NFL's five healthiest, most injured teams; previewing Dolphins-Niners
Week 13 is finally here. Why would we be so excited, you might wonder? Week 13 is special because this is when we start to really see similarities present themselves between team health and team success. We are able to get a clearer picture regarding which teams will and won’t make the playoffs when you combine current records with the Banged Up Score Rankings.
We know that outliers exist — the Houston Texans ranked third last week in terms of health but have a current record of 1-9-1 due to a variety of factors, including positional strengths, coaching strategy and schedule. Meanwhile, you have the NFC South, where all four teams still have a chance to make the postseason despite each team having a sub-.500 record. As we get closer to the playoffs, though, you can bet that as better teams start playing one other, health becomes more and more important to success.
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Dr. Matt Provencher analyzes the injury that Packers QB Aaron Rodgers sustained against the Eagles and how long it could take Rodgers to heal.
Before we get to Week 13, let's look back at last week’s top and bottom Banged Up Score Rankings.
Healthiest Teams Ranked by BUS Score:
1. Jacksonville Jaguars – 88.0
2. Philadelphia Eagles – 82.8
3. Houston Texans – 82.1
4. Minnesota Vikings – 80.4
5. Chicago Bears – 79.1
Least Healthy Teams Ranked by BUS Score:
32. Los Angeles Chargers – 52.5
31. Denver Broncos – 58.2
30. Los Angeles Rams – 59.0
29. New Orleans Saints – 59.5
28. New York Giants – 60.0
This week brings us a matchup between two teams that were close in BUS scores last week, two teams that have fought through multiple key injuries this season to get back to the top-third in team health (with one of them literally being dead last in health earlier this season). The Miami Dolphins travel to face the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET on FOX).
The Dolphins have been at the heart of one of the top protocol changes this year when QB Tua Tagovailoa suffered his second concussion. With him sidelined, the Dolphins lost three in a row but got back on track when he returned after passing protocols. Injuries to other starters such as Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert and Xavien Howard have also kept Miami in the middle of the pack in health rankings this year. Last week, however, the Dolphins moved to No. 11 with a 76.1 BUS ranking, keeping them in the top-third and in a good position to make their playoff run.
Opposite them, the 49ers have battled back after being buried by injuries earlier in the season. Starting off Week 1, they ranked No. 11 in team health but by Week 6, the Niners had dropped to dead last. Injuries to stars Trey Lance, Trent Williams, George Kittle and a host of others had them with a 3-3 record by Week 6. Then they started getting healthier, and with QB Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm and RB Christian McCaffrey coming in to help, they now find themselves sitting at No. 7 in health. And with a record of 7-4, they lead the NFC West and look like the team to beat.
The matchup between the Dolphins and 49ers should be an exciting battle between two high-powered offenses with deep coaching ties and solid defenses. Keep a lookout Sunday morning on ThePredictors.com and on Twitter at @NFLonFOX and @SportsDocMatt for updated BUS rankings to see who has the health advantage going into Week 13 between these two teams.
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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.