Washington Football Rewind: Relive Smith’s miracle return originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Washington Football Team dropped its fourth consecutive game this past Sunday, falling to a much better Los Angeles Rams team, 30-10.
However, the main storyline following the game had little to do with Washington’s overall lack of success.
Late in the second quarter, Washington quarterback Kyle Allen suffered an arm injury, one he would not return from. With Allen sidelined, 36-year-old QB Alex Smith took the field for the first time in 23 months, completing one of the most incredible sports injury recoveries you will ever see.
On Tuesday at 6 p.m., NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay, Brian Mitchell and Jordan Giorgio will break down Smith’s return, plus a few other notable moments from Sunday’s contest against the Rams on Washington Football Rewind.
Can’t get enough of the Washington Football Team? Don’t miss Washington Football Rewind vs. the Rams Tuesday night at 6 p.m., right after Washington Football Today with Julie Donaldson. Replay the game with additional commentary from Jordan Giorgio, Brian Mitchell and JP Finlay, only on NBC Sports Washington, Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Here are three storylines to look out for…
1. Alex Smith’s return
As stated above, Smith’s return to the field was by far the biggest storyline to come out of Washington’s matchup on Sunday. Heck, even former United States President Barack Obama showed his support for the QB.
Smith’s recovery is simply remarkable. He needed 17 surgeries to recover from a gruesome leg injury he suffered in November of 2018 and wore a metal fixator on his leg for months. For Smith, being able to walk again without limitations was already a tremendous success. Now, he’s back to playing in an NFL game. Incredible.
Smith’s return to the field did not have a Hollywood ending, however. The quarterback was sacked six times in his return and the offense scored just three points on drives he played. The Rams defense had their way with Washington, both when Smith was playing and when he wasn’t.
On Washington Football Rewind, the crew will break down how Smith looked in his return to action.
2. How did Kyle Allen look?
Entering Washington’s Week 5 matchup, the biggest thing fans were wondering was how would Kyle Allen look replacing Dwayne Haskins? Earlier in the week, head coach Ron Rivera promoted Allen to the starting role, relegating 2019 first-rounder Dwayne Haskins to third-string just four games into the season.
Allen led four Washington drives before he was forced to leave the game with an injury. Three of those ended the same way many drives Washington has had this season: punts.
Yet, Allen did lead Washington on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off by a seven-yard TD run by the quarterback himself. It was one of the most impressive drives from Washington this season.
Postgame, Rivera stated Allen would continue to be Washington’s starting quarterback moving forward, as long as he is healthy.
On Washington Football Rewind, Mitchell, Finlay and Giorgio will discuss how Allen fared in his first game as Washington’s starter and speak on what the 24-year-old can improve moving forward.
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3. What’s wrong with Washington’s defense?
For the fourth straight week, Washington’s defense allowed 30 or more points. Not coincidentally, the Burgundy and Gold dropped their fourth consecutive contest by double-digits.
The hiring of Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio was expected to improve a defense from a year ago that had plenty of talent but was used in a poor system. After an incredible Week 1, Washington’s defense has been unimpressive, to say the least.
Mitchell, Giorgio and Finlay will break down Washington’s defensive woes, highlighting what they believe are the main causes of the lack of success from the unit.
Make sure to tune in to Washington Football Rewind, you won’t want to miss it!
