Fears that Harrison Smith suffered a wrist injury in an awkward fall Sunday against the Saints have been relieved by a painful report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that says the Vikings safety simply got kicked in the testicles.
“Smith may never have another child, but otherwise he’s fine,” Pelissero said.
#Vikings Pro Bowl S Harrison Smith got hit in a *very sensitive area* in the final seconds of Sunday’s win over the #Saints, per source. That’s why he had to come out — stopping the clock, which he wasn’t trying to do. Smith may never have another child, but otherwise he’s fine.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 3, 2022
Smith suffered the low blow on a 32-yard pass from Andy Dalton to Chris Olave with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
It was the left heel of Vikings safety Cam Bynum that appeared to be a direct hit on Smith’s private parts. Here’s the replay. If you hit the pause button enough times you can line up to see the moment of impact.
CHRIS OLAVE WHAT A GRAB.@Saints still in it with 11 seconds to go…
đź“ş: #MINvsNO on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/rvQRHI7Cq9 pic.twitter.com/SYzkMDmOCt— NFL (@NFL) October 2, 2022
In the series of screen shots below, you can see Bynum make a play on Olave and then get spun around, with his left foot smacking Smith between the legs. Smith then goes down and succumbs to the pain in the fetal position.
It was unfortunate timing given that it forced an injury stop, giving the Saints time to run another play in an effort to get closer for a game-tying field goal.
Fortunately, Will Lutz’s 61-yard field goal effort double-doinked off the upright and bar, handing the Vikings a 28-25 win.
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