During the first six weeks of the season, five of the NFL’s best players have been lost to injury. Their injuries have darkened the league’s star power; all injured are ranked among the top 13 players in ESPN’s NFL Rank project this season.
It’s still early in the season and we are not sure which players may or may not return before the end of the season. The teams that are suffering due to injured players are;
The Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, and the Detroit Lions.
Injuries have forced the Packers to start a different offensive line since the beginning of the season. David Bakhtiari aggravated his hamstring and right tackle Bryan Bulaga suffered a concussion.
The Giants lost four wide receivers three of which are out for the entire season. Beckham, Brandon Marshall and Dwayne Harris were all moved to injured reserve.
The Giants had six players on their active roster Sunday night who were ruled out due to injury two days before kickoff.
The preseason loss of receiver Julian Edelman has contributed to a Patriots’ rough start, Edelman’s torn his ACL and may not come until the playoffs. According to ESPN’s Stats & Information. The Patriots have played several postseason games, giving Edelman more opportunities than most players around the league, the problem is that he is quarterback Tom Brady’s crutch.
The Baltimore Ravens lost nine players for the season which include running back Kenneth Davis and tight end Crockett Gillmore. Since the season began, they have placed All-Pro guard Marshal Yanda, defensive end Brent Urban and running back Danny Woodhead on the injured reserve list. Quarterback Joe Flacco also missed the preseason due to a back injury, and nose tackle Brandon Williams has played in only two games. The Ravens were hit with Alex Lewis’ summer surgery.
Two main players for the Lion’s defensive line are out due to Achilles and bicep injuries. Kerry Hyder (Achilles tendon) and Haloti Ngata (biceps). Alongside left tackle Taylor Decker. His offseason biceps injury developed into a more severe issue during these past few weeks. His return is unknown at this time.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford is also suffering from hamstring and ankle injuries. The Lions finished the game without safety Glover Quin (concussion) and receiver Golden Tate (shoulder)