The Houston Texans’ offensive tackle Derek Newton sustained a horrific injury on Monday night against the Broncos that has doctors, nurses, sportscasters and fans still reeling. The improbability of this kind of injury occurring in this fashion is still the “talk of the town.”

Newton was preparing to block Von Miller when his leg buckled, collapsing in visible agony as the trainers and team physician attended to him. Newton was carted off the field, and it was reported that he had suffered a torn patellar tendon in both knees prior to the end of the game.

Knee injuries such as an ACL are often season-ending but rarely are they career-ending. A torn patellar tendon is much more serious than an ACL—or even a ruptured quad tendon. And that’s just one knee, let alone two.

Specializing in sports medicine, our orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Charles J. Gatt, Jr., also serves as Chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Gatt discusses the injury and the surgery that lies ahead for Newton.

We have partnered with WFAN 660 AM/101.9 FM to bring you the weekly Football Injury Update, a recap of the top injuries across the NFL with our doctors providing their expert medical opinion on the injury, treatment options and prognosis to return to the field of play. The Football Injury Update will air each Thursday and Friday on Mike Francesa’s show between 1:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.