Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith is sliding at the end of runs in hopes of avoiding injuries, but that’s not how things are working out in Indianapolis on Sunday.
Smith left the game in the first quarter after his head slammed into the turf at the end of a run and then returned to action in the second quarter with the team saying he’d been cleared after a concussion evaluation. Smith is now back in the locker room for another one early in the third quarter.
Smith went down at the end of a one-yard run and Colts safety Clayton Geathers pushed his head down into the turf as he was going down. Geathers was not penalized, but could be fined by the league if they felt his action was excessive.
The loss of Smith didn’t hurt the Chiefs offense. Nick Foles took over and threw a 34-yard touchdown to Tyreek Hill to extend the Chiefs’ lead to 24-7 with 7:34 to play in the third.
The Chiefs have also lost running back Spencer Ware for the rest of the game because of a concussion and Colts cornerback Vontae Davis is out of the game for the same reason.
UPDATE 3:29 p.m. ET: There will be no second return for Smith this Sunday. He’s been ruled out for the rest of the afternoon.
