Darrell Taylor injury: Seahawks DE carted off after serious injury
Darrell Taylor became one of the biggest surprises in the Seattle Seahawks defense in 2021, but his season may be in jeopardy after a huge scare during Sunday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Taylor was immobilized by what appeared to be a neck injury during the second half of the game against the Steelers. He was taken out of the game on a stretcher, and the contest was stopped for 15 minutes.
Both the Steelers and the Seahawks took a knee to pray for Taylor's health while the medical staff took care of him on the field.
Seahawks DE Darrell Taylor was carted off the field after suffering an injury late in the fourth quarter.
Both teams gathered around to make sure he was OK. https://t.co/xLUFiSB68u
Darrell Taylor suffers serious injury, has all the movements
According to the NFL broadcast on NBC, which is responsible for Sunday Night Football, Taylor was moving his legs while on the ground. Thankfully, Taylor was also moving all his extremities when he arrived at the local hospital.
The players' reaction to Taylor's injury was emotional. Jamal Adams was seen punching his chest and pointing to the defensive end as he was removed from the field.
Man I felt this from Jamal right here. No idea how they keep playing after witnessing that. Brutal brutal sport.
Prayers up for Darrell Taylor 🙏🏻 https://t.co/rwGHoQAWwe
The game resumed with the remaining three minutes of the fourth quarter, and the score tied at 17.
Steelers, Seahawks scared because of past injuries
Obviously, seeing Taylor getting removed from the field on a stretcher had to bring hard feelings for both teams because of past injuries suffered by their players in the last decade.
The Steelers saw star linebacker Ryan Shazier almost paralyzed after a neck injury suffered in a 2017 Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Shazier couldn't move his legs after the injury, and had to undergo spinal stabilization surgery to be able to walk. Shazier eventually retired in 2020 after he was unable to return to the field.
An earlier incident also created a scary situation for the Seahawks. Although the extent of the injury wasn't as serious, it was still a difficult one to swallow. Former wide receiver Ricardo Lockette was concussed and suffered neck ligament damage during a punt coverage in a 2015 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Lockette was able to return to normal and had no symptoms after his season-ending surgery, but chose not to return to the NFL in 2016 because of the injury.