LANDOVER, Md. — Alex Smith seemed to know immediately this was bad. Really, really bad. He covered his face with both hands, then a white towel, before his fractured right leg was placed in an air cast and he was carted off the field.

One of his predecessors as Washington quarterback, Joe Theismann, was at Sunday’s game and sensed the same – all-too-familiar with what a season-ending broken leg looks and feels like.

Exactly 33 years to the day after Theismann’s gruesome injury during a nationally televised game, Smith went down with breaks to his right fibula and tibia midway through the third quarter of Washington’s 23-21 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday. Coach Jay Gruden said Smith would have surgery “right away.”

“I saw a pile of people go down, and then I saw Alex’s leg in the position it was in. And I turned away after that. It brought back vivid memories,” said Theismann, who was hurt when hit by Lawrence Taylor during a Washington victory over the New York Giants on Nov. 18, 1985.

Smith was in his first season with Washington (6-4) after arriving in a trade from the Kansas City Chiefs. He had thrown two first-half interceptions Sunday, one returned 101 yards for a TD by Texans safety Justin Reid, as Washington fell behind 17-7.

Colt McCoy helped Washington score a pair of TDs, including a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Reed on the backup QB’s first pass in a regular-season game since 2015.

Adrian Peterson touchdown run put Washington up 21-20 early in the fourth quarter, but Houston (7-3) went ahead for good on a 54-yard field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn and extended its winning streak to seven.

The Texans (7-3) are the first team since the 1925 New York Giants to win seven in a row after starting 0-3.

STEELERS 20, JAGUARS 16: Ben Roethlisberger overcame three interceptions and a 16-0 deficit by leading two late scoring drives, and lunged in from the 1 for the winning score with 5 seconds left as visiting Pittsburgh (7-2-1) got its sixth straight win.

COWBOYS 22, FALCONS 19: Brett Maher shook off a missed extra point and kicked a 42-yard field goal on the final play, lifting Dallas (5-5) to a win in Atlanta (4-6).

Matt Ryan threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones for Atlanta’s only touchdown with 1:52 remaining to tie the game.

BRONCOS 23, CHARGERS 22: Brandon McManus kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired, and visiting Denver (4-6) snapped San Diego’s six-game winning streak.

Philip Rivers threw for 401 yards and two touchdowns for the Chargers (7-3), but he also threw two interceptions, and Los Angeles committed 14 penalties.

SAINTS 48, EAGLES 7: Drew Brees passed for 363 yards and four touchdowns, and New Orleans (9-1) won its ninth straight with a demolition of visiting Philadelphia (4-6).

Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was intercepted three times.

COLTS 38, TITANS 10: Andrew Luck threw three touchdown passes and Marlon Mack and Jordan Wilkins each ran for a touchdown, giving host Indianapolis (5-5) four straight wins for the first time since November 2014.

Luck remained unbeaten in 10 starts against the Titans.

RAVENS 24, BENGALS 21: Rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson juked and sprinted for 117 yards in his first NFL start, Gus Edwards ran for 115 yards, and Baltimore (5-5) won at home to end a three-game losing streak.

Flashing the moves that enabled him to win the 2016 Heisman Trophy at Louisville, Jackson zipped in and out of the pocket for 27 carries. He also completed 13 of 19 passes for 150 yards, with an interception.

Randy Bullock missed a potential tying 52-yard field goal for the Bengals (5-5) with 3:59 left.

LIONS 20, PANTHERS 19: Cam Newton threw an incomplete pass on a 2-point conversion with 1:07 left, letting Detroit (4-6) hold on for a win against visiting Carolina (6-4).

Panthers Coach Ron Rivera went for the win after Newton threw a touchdown pass to DJ Moore, perhaps because usually reliable kicker Graham Gano missed an extra point and a field goal earlier in the game.

GIANTS 38, BUCCANEERS 35: Saquon Barkley ran for a career-high 142 yards and scored three touchdowns as New York won at home, giving the Giants consecutive wins for the first time since December 2016.

Eli Manning threw two touchdown passes, and linebacker Alec Ogletree returned one of the Giants’ four interceptions 15 yards for another score.

Tampa Bay (3-7) made things interesting after Jameis Winston replaced Ryan Fitzpatrick in the third quarter and led four touchdown drives.

RAIDERS 23, CARDINALS 21: Daniel Carlson kicked a 35-yard field goal as the game ended, and visiting Oakland (2-8) snapped a five-game losing streak.

Rookie Josh Rosen threw for three touchdowns for Arizona (2-8), two to Larry Fitzgerald, but he was intercepted twice, leading to two first-half touchdowns for Oakland.

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