The Dallas Cowboys came into Sunday’s game against the Washington Football Team down a quarterback follow Dak Prescott’s injury last week that him with a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle. Veteran QB Andy Dalton stepped into the spotlight today but he too left the game with a nasty injury following an ugly helmet-to-helmet hit from Washington’s Jon Bostic.

The play in question came around midway through the 3rd quarter. Washington was handily beating Dallas 22-3, further drawing the NFC East into a malaise of mediocrity. Dalton was attempting to get something going on offense when he took off on a run out of the endzone, sliding feet-first as to avoid major contact from a defender. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop Bostic from targeting Dalton’s head and going helmet-to-helmet.

The hit was so severe that Dalton’s helmet popped off when he hit the ground and the 32-year-old laid on the ground for a long time.

Third-stringer Ben Dinucci, who had never played an NFL snap before, entered the game for Dalton. For his part, Dinucci got off to a good start with his very first pass.

As for the hit, Bostic was immediately ejected and can expect to be fined pretty strongly by the league. Also, not too many people were surprised to see who it was who had taken the cheap shot.

A lot of folks remember the 2013 Sugar Bowl when Bostic went helmet-to-helmet on Teddy Bridgewater on a hit that certainly raised a lot of eyebrows.

Bostic was also fined $21,000 by the NFL in 2013 following a head-down hit while he played for the Bears. He can expect something similar, or even worse, waiting for him from the league this week. As for Dalton, he’s out of the game and will hopefully receive the proper concussion protocols he’ll need.

[Fox Sports]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.