Za’Darius Smith had a scary moment early in Monday Night Football for the Atlanta Falcons against the New Orleans Saints.
The veteran edge rusher for the Falcons was down on the ground after getting blocked to the turf, and he took a left leg to the top of his head from one of his teammates.
They brought the cart out, and the ESPN broadcast went to a long commercial.
When the broadcast came out, a whole host of Falcons were shown on the field surrounding Smith, hoping that he was OK.
Za’Darius Smith Injury Update
Smith initially wasn’t moving much on the ground, although by the time the broadcast came back, he had begun to move.
They showed Smith getting into a seated posture first.
Then, he stretched out his hands and flexed them.
Finally, Smith told the trainers with him to help him up.
Smith didn’t have his helmet on, but by the time he stood up, he had a smile and jogged off the field.
Apparently, the Falcons had avoided the worst here.
Smith was eventually shown walking to the locker room with a bunch of trainers after only about five minutes of time had passed since the Monday night game got underway.
Update: Smith was ruled OUT with a concussion.
Za’Darius Smith in Atlanta
Smith had wanted to come specifically to the Falcons.
His late mother always hoped that Smith would play in Atlanta, because it’s the closest NFL team to where their family lived.
While Smith’s mom isn’t around to watch him anymore, he has the chance to perform for all his loving family members.
And he knows his momma is watching him from above.
Falcons’ Pass Rush Depth Chart
Smith is the top pass rusher that the Falcons have, at least based on pedigree.
They run a 3-4, so they get their pressure from the outside linebackers.
In addition to Smith, they have Samson Ebukam, Cameron Thomas and Yasir Abdullah.
They also have defensive end Brandon Dorlus helping to get after the quarterback.
It’s not clear whether Smith could come back in on Monday. He’ll have to get cleared by concussion protocol.
But at least the fact that he hopped up and trotted off is some good news relative to what it looked like may have happened initially to Smith.
Za’Darius Smith Injury Update: Why Falcons’ Star Left Game vs. Saints