NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday will give his annual Super Bowl state of the league address and take questions on all things pro football —  the good, the bad and the ugly.

The NFL in 2022-23 enjoyed another record-setting year in viewership, and with games played in London, Germany and Mexico, the global reach also continues to expand.

But the NFL doesn’t enter Super Bowl week with an entirely squeaky-clean record. Despite the booming TV ratings, the overall quality of play did decline, as did that of officiating. And, of course, the NFL continues to experience mixed results on the diversity hiring front for coaches and general managers.

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Here are some pressing topics about which Goodell will likely receive questions Wednesday.

 

1. Officiating scrutiny

The quality of NFL officiating has been a popular topic of debate the last few seasons, and this postseason has been no different. The final 10 minutes of play during the AFC Championship Game featured a number of apparent gaffes by the referees, which subjected the league to criticism about the integrity of the officiating.

The games most certainly are not rigged. However, the plentiful errors do raise questions of whether the NFL needs to implement a sky judge system and also move to full-time officials. This certainly isn’t the first time either measure has been discussed, yet team owners have not been able to agree on implementation. But with the damaged credibility of the officiating crews still drawing great interest with the Super Bowl just days away, it might be time for Goodell and league officials to renew considerations.

 

2. Concussion numbers

Although NFL officials believe that their game is safer now than in years past, concussion numbers did increase from 2021 (126) to 2022 (148). The increase comes despite rules changes designed to decrease the threat of head injuries. The NFL’s top legal officials recently shared that the overall injury rate hasn’t increased, so what gives on concussions? What, if anything, does the league aim to do to lower the number of concussions?