Defensive attitude stands out on the field and the sidelines
While Allen was driving the offense down the field, defensive end Michael Hoecht was energizing the defense on the field and eventually on the sidelines.
Hoecht had two tackles and had half a sack with defensive end Greg Rousseau for a combined nine-yard loss. However, his evening came to an end in the fourth quarter. Head coach Sean McDermott said in his postgame press conference that Hoecht tore his Achilles and will be out for the remainder of the season.
"It's a big loss," McDermott said of the defensive end. "I thought he gave us a certain level of toughness, smarts, knowing how to play the game. "We've got to find somebody else that is going to step up. It's kind of one of those years … You can never replace one player, that said, it's about the team."
Despite the in-game injury, Hoecht remained on the sidelines, helping coach the rest of the defense. Safety Cole Bishop said that instead of getting carted off the field, he wanted to remain with the team on the sidelines to finish out the game.