Injuries continue to mount in week seven of the 18-week NFL season.
According to ESPN, leading the league in injuries is the Baltimore Ravens, with 24 total players out. The Dallas Cowboys follow with 23 players out. The majority of the teams have injuries in the double digits. Currently, the NFL marked 421 players out due to injuries.
Science Direct analyzed the spike in injuries over the last couple of seasons. The study showed that the rate of injuries is significantly higher than in the past seasons, leading concerned football fans to blame the NFL and its decision to cancel the preseason as a COVID-19 precaution.
Last year, there were no organized team events or mini-camps due to the pandemic. This took away some players’ opportunities to prepare for the season. Having a team working as a unit (which comes from practice together) leads to them playing better and being better protected.
This year, the NFL allowed the players to have a preseason but reduced training from pre-COVID-19 standards and lowered the number of games from four to three.
However, injures are still impacting teams this year and have taken big names out of commission, including Washington’s running back Antionio Gibson, Colts’ wide receivers T.Y. Hilton and Paris Campbell, and Ravens’ running back Latavius Murray. The Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott, Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson, the Browns’ quarterback Baker Mayfield, and wide receiver Odell Beckam Jr. are also injured.
These injuries will force a shift in lineups. However, the new NFL ruling that players can return from injured reserve during the season allows opportunities for players to recover and finish the season.
