The NFL may be straining scoreboards this season with all the points being scored, but the league also is putting a strain on MRI and X-ray machines.
Through Wednesday, NFL teams had placed 164 players on injured reserve. Through the same point last season, 138 players had gone on injured reserve. That means injured-reserve lists had increased more than 18 percent.
The Texans lead the league with 11 players on IR. The Bengals are next with 10.
The Tribune surveyed every NFL team and found that 147 players who began training camp as starters had missed starts in the regular season. That’s an average of nearly five injured starters per team — or 22 percent of each team’s lineup.
Through six weeks, those players had missed a total of 356 starts, an average of 11 per team.
“Injuries seem to increase every year a bit,” said former New York Giants coach Jim Fassel, currently a radio commentator for Westwood One.
“Guys are bigger, faster and stronger, and the collisions are harder. The game is harder on the body than it ever has been.”
No team has been hit harder than the Rams, who have had nine starters miss a total of 27 starts, both league highs.
Among the starters who have been injured are quarterback Marc Bulger, running back Steven Jackson, receiver Isaac Bruce and three offensive linemen, including left tackle Orlando Pace. If you add players who weren’t starters in July, 17 Rams have missed a total of 43 games.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been associated with this many,” Rams defensive coordinator Jim Haslett told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“Just the way they happened and the time frame, it’s mind-boggling.”
The Bears are one of five teams that have had seven starters out. Those players have missed 17 starts. The others: the Bills, Ravens, Bengals and Colts.
Some teams have dealt with injuries better than others. Even though the Colts have had seven players miss 14 starts, they might still be the best team in football.
The Cowboys’ six injured players have missed 22 starts, but they still have a 5-1 record.
Sometimes the number of injuries isn’t as important as which players are hurt. The Bengals have been devastated at linebacker, running back and offensive line.
None of the linebackers they had slated as starters in the off-season are playing. They started their game against the Patriots with four healthy linebackers. Three were not with the team in training camp. They finished the game with two linebackers.
They have been playing without their best three running backs: Rudi Johnson, Kenny Irons and Chris Perry.
In five games, they have had four different starting offensive line combinations and have played 10 different combinations during games.
