The Chiefs finished Sunday’s 27–17 win over the Jaguars without JuJu Smith-Schuster after the standout receiver was placed in concussion protocol following a scary hit in the second quarter.
Smith-Schuster was motionless on the turf with his hands up and frozen in front of his face for a few moments after taking a hard shot to his head/neck area from Jaguars safety Andre Cisco as he attempted to catch a pass across the middle. Initially, the play was called for a flag after it appeared there may have been helmet-to-helmet contact, but official Brad Rogers ended up rescinding the flag after it was determined that the contact was shoulder-to-shoulder.
After the game, Chiefs receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling took to Twitter to defend his teammate and express his frustration with the lack of a penalty on the play. Valdes-Scantling, who was seen talking to an official shortly after the hit, helped Smith-Schuster over to the sidelines after he was finally able to stand to his feet.
MVS retweeted a video showing Smith-Schuster’s injury as well as a big hit Cisco dished out on the veteran receiver himself as he tried to make a play on another drive later in the quarter.
Said Valdes-Scantling, “Maybe I don’t understand the rules of targeting, helmet to helmet, or unnecessary roughness. Y’all protecting us?”
The sentiment behind Valdes-Scantling’s remarks echoes conversations that have taken place over the years regarding how the league enforces its rules in an effort to protect players from head injuries. The 2022 campaign has seen the NFL update its concussion protocol in the wake of a string of controversial injuries to Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa earlier this season.
In response to the way Smith-Schuster’s injury was handled on Sunday, Chiefs coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes suggested post-game that Cisco should’ve been penalized per NFL rules.
“As long as there’s contact to the head, it doesn’t need to be in the game,” Reid said, per ESPN. “So it looked like there was contact to the head from where I was standing, but I’m not the one making that call.”
Added Mahomes, “Obviously, there was some helmet-to-helmet contact, and we want to get that out of the league as much as possible, for player safety. These guys on defense are playing too, but by rule, if it’s helmet-to-helmet, it is supposed to be a flag. I know that guy wasn’t trying to. I know it’s a bang-bang play.”
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