After taking a hard fall on his shoulder early in the second quarter, Washington team doctors told tight end Jordan Reed he probably wouldn’t be able to continue.
He continued anyway.
Via John Keim of ESPN, Reed said he was determined to play through the AC joint separation, and realized when he caught a few passes at halftime from backup quarterback Colt McCoy that he was going to.
“It’s pretty severe pain,” Reed said. “I noticed it the whole time. I just kind of grinded it out and kept praying. I was able to fight through it.”
He did that and more, with eight of his 10 receptions for 80 of his 95 yards and both of his touchdowns coming after the injury.
“I didn’t think he’d come back in, but he came back in and made gigantic plays for us,” Washington coach Jay Gruden said.
He was apparently struggling to get himself dressed after the game, but for a guy with a history of getting hurt (he hasn’t played a 16-game season yet), it was clear what it meant to Reed to stay in.
“It has a lot to do with my maturity,” Reed said. “I’ve grown in how my teammates look at me and the faith they have in me that I could come through in certain situations. When I’m not out there, I feel like I’m letting them down. I don’t like to miss time.”
He now has an extra few days to recover after this one, before he runs the risk of missing more.
