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With the start of the 2019 football season comes injuries. In just two weeks, we’ve already seen injuries from star players such as Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger, whose injuries are already projected to alter this season. Teams like the Dallas Cowboys, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Philadelphia Eagles are already gearing up to handle the effects of current and past histories of injuries, and all teams are preparing to handle future injuries.
High profile injuries are nothing new, however. Despite the injuries of big-name professionals being all over the news, it happens every season. But how prevalent is it actually? Medical malpractice firm Weiss & Paarz recently conducted a study that analyzes NFL injuries over the last five years. From their data, they were able to find the amount of injuries per NFL team each year, the type of injuries, and the cause of their injuries.
Out of all NFL teams, the Seattle Seahawks have the most injuries from 2014 – 2018 with 1,569 injuries. The year with the highest amount of injuries for the Seahawks was 2018, where a staggering 707 injuries were recorded. The New England Patriots are just behind the Seahawks with 1,550 injuries and are followed by Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens.
The Atlanta Falcons is the team with the least amount of injuries – just 108 over the course of five years. The Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, and Buffalo Bills also rank among the teams with the lowest amount of injuries over the same time period.
The most common type of injury by far in the NFL are knee injuries. Ankle, hamstring, and foot injuries are also ranked, with concussions being the least prevalent type of injury. Despite concussions being the least prevalent, they still pose a much greater threat with the risk of CTE and brain injuries.
The study also recorded the amount of injuries “caused” by specific teams. The Kansas City Chiefs caused the most injuries, with 1,416 injuries being attributed to the team. The Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Los Angeles Rams were also ranked as teams that cause the most injuries. The team that caused the least injuries is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While unpredictable and sometimes devastating, the risk of injuries is a part of every sport. But while some teams may seem to be plagued with injuries more than other teams in a given season, every team and athlete faces the same risks and complications that may come along with injuries. Luckily, the NFL is starting to become more aware of the risks associated with injuries, and are being more restrictive and imposing new rules and regulations on the league. However, there will still always be injuries, but if the amount of them can be reduced, it will benefit all athletes.
