During the Denver Broncos 26-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, linebacker Alex Singleton suffered a torn ACL. That is to say, he got injured in the first quarter, nevertheless he went on to play the entirety of the game, not knowing he had sustained such a serious injury.
Evidently, this happened when safety Brandon Jones' intercepted Baker Mayfield on the eighth snap of 57 that Singleton played that day.
DAWG: #Broncos LB Alex Singleton tore his ACL on this play, then finished the play, and went on PLAYING FOR THE NEXT 3 QUARTERS WITH HIS ACL TEAR.
😱😱😱
Singleton was ruled out for the season today. THEY DO NOT MAKE THEM LIKE ALEX.
(🎥@ZacStevensDNVR) pic.twitter.com/qE1fDrv8Me
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 25, 2024
Remarkably the linebacker stayed on the field for 49 more snaps after this injury.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix described his teammate as tough, "If I had to explain Alex in one thing, what type of guy he is, it would be that. He's the type of guy that would tear his ACL on the sixth play of the game and go out there and finish the game."
Nix also noted that he talked to Singleton at halftime, and he didn't complain about any pain.
"I talked to him at half and he didn't really say anything," Nix said.
The following day, head coach Sean Payton couldn't believe the diagnosis.
"I've had players that have had ACL [tears], but I've never seen one in this fashion, and I was able to look at the MRI," Payton said. "I've never seen one where he felt like he could have played another game that night. Now the next morning there was swelling, but that's pretty remarkable."
Notably, Singleton, 30, was an undrafted free agent out of Montana State, and led the Broncos in tackles each of the last two seasons (2022- 163), (2023- 177). To mention, he currently leads the team with 31 tackles through the first three weeks, but now will have to miss the remainder of the season, as Singleton will undergo surgery in around two weeks from now, according to Payton.
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