NFL Admits to Stark Rise in Concussions During 2022 Season

The NFL released concussion data on Friday for the 2022 season that paints a harrowing picture regarding the state of head injuries across the league this year.

Per the data released by the NFL, there were 149 concussions suffered over 271 games this season. That’s an 18% jump from the 126 concussions a year ago, and is 14% higher than the three year average of 130 concussions from 2018 to ’20.

The NFL’s chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills says that a “broadened and strengthened” definition of concussion in the evaluation of players has contributed to the jump.

“We continue to become more cautious and conservative in our evaluation and diagnosis of concussions,” Sills said, per ESPN. “That’s not just an opinion. That’s backed up by the data.”

While diagnosed in-game concussions jumped, practice concussions dropped to an eight-year low of 25.

Although the results of the concussion data was mixed, the total of all preseason and regular season injuries in totality were down 5.6% across the NFL.