Four and out: Surprises from the NFL in Week 11

2. Rams ignore quarterback’s possible concussion

The St. Louis Rams took a time machine back to the 1970s on Sunday, ignoring signs of a possible concussion in their quarterback Case Keenum. Though they didn’t give him smelling salts and praise him for his toughness as he returned to the field wobbly, their inaction was anachronistic enough.

The timing of this incident couldn’t be worse. Though, it is never a good time to ignore a possible head injury, the movie Concussion, a story of the discovery of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and one that readily features the NFL, is coming out one month from now.

The Rams’ head coach Jeff Fisher is already taking heat for the team’s inattention and inaction when Keenum was obviously injured at the end of the game against the Baltimore Ravens. Keenum suffered a blow so jarring that he grabbed his head and was visibly wobbly when he attempted to stand up.

While the Rams have received the bulk of negative coverage for their decision, it is important to note that the independent concussion spotters, who are supposed to provide an extra layer of safety, either ignored or didn’t see the incident. Concussion spotters have the authority to stop the game and force a player into the concussion protocol. That did not happen on Sunday.

Keenum didn’t just appear to have a concussion, he actually did suffer one, but was diagnosed after the game. While the Rams are bearing the brunt of the criticism, the independent concussion spotters and the NFL deserve part of the blame as well.

Next: 1. Only nine NFL teams have winning records