Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Allen Hurns, who suffered a gruesome injury to his left ankle early in the NFC wild-card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, underwent surgery immediately Saturday evening.

On the Cowboys’ second offensive possession, Hurns had just hauled in a 14-yard catch when Seahawks safety Bradley McDougald fell on his leg. His ankle snapped and he remained face down on the field, his fist pounding the ground as his foot remained bent at an unnatural angle. It was instantly clear that the injury and his pain were severe. Fox showed a replay before determining that, even in an NFL season of unusually gruesome leg injuries, it was not suitable for showing again.

Hurns, surrounded by his teammates and coaches as well as the Seahawks, wiped away tears as his lower leg was placed in an air cast and he was carted off the AT&T Stadium field, raising a fist as fans applauded. “He has a dislocated ankle, as well as fractures in his leg,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters immediately after the Cowboys’ 24-22 victory. “He is, at this time, probably in surgery. My understanding is that he is in surgery.”

It was instantly apparent that the injury had stunned Cowboys players and receiver Amari Cooper talked about it after the game. “It’s hard,” Cooper said (via the Dallas Morning News). “That’s our brother. He’s in a room with us every day. We do everything together. Obviously you have to continue playing, but we played with him in mind.”

By Sunday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter had a positive report, tweeting that “as difficult as the injury was to see, Hurns is expected to be ready to return to football by August if there no complications or anything out of the ordinary.”

Complications with an injury like this are not unusual. Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith required multiple procedures to deal with infection after breaking a leg in mid-November.