Getty Images

Washington quarterback Alex Smith was taken to the hospital after being carted off the field with a leg injury on Sunday and no one who saw the play when Smith got hurt will be surprised to learn how severely Smith was injured.

Washington head coach Jay Gruden announced after the game that Smith broke his tibia and fibula. Gruden also said that Smith needs to have immediate surgery and the injury will bring an end to his first season with the team.

The injury came 33 years to the day that former Washington quarterback Joe Thiesmann suffered a similarly gruesome leg injury in a game against the Giants. Thiesmann would never play again and we certainly hope that’s not the case for Smith.

Colt McCoy rallied Washington to a 21-20 lead after Smith was injured — that marked the first lead change in a Washington game this season — but the Texans recovered to kick a field goal and hold on for a win when Dustin Hopkins‘ 63-yard field goal fell short.

There’s no other quarterback on the Washington roster, so they’ll be making a roster move in the coming days as they try to make something of their 6-4 start to the year despite the loss of their starting quarterback.