While Houston Texans safety Kareem Jackson unleashed a war cry after a momentum-killing third down sack, Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith lay on the ground behind him, in the early stages of epiphany.
The $94 million quarterback had landed on all fours after being sandwiched between Jackson and J.J. Watt. He crawled only an inch before reality struck, past all the adrenaline and the stadium noise and the smell of disheveled Bermuda grass. He rolled onto his back, his right leg dangling as its own entity below the knee, and the calls for the trainers came.