Alex Smith provided Washington Football Team with an unforgettable season
On Nov. 18, 2018, it looked like Alex Smith’s NFL career had come to an end. Against the Houston Texans, he suffered a severe leg injury that caused him to be carted off the field in an air cast. It looked bad enough, but the aftermath was worse.
Quietly, Smith struggled to get healthy in the hospital. There was an infection in his surgically repaired leg. Amputation was considered. Smith nearly lost his life. But he battled back, wore a limb-saving device on his leg for nearly a year, and tried to make a comeback to football.
Nobody ever anticipated he’d do it. Even before the 2020 season, he was considered an afterthought in Washington’s quarterback room. When evaluating the roster, his name was always penciled in as a part of the Physically Unable to Perform list. And in many cases, people wrote it in pen.
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Despite the expectation that Smith wouldn’t play again, he fought to get on the field. And he succeeded. He made the 53-man roster out of the gate and after Dwayne Haskins struggled and Kyle Allen was injured, Smith got to see the field against the Los Angeles Rams.
It wasn’t pretty at first. Smith looked like a shell of himself and was under constant heat. But he took that first hit and got right back up. Even if he wasn’t as limber and spry as he once was, he could withstand contact. That meant he could play.
From that moment on, Smith was the starter for Washington. He was by no means flashy. He wasn’t even the pre-injury version of himself, a good game-manager with some mobility. But he helped win games and stabilize and offense because he did one thing: He mostly avoided massive negative plays.
All told, Smith finished the season with a mediocre stat line — 1,582 passing yards, six touchdowns, eight interceptions — but what mattered was Washington’s record with him on the field. They were 5-1. While the defense played a large part in those wins, Smith helped by putting the defense in a good spot to keep things close.
For his efforts in 2020, Smith was named the AP Comeback Player of the Year. In reality, he had clinched that when he set foot on the field against the Rams for the first time. His ability to win his starts helped to seal the deal.
Alex Smith’s 2020 campaign was nothing short of unbelievable.
Nobody believed he would ever play again. But he did, and he helped lead Washington to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Smith’s story is one the Washington Football Team and its fans won’t soon forget.
The 2020 season had somewhat of a magical feel to it down the stretch. Yes, it was a bad division. Yes, Washington made the playoffs with a 7-9 record.
But even so, like Smith, they weren’t supposed to be there. It was supposed to be Dallas’ division to win. Or the Eagles. Instead, Washington flipped the script, captured the division title, and went toe-to-toe with the eventual Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the playoffs.
Potential cap casualties for WFT to target. dark. Next
So, even though Smith won’t be back with Washington in 2021, his memory with the team will live on. His final season with the team was truly unforgettable, and it was a privilege to witness his historic comeback in the Burgundy and Gold.