On November 18th, 1985, Monday Night Football turned into one of the most unforgettable moments in NFL history.
Washington quarterback Joe Theismann — a Super Bowl champion and former league MVP — suffered a gruesome, career-ending leg fracture after a blind-side hit from Lawrence Taylor on a broken flea-flicker.
The impact was so violent that ABC refused to show the replay twice.
In today’s episode, we break down:
• How Washington entered the game as an NFC powerhouse
• Why the Giants’ defense — led by LT — was unlike anything football had ever seen
• The brutal play that ended Theismann’s career in an instant
• How this moment reshaped offensive philosophy and sparked the “Blind Side” era
• The eerie parallels to Alex Smith’s identical injury 33 years later
Plus: five other major sports moments that happened on November 18th.
It was a play that stunned millions…
A moment that changed the NFL forever…
And a reminder of how one hit can echo across generations.
