Alex Smith missed Weeks 15 and 16 for Washington due to his calf injury. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

This is why Alex Smith is not playing against Bucs in playoffs

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 1/9/21

Alex Smith undoubtedly gives the Washington Football Team its best chance of winning games, which makes it surprising that he did not play in Saturday’s playoff game. But there was a good reason — the Washington quarterback is still bothered by his calf injury.

Smith missed Weeks 15 and 16 for Washington due to his calf injury. However, he played in Week 17 and helped the team beat the Eagles to win the NFC East.

So what kept him from playing on Saturday against Tampa Bay in the NFC wild-card game? According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it’s not an issue of Smith being unwilling to play through pain. Rather, Smith would not have been able to function at a level he or the team wanted.

It’s a functionality issue with Alex Smith and his calf injury, not a pain-tolerance issue. Smith could not function how he nor WFT wanted to be able to start tonight. https://t.co/ETGSScbTxI

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2021

The reason why Smith’s calf issue is so complicated has to do with his major leg injury. Some of the muscle from his calf was relocated as part of his numerous leg surgeries. The result is Smith no longer has as much muscle in his right calf as the average person.

Of course, despite the muscular issue, Smith has much more throwing and quick-processing ability than the average person, which is why he’s still able to be a successful quarterback.

Ultimately, it’s no surprise though that after his incredible and improbable return from injury, Smith is still having some complications.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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