Shock Criticals are special negative effects that result when a player receives shock damage from weapons fire or a charge attack. Players with low health or who are charged from behind are more likely to receive shock criticals.
See how shooting a player causes them to drop hook, fumble the ball, and get knocked out.
A player's chance of getting a crit varies based on their position (Forward, Halfback, Fullback, or Goalie), the amount of shock damage they suffer that instant, and the percentage health they have remaining. A banged-up player is more likely to suffer a crit, heavier positions are less likely. There are four kinds of criticals:
This first video shows how getting shot can cause all three of these criticals.
The chance that a knockout will turn into a death depends on how many knockouts you have suffered since the last stoppage of play (a score or end of round). This is indicated by a line of skulls across the lower middle of your screen, each skull representing a 10% chance that your next knockout will be a death. The Rocky Balboa perk will halve that to 5%, as well as making you get up from knockouts faster.