Photo: Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire
All stats are through Week 16
As we finish out the final two weeks of the regular season, we can take a look back at the amount of injuries that each team has had to endure throughout this 2024 season. While the sheer amount of injuries a team has to deal with certainly takes its toll, most of the time the quality of players being lost is the more important variable.
When a team’s depth is tested, fans can really see the caliber of coaching staff and front office their organization has. The Lions are a great example this season of being a team that hasn’t missed a beat while dealing with a ‘next man up’ mentality all season. They top the NFL with the most Total Points missed due to injury this season.
Most Total Points Missed Due To Injury
| Team | Total Points Missed due to Injury |
| Lions | 158 |
| Saints | 149 |
| Browns | 141 |
| Buccaneers | 136 |
| 49ers | 132 |
| Raiders | 119 |
| Panthers | 117 |
| Steelers | 109 |
| Texans | 108 |
| Titans | 101 |
Along with the Lions, the Buccaneers, Texans, and Steelers find themselves in the middle of the playoff picture while dealing with a lot of talent loss during the season.
That number will continue to grow for the Texans as they lost one of their best playmakers in Week 16 to a gruesome left knee injury. Tank Dell has had a nice connection with QB C.J. Stroud since the two made their NFL debuts together last season. Dell missed the end of last season after breaking his fibula on that same leg in Week 13.
The Texans passing offense took a big hit when he wasn’t on the field last season.
Houston Texans in 2023 (Through Week 16)
| Dell On the Field | Dell Off the Field | |
| EPA/60 Plays | 4 | -6 |
| EPA/60 Passing Plays | 9 | -4 |
| Completion % | 65.6% | 61.5% |
| Yards per Attempt | 9.2 | 6.7 |
Among players with at least 50 targets, Dell ranked 15th in the league last season with 9.5 yards per target. The Texans were already dealing with the loss of Stefon Diggs and now losing Dell for the very end of the season again can make you wonder if their offense is going to have enough explosiveness to make a deep playoff run (they didn’t score on offense in Wednesday’s loss).
On a more positive note let’s look at the teams that have been relatively healthy this season.
Fewest Total Points Missed Due To Injury
| Bottom 10 | Total Points Missed due to Injury |
| Ravens | 33 |
| Commanders | 34 |
| Falcons | 45 |
| Eagles | 46 |
| Chiefs | 47 |
| Vikings | 49 |
| Packers | 50 |
| Patriots | 50 |
| Chargers | 52 |
| Bills | 55 |
Unsurprisingly, health might be one of the biggest indicators of playoff chances a team has in a season, as 9 of the 10 teams listed here are in the playoff chase. That the Patriots are not in playoff contention despite so few injuries shows the talent deficit that the team has been dealing with in 2024.
There are plenty of examples of the teams on this list keeping key players on the field or getting them back from injury in a reasonable amount of time. For example, the Packers have benefited from their injured players being out for recently welcomed back 2nd-round rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper in Week 15. He missed 3 games with a hamstring injury, but has been one of the most impactful players at his position the past two weeks.
The Packers will look to continue expanding his role and have him be an important piece of their defensive puzzle as they head into the playoffs.
During Weeks 15 and 16 Cooper ranked 8th among all linebackers in Points Saved in pass coverage, 2nd in Points Saved per pass rush, and 17th in Points Saved during rushing plays. He’s shown his versatility these past few games and opposing offenses have felt his presence for the Packers defense all season.
Green Bay Packers in 2024
| Cooper On the Field | Cooper Off the Field | |
| EPA/60 Plays | -6 | -4 |
| EPA/60 Passing Plays | -11 | -1 |
| Sack % | 9.5% | 6.6% |
Cooper is an under-the-radar player who has a chance to make a name for himself in his first season as a pro as the Packers look to build off of their playoff success last season.
Looking ahead to the playoffs, we can see what teams are going to be missing with the current players on injured reserve. We can also break that down into offensive and defensive players to see if teams are going to be hurting more on one side of the ball. Note where the Packers are:
It’s been well documented that the Lions defense has been decimated, and that’s represented here. The Seahawks and Steelers are missing more on the offensive side, with most of that being tied to offensive linemen. The Broncos will continue to miss the services of tackling machine Alex Singleton, but the offensive side of the ball remains healthy at the right time of year.
Injuries can happen at any time, and we know losing key players can sometimes be too much to overcome. We wish every team a clean bill of health as we head towards the most exciting time of the NFL season.
