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NFL: Aussie’s monster hit; Washington QB Alex Smith snaps ankle; Steelers escape

Aussie punter Cameron Johnston puts the hurt on Saints returner with a huge body slam. Plus: Redskins QB Alex Smith’s gruesome ankle injury.

4 min read
November 19, 2018 - 1:02PM
Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith was taken straight to hospital.
Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith was taken straight to hospital.

Cameron Johnston has almost been the forgotten Aussie rookie this season.

The Seattle Seahawks’ Michael Dickson has been snatching headlines left, right and centre with a sparkling debut season but Johnston, who has a similar story, was the star today.

In a 48-7 loss to New Orleans, Johnston was the one shining light, putting on a tackle dubbed “the best of the game” by fans.

The US fans went nuts for Johnston’s hit as punters don’t usually do that.

Johnston was a former AFL draft pick with the Melbourne Demons before being delisted in 2011.

He joined Prokick Australia in 2012 and earned a full scholarship to Ohio State a year later.

He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in May 2017 before beign waived for a reserve contract in January.

The 26-year-old made the Eagles 53-man roster for the 2018-19 season and has been on fire, sitting second in average punt distance at 48.6 yards per kick, 0.2 yards further than Dickson and just 0.2 yards behind leader Arizona Cardinals punter Andy Lee.

QB’S GRUESOME SEASON-ENDING INJURY

The Washington Redskins will be without quarterback Alex Smith for the rest of the NFL season after a horror injury in his side’s 23-21 loss to the Houston Texans.

Redskins coach Jay Gruden confirmed the starting QB was out long-term after snapping his tibia and fibula.

Replays showed his leg badly bent under his body as the 34-year-old was rolled by Texan defenders Kareem Jackson and JJ Watt.

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES

It's a horror injury for Smith and the Redskins with the side holding on to a 6-4 record and the lead in the NFC East.

Someone who knows exactly what Smith is going through is former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann, whose career ended with a broken leg during a game in 1985 at age 36.

At a post-game press conference, Gruden said it was tough to watch.

“I know it was very painful for him and, you know, heartbreaking for a lot of people,” Gruden said.

“You know he’s a great guy and a hard worker and one of the key leaders on this football team.

“These things happen in pro football unfortunately, you just hate to see them happen to a guy like Alex but knowing the type of guy he is, I think he’ll bounce back.”

There was an outpouring of support for the quarterback as he recovers from the gruesome injury, including one of the tacklers Watt.

Smith was a long-term San Francisco 49ers quarterback but left in 2013 when Colin Kaepernick emerged for the side.

He was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs and was a Pro Bowl quarterback in 2013, 2016 and 2017 before being traded to the Redskins in January.

Justin Reid returned an interception 101 yards to help the Texans overcome a mistake-prone Deshaun Watson for their seventh consecutive victory.

Redskins QB Alex Smith passes before the disturbing injury.
Redskins QB Alex Smith passes before the disturbing injury.

Adrian Peterson’s touchdown put the Redskins up 21-20 early in the fourth quarter and was the first lead change in a game involving the Redskins all season.

Watson threw for a touchdown and had two interceptions, completing 16 of 24 passes and taking three sacks.

Houston (7-3) turned over the ball three times, but kept its winning streak going after Redskins kicker Dustin Hopkins missed a 63-yard field-goal attempt with three seconds left.

Peterson ran for two touchdowns to continue climbing the NFL rushing chart, but was bottled up on a lot of his other carries. Peterson’s three and seven yard touchdown runs gave him 105 in his career and moved him past former Redskins star John Riggins into sole possession of sixth, one behind Jim Brown for fifth. Peterson finished with 51 yards on 16 carries.

— with AP

STEELERS PINCH WIN IN FINAL SECOND COMEBACK

Ben Roethlisberger was far from perfect until the fourth quarter, and that was all that mattered for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

One week after Roethlisberger had a perfect quarterback rating, he overcame three interceptions and a 16-0 deficit by leading two late scoring drives.

He lunged in from the 1 for the winning score with 5 seconds left for a 20-16 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

The Steelers (7-2-1) won their sixth straight and likely ended any playoff hopes for the Jaguars, who eliminated Pittsburgh in the divisional round last year.

The Jaguars (3-7) dropped their sixth in a row in a game they controlled until the final five minutes.

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Vance McDonald catches an 11-yard touchdown pass.
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Vance McDonald catches an 11-yard touchdown pass.

Leonard Fournette ran for 95 yards and caught two passes for 46 yards that led to the Jaguars’ only touchdown when he launched himself from the 4 and scored for a 16-0 lead with 2:09 left in the third quarter.

Roethlisberger, who now has 10 turnovers in his last three games against Jacksonville, took over from there.

He got safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. to bite on a pump fake and found Antonio Brown open deep in the middle of the field for a 78-yard touchdown.

Still trailing by 10 points with just under six minutes remaining, Roethlisberger found tight end Vance McDonald in the back of the end zone to cut the lead to 16-13 with 2:28 remaining.

The Jaguars went three-and-out, and Roethlisberger led a 68-yard drive. He hit JuJu Smith-Schuster on the left sideline for a 35-yard gain to the 27 that at least got the Steelers in field goal position.

James Conner dropped a sure touchdown when he got behind linebacker Telvin Smith Sr., but Roethlisberger hit Brown over the middle to the 2.

— AP

NFL WEEK 11 SCORES

Packers 24-27 Seahawks

Cowboys 22-19 Falcons

Bengals 21-24 Ravens

Panthers 19-20 Lions

Titans 10-38 Colts

Raiders 23-21 Cardinals

Broncos 23-22 Chargers

Eagles 7-48 Saints

Originally published as NFL: Aussie’s monster hit; Washington QB Alex Smith snaps ankle; Steelers escape

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Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/us-sports/nfl/nfl-washington-qb-alex-smith-snaps-ankle-steelers-escape/news-story/f5c1c13edcfd6efa186fb0bb04f3cfd7