NFL's 5 healthiest, most injured teams; previewing Chiefs-49ers
By Dr. Matt Provencher
FOX Sports Injury & Performance Analyst
Week 6 of the NFL season brought the first bye weeks of the season, and they came at a much-needed time. As teams try and heal their wounded, the planning starts on how long to keep the injured out in order to give them the highest chance of recovery and maintain the team's success.
Moving into the middle portion of the season, some teams are battling more adversity than others in the variable of health. Teams like the 49ers continue to face challenges and have fallen to the bottom of the NFL in terms of health and their Banged Up Score (BUS). Others, such as the Eagles, have varied but have maintained their spot at the top. They were the healthiest team heading into Week 6, which has aided their 6-0 record.
Team health is only one factor contributing to winning teams, but it is a major factor because "Health Matters" and healthy teams win championships.
Here's a look at the top 5 healthiest teams going into this past week:
1. Philadelphia Eagles – BUS: 89.3
2. Jacksonville Jaguars – BUS: 87.1
3. Chicago Bears – BUS: 84.0
4. Kansas City Chiefs – BUS: 84.0
5. Minnesota Vikings – BUS: 83.4
This browser does not support the Video element.
Watch as Nick Wright breaks down the NFC 'beast's' dominance, including how each team will finish the season.
If you notice, the top-five healthiest teams all sit in the 80s as there are very few teams who can make it to this point in the season without having some injuries affecting them. These teams, however, have shown the ability to keep games close as even the ones that lost this past weekend were defeated in games by 7 points or less.
We have recently also seen teams slip further down the rankings due to an accumulation of injuries. While squads like the Ravens have finally made their way out of the bottom 5 after almost a year and a half, others this week have taken their place.
Here is a look at the 5 most banged up teams going into this past week:
1. San Francisco 49ers – BUS: 60.4
2. Arizona Cardinals – BUS: 60.9
3. New Orleans Saints – BUS: 61.5
4. Denver Broncos – BUS: 62.2
5. New York Giants – BUS: 62.7
The Giants have been able to battle through adversity to this point by winning some games by the skin of their teeth. With a few of their starters, such as Saquon Barkley, starting to get banged up, however, it's fair to wonder if that will catch up to them.
Moving into Week 7 of the season, we have a battle between one of last week's healthiest teams (the Chiefs) against the least healthy team (49ers) this Sunday on FOX. A true David vs. Goliath storyline in terms of health.
The Chiefs started and continue to be one of the healthiest teams in the NFL. Not only do they have players like superstar QB Patrick Mahomes and one of the league's top tight ends in Travis Kelce on the field, but they seem to have health on their side in keeping a high BUSTM this season.
Kansas City Chiefs BUSTM broken down by week:
- Week 1: 93.5
- Week 2: 83.9
- Week 3: 83.6
- Week 4: 84.1
- Week 5: 82.9
- Week 6: 84.0
This browser does not support the Video element.
Watch as Nick Wright breaks down what concerns him and what doesn't concern him as far as Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs after their Week 6 loss to their AFC rival Bills.
The 49ers have not been so lucky as it pertains to injury this season. They have found themselves at the bottom of the league this past week and have been in the bottom 5 since Week 3, partially due to an injury to RB Elijah Mitchell in their second game of the season.
San Francisco 49ers BUSTM broken down by week:
- Week 1: 86.0
- Week 2: 78.0
- Week 3: 68.1
- Week 4: 62.8
- Week 5: 59.5
- Week 6: 60.4
Despite bad luck on the injury front, the 49ers have managed to stay in a 3-way tie for first place in the NFC West. This week they might have some good fortune coming their way, with coach Kyle Shanahan saying there is a chance star OT Trent Williams returns from a high ankle injury.
Still, San Francisco faces a mountain to climb this week against one of the most high-powered and healthiest teams in the league right now.
Make sure to check out ThePredictors.com and @NFLonFOX on Twitter for the Week 7 BUS scores to see which teams are climbing and which are falling as we move through the season. Follow @sportsdocmatt for all things NFL injury and get insights on player updates.
Renowned orthopedist Dr. Matt Provencher and his company, ThePredictors.com, deliver data-driven injury insights to football fans. In this first-of-a-kind role as Athlete Injury and Performance Analyst for FOX Sports’ digital platforms, Provencher provides important predictive player health and recovery information about post-injury performance, the impact of weather, field conditions and more.