Every NFL player plays through some degree of pain after the first week of the season.
Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton did on Sunday in the team's 26-7 road win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and took this practice to the next level. He played on all 57 defensive snaps on what was later discovered to be a torn ACL. On Wednesday, head coach Sean Payton confirmed Singleton's injury after Wednesday's practice, saying Singleton injured his left knee on safety Brandon Jones' interception of Baker Mayfield in the first quarter, the eighth snap of 57 that the linebacker played that day.
"That one's tough," Broncos quarterback Bo Nix said, via ESPN. "... if I had to explain Alex in one thing, what type of guy he is, it would be that ... I talked to him at half and he didn't really say anything."
Singleton was seen limping off the field, but he completed the contest. He leads Denver with 31 tackles this season, and told the team's medical staff he had knee soreness. An MRI conducted on Sunday after the game showed Singleton's ligament was torn and that he would be out for the year, Payton said.
"First time; I've had players who had ACLs ... [but] never seen one where he felt like he could have played another game that night," Payton said, via ESPN. "Kind of remarkable ... never seen anyone play, obviously, that long [after the injury]."
Funny enough, Singleton had the same reaction as Payton to the news.
"He was just as surprised," Payton said. ... "We saw him in the training room after the game; he reported some soreness. ... I think all of us were [surprised]."
With the loss of Singleton, who led the Broncos in tackles in both 2022 (163) and 2023 (177), fellow Denver linebackers Cody Barton, Justin Strnad and Kristian Welch could receive more playtime going forward.