What looked to be yet another head injury marred Saturday’s AFC first-round game between the Chiefs and Titans.
Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce caught a pass over the middle and lunged forward for a few extra yards. Tennessee safety Johnathan Cyprien rushed into make the tackle and collided with the side of Kelce’s helmet. The tight end, who earlier in the game caught a touchdown pass, crumpled on the field.
When teammates tried to help him up, he could not stand or walk straight and needed assistance to head to the locker room. He was later ruled out for the remainder of the game with a concussion.
Here’s video of the hit, which, be warned, is not for the faint of heart:
Concussion protocol is underway for Travis Kelce after this hit. pic.twitter.com/vFjQYfoq5G
— Kevin Marchina (@kg_holler) January 6, 2018
This is the first game played under the NFL’s new concussion protocol, which now requires an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant at the league command center. Also, players who stumble or fall to the ground when trying to stand will be automatically sent to the locker room for evaluation.
Those changes, agreed to by both the NFL and the players’ union, came after Houston quarterback Tom Savage was allowed to return to a game in November after a blow to the head left him on the ground with his arms flailing.
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