Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith was lost for the season on Sunday when he broke his tibia and fibula on a scary, freak tackle by J.J. Watt and Kareem Copeland. Smith, who was immediately in devastating pain, was quickly carted off the field and was reportedly headed to surgery just minutes after his team’s comeback bid fell short.

Anytime a quarterback breaks his leg on the field, NFL fans of a certain age think of former ‘Skins quarterback Joe Theismann, who suffered a gruesome broken leg during a Monday Night Football game in 1985. When the same thing happened to another Redskins quarterback, the callback was even more instantaneous. But the connection between Alex Smith and Joe Theismann gets far more eerie than that.

Joe Theismann broke his right tibia and fibula on Nov. 18, 1985 in a game in Washington that ended 23-21. The only three-time Defensive Player of the Year Lawrence Taylor was involved in the injury, which occurred around the 40-yard line. Theismann’s Pro Bowl left tackle, Joe Jacoby, wasn’t on the field due to injury.

Alex Smith broke his right tibia and fibula on Nov. 18, 2018 in a game in Washington that ended 23-21. The only other three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt was involved in the injury, which occurred around the 40-yard line. Smith’s Pro Bowl left tackle, Trent Williams, wasn’t on the field due to injury.

The biggest difference, the Redskins lost Sunday’s game but won in 1985. Not that it matters much.