Packers #1 Again… In Injuries

There might be a record five undefeated NFL teams going into Week 7, but the Green Bay Packers once again sit alone on top of the heap in one key aspect. As tabulated by NFL Nation, the Packers have reclaimed their throne as the most injured team in the league so far in 2015.

Specifically, the Packers are tops in the NFL in games missed by starters or key special teams players due to injuries. The Packers have racked up 78 missed games already this season. Using simple math that equates to a mind-boggling 13 players per game missing time. That is a nearly identical pace to the monstrous 206 total games missed as a team in 2010.

Of course, the Packers still managed to win the Super Bowl that year, and without angering the football gods, I’m sure I’m not alone in suggesting there is a similar feel to the team and season so far. Crucial injuries on offense, the defense winning games again, and James Starks running well are all reminiscent of 2010, with the record so far being the big difference – the Packers started 3-3 in 2010.

Jordy Nelson got the Packers started out quickly in this stat, missing every game so far this season and he will continue to, and guys like Sean Richardson and Andrew Quarless must also be counted to get a tally this high.

Frankly, injuries certainly have been a factor, but this stat is probably a little misleading at this point. Besides Nelson, the Packers have not been bit hard by serious injuries to starters so far. Morgan Burnett has missed every game but the Seattle game with a mysterious calf injury. BJ Raji, Nick Perry and Bryan Bulaga have all missed time as well, but all of these guys are expected to be back after the bye. It’s hard to say that missing Drew Quarless has been a factor at all, and though Sean Richardson was a decent special teams player, guys like Chris Banjo, Jake Ryan and Jeff Janis have easily picked up the slack.

I would also like to point out that one of the main goals to the changes the Packers made to their practice and training was to reduce soft tissue injuries like pulls and strains. That for the most part is still holding up. The dreaded hamstring injury has barely reared its head. Injuries to knees and ankles are flukish and inevitable to a certain extent, with little you can do to prevent them unless you are going to ban running from the game.

So, many around these parts felt that a repeat of the good health of 2014 was unlikely to occur anyway. The Packers are looking just as deep as they were when they weathered the storm in 2010, and so, if they can continue to dodge the season-enders to important contributors, they should continue being a top NFC contender.