The idea that a concussion can cause a fumble but be un reviewable is too silly to even ponder, let alone enforce as the NFL presently does.
The 2021 playoff game between the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs included a 10 point swing in the Chiefs favor just before intermission because of an uncalled and unreviewed Targeting call in a game the Browns would lose by five points, 22-17.
The ridiculousness of not penalizing a Targeting hit that causes a fumble, interception, prevents a score or a first down, or occurs in the red zone because the referee missed it but the Instant Replay crew sees, is hard to accept.
When the Chiefs secondary made a spectacular last moment hit at the one yard line that resulted in a fumble into and out of the end zone by the Browns wide receiver, Instant replay revealed an obvious targeting hit that triggered the fumble. (see photo below).
Think about how unfinished Instant Replay is in the NFL. A Targeting hit is more likely to cause a fumble due to an instant concussion, yet the NFL will only review the fumble and not the concussion that caused the fumble? This basically is giving Targeting a free pass and, what is even worse, the defense's motivation to Target rather than make a more conventional and safer tackle is the increased likelihood of a fumble from a Targeting hit that causes a temporary concussion. In this video I literally said Targeting increases the chance of a fumble on November 22, 2020.
The "Targeting causing a concussion fumble" irony includes the fumble actually causes the referee to not notice the Targeting hit as they watch the bouncing football to see who recovers it.
Then to make matters worse, the Instant Replay people cannot indicate that Targeting occurred to the Referees. I think it is asking a lot of a Referee to have to notice both a Targeting hit that causes a concussion fumble to occur.
If the NFL finally does the right thing and allows for Instant Replay to identify a Targeting hit that went unnoticed by the Referees but had a direct bearing on the play being reviewed, the NFL still needs to enhance the rules regarding how a team can challenge a play
NFL coaches should have the option to accept a 10 yard penalty or 10 yard advancement by the opposition instead of giving up a time-out if they incorrectly challenge a play.
Fans were deprived of a much needed late game challenge in the 2021 playoff game between Washington and Tampa Bay when Washington was out of time-outs and could not challenge what might have been a catch and fumble out of bounds play that would have kept their drive alive with just over 2 minutes left in the game.
Come on NFL, do a better job improving your Instant Replay Rules before you lose fans who can't stand the oddity of watching games in which rules that don't make sense determine the outcome of the game. The idea that a concussion can cause a fumble but be un reviewable is too silly to even ponder, let alone enforce as the NFL presently does.
