Injuries

According to Sportrac's updated list as of December 15, the NFL has 320 players on Injured Reserve. Simple mathematics break that number down to ten players per team. Or just over six full teams. That's a lot of injured players and having those players sidelined doesn't help the league at all.

320 is a ridiculous number. The team hit hardest by injuries is the Baltimore Ravens. They have 20 players on the sideline and it shows in their 4-9 record. Considering the players that are among the 20 it's a surprise that they managed to win four games.

Joe Flacco
Steve Smith Sr.
Dennis Pitta
Eugene Monroe
Jeremy Zuttah
-there's about half of their offense and doesn't include top pick Breshad Perriman who has yet to play a game but hasn't been placed on IR.
Terrell Suggs
Matt Elam

That's a painful list of injured talent and is only about a third of the players that the Ravens have lost for the season.

The New England Patriots seem to lose a player or three every week. They now have 16 players on injured reserve. They might match the Ravens in total wounded with the players that have missed games but have not been placed on season-ending injured reserve. The New York Giants also have 16 on injured reserve. That's actually better than last year when they had 20 on the list.

At the other end of the injury spectrum are the Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, and Denver Broncos. The Bengals have been touched the lightest by injuries. They only have three players on injured reserve. That doesn't count the big loss of Andy Dalton last week to a broken thumb. So, even the teams that don't have high IR numbers have still been hit by injuries. It's the unfortunate nature of football. The Dolphins have four on IR. The Broncos have five.

The Minnesota Vikings fall in the middle with eight.

John Sullivan
Phil Loadholt
Casey Matthews
Carter Bykowski
Audie Cole
Shamar Stephen
Jabari Price
Antone Exum

The loss of Sullivan and Loadholt during preseason forced some scrambling on the offensive before the season. It's shown. The line has been a serious issue all season. Although their last game against the Arizona Cardinals was their best so maybe the big guys upfront are on the upswing. Hope so. The Vikings injury issues seem greater than the modest number on injured reserve with the recent loss of defensive stalwarts and leaders Linval Joseph, Anthony Barr, and Harrison Smith for a few games. They should be back. The sooner the better. Again, injuries are the unfortunate nature of football.

It should be pointed out that Sportrac have the Vikings injured reserve total at nine. They include right tackle Austin Wentworth on their injured reserve list. He's not on it. Perhaps he hasn't filed his retirement papers but he has ended his football career. In April tissue clots were discovered in his legs that blocked blood flow. The issue itself, the surgery that followed, the resulting muscle loss, and the brace that he will have to wear for the rest of his life ended his NFL career. Ended it before it really got started.

All of this injury talk is meant to speak to, actually against, the NFL's dedicated march towards more games and more money at the expense of safety. Thursday games, London games, and most importantly, Roger Goodell's pet project, the 18-game schedule. The shortened weeks of preparation and recovery are ruinous for the continued health of football players. The NFL doesn't seem to care about the injury numbers because they rarely do anything to curb those injuries. They want more games. More games each week. More games each season. None of which is good for the players. Goodell and his cronies claim that fans want an extended season. I don't know a single fan that wants an extended season. The NFL has rarely shown concern for player safety throughout their 95-year history. There are always more football players but that's the wrong view to take. Injuries will always be a part of football. The NFL has to finally stop doing things that make them an even greater part of the game.