Redskins lose Smith to broken leg

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Thirty-three years to the day after the Redskins lost quarterback Joe Theismann to a broken leg, Alex Smith’s season ended on an eerily similar injury in Washington’s 23-21 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Smith broke his right tibia and fibula on a sack by Kareem Jackson midway through the third quarter and will require surgery. The veteran quarterback’s leg turned the wrong way, much the way Theismann’s did when he was sacked by Lawrence Taylor on a Monday night game in 1985. Theismann’s injury ended his career.

“I know it was very painful for him and heartbreaking for a lot of people,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. “He’s a great guy and hard worker and one of the key leaders on this football team. These things happen in pro football, unfortunately. Just hate to see them happen with a guy like Alex.”

Theismann attended the game and said he turned away after Smith went down.

“It brought back vivid memories,” Theismann said.

Smith wasn’t the only quarterback hurt during Sunday’s early games. The Titans lost quarterback Marcus Mariota in the final minute of the first half of their blowout loss to the Colts when he reinjured his right elbow.

The Texans lost both of their starting guards against Washington Zach Fulton to a shoulder injury on the first drive and Senio Kelemete to an ankle injury in the second quarter. For the Redskins, defensive lineman Jonathan Allen was evaluated for a concussion but returned.

The Detroit Lions also suffered a blow on offense when rookie running back Kerryon Johnson hurt his left knee against the Carolina Panthers. He left in the third quarter and didn’t return after running for 87 yards on 15 carries.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton suffered an apparent ankle injury against the Lions. He left briefly in the third quarter but returned.

Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, who’s had ankle issues lately, limped off the field twice against the Bengals.

In the Giants’ win over the Buccaneers, New York defensive lineman Kerry Wynn left in the second half with a concussion. Tampa Bay tight end O.J. Howard left in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.

Jaguars right guard A.J. Cann injured a hamstring in Jacksonville’s loss to the Steelers.

College football

ARMY RANKED FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1996 >> Army is ranked for the first time since 1996, moving into The Associated Press college football poll at No. 23 on Sunday as it begins preparations to face rival Navy on Dec. 8.

The Black Knights (92) have been edging toward the Top 25 in recent weeks, and they finally broke through. The rankings were mostly unchanged after a weekend with few big games or surprising results.

Led by unanimous No. 1 Alabama, the top six stayed the same as last week. Clemson was No. 2, followed by Notre Dame, Michigan, Georgia and Oklahoma.

Washington State moved up a spot to No. 7 and UCF jumped three spots to No. 8, season highs for both schools. LSU tied Central Florida at No. 8 and Ohio State was 10th.

Also debuting in the Top 25 this season was Pittsburgh at No. 24.

Army being ranked has been a rarity since the early 1960s. From 1963-2017, there have been only two seasons in which the Black Knights appeared in the AP Top 25. In 1985, Army was No. 19 for one week on its way to a 9-3 season.

In 1996, Army went 10-2 and was ranked in four of the final five polls of the season.