over the Giants on Nov. 18, 1985.
Colt McCoy replaced Smith and threw a touchdown pass for the Redskins, who likely will have to rely on the journeyman quarterback the rest of the way.
Ravens 24, Bengals 21: Rookie Lamar Jackson juked and sprinted for 117 yards in his first start as the Ravens ended a three-game skid. The 2016 Heisman winner also completed 13 of 19 passes for 150 yards with an interception. Steelers 20, Jaguars 16: Ben Roethlisberger overcame three interceptions and a 16-0 deficit by leading two late scoring drives, lunging in from the 1 for the winning score with 5 seconds left as the Steelers won their sixth straight. Lions 20, Panthers 19: Cam Newton threw an incomplete pass on a 2-point conversion with 1:07 left, allowing the Lions to hold on. Newton had time and Jarius Wright open in the end zone, but he sailed the pass high.
Colts 38, Titans 10: Andrew Luck threw three touchdown passes and Marlon Mack and Jordan Wilkins ran for scores as the Colts won their fourth straight. Luck is unbeaten in 10 starts against the Titans.
Saquon Barkley ran for a career-high 142 yards and scored three touchdowns for the Giants. Linebacker Alec Ogletree returned one of the Giants’ four interceptions 15 yards for another score.
22, Falcons 19: Brett Maher shook off a missed extra point to make a 42-yard field goal on the final play after the Cowboys drove 51 yards in 10 plays to set up the kick.
48, Eagles 7: Drew Brees passed for 363 yards and four touchdowns, and the Saints won their ninth straight in the Eagles’ worst loss by far since they won last season’s Super Bowl.
Broncos 23, Chargers 22: Brandon McManus kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Broncos and snap the Chargers’ six-game winning streak.
Raiders 23, Cardinals 21: Daniel Carlson kicked a 35-yard field goal as the game ended in a matchup of teams scraping the bottom of the NFL standings. The Raiders had lost five straight.
Vikings at Bears: The Bears were looking for their fourth straight victory, which would give them their longest winning streak since a six-game run in 2012. The Vikings had won four of five.