It is legal for helmet to helmet contact to occur between a player engaged in running the ball forward and a defensive player. How may times have you seen a running back lower his head and deliver a blow to a tackler, resulting in helmet to helmet contact? If you watch the replay, the defensive player’s helmet is at chest level, UNTIL the offensive player lowers his head slightly. He ceased being a receiver after he took two steps; you can’t have it both ways.
#84 . . . is that Brown? He had one foot on the ground for less than a second before he was hit. There is no way the momentum could change in time to avoid the hit that occurred. Yes . . . the hit involved head/helmet contact. Can’t see how it could have been otherwise. The recent rules regarding proper methods of contact have thrown a cloud over the game in certain respects. Don’t have a dog in this fight, but think the penalty on the Bengals defense was unnecessary. I’m writing of the play that brought up the first of two consecutive 15-yard penalties.