NFL Says Concussion Rate Among Players Fell 25 Percent in 2014 Season

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The NFL has focused heavily on reducing concussions in recent years, and based on recently released data, the league's efforts paid off in 2014.

According to The Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), the rate of concussions fell 25 percent this season. There were 111 recorded concussions during the 2014 NFL regular season, which was an improvement upon the 148 concussions suffered in 2013.

The report also states that there has been a 36 percent drop in concussions over a three-year span.

Jeff Miller, NFL senior vice president of health and safety policy, believes modifying on-field technique is largely responsible for the positive results, per the AP's report.

"Players are changing the way they're tackling," Miller said. "They're changing the way they play the game."

Although injury reporting increased by 15 percent, there were only 0.43 concussions reported per game, which Miller extrapolated to mean that one concussion occurred every second game on average.

The NFL also reported its findings on the manner in which concussions were suffered over the past few seasons, as seen in this graphic courtesy of Fox Sports 1's Mike Garafolo:

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While the 25 percent drop in concussions is most definitely a step in the right direction, the league must continue to be diligent in its handling of head injuries, and players must continue to strive to be as safe as possible.

If those things happen in the coming years, then the NFL may be on track to prevent concussions more effectively than ever before.

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