Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Dallas Cowboys receiver Allen Hurns had to be carted off the field after suffering a gruesome leg injury in the first quarter of his team's Wild Card matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.

Hurns was injured after Seahawks safety Bradley McDougald landed on his lower leg while making the tackle on a 14-yard gain.

Former Cowboys star Dez Bryant sent his thoughts and prayers to Hurns via social media:

Former NFL team doctor David J. Chao likened it to the injury suffered by New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in 2017.

After missing just one game through his first two years in the league, the 27-year-old has been sidelined more frequently over the last two seasons. He missed the final five games of the 2016 season due to a hamstring injury, and he was absent for six games late last year with an ankle problem.

When he has been healthy, though, he has been productive. He piled up 115 catches for 1,708 yards and 16 touchdowns during his first two years.

Hurns had 20 receptions, 295 yards and two touchdowns this season, his first year in Dallas.

An undrafted free agent out of Miami in 2014, Hurns' strong start to his career earned him a four-year, $40 million extension in June 2016. He was ultimately released by Jacksonville in March 2018 and later signed a two-year deal with Dallas.

With the passing attack ranking 29th through Week 7, though, Dallas went out and traded a first-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for former first-round pick Amari Cooper in late October. That helped spark a run at the NFC East title and a playoff berth.

As long as Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Cooper are on the field, the Cowboys should be able to find ways to move the football. With Hurns suffering such a serious injury, Cooper, Beasley and the rest of the receiving corps will have to step up and carry the passing attack.