Injuries are part of the game in the NFL, but all teams were not impacted equally over the previous five seasons.
That is the conclusion of analysis of pro football published this fall by the website InGame.
The Tennessee Titans lost the most games to injury over the past five years while the Miami Dolphins lost the least, and there was a major chasm between the two.
Some Teams Hit Harder Than Others
The Titans, who won their division in the first two seasons studied by InGame but finished in last place the last two seasons, lost 274 games to injury from 2020-2024.
That includes last season when they lost 55 games to injury and ended up with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.
Overall, the Titans lost eight more games to injury than the New Orleans Saints, who had the second-most. The Saints also went from first to worst in their division from 2020 to ’24, although they had winning records in three of the seasons analyzed.
Also suffering at least 200 games lost to injury were the San Francisco 49ers (262), Arizona Cardinals (216), Detroit Lions (214), Cleveland Browns (208), Houston Texans (205) and New York Giants (200).
Those teams were worse off than average, which was 166, and much higher than the median of 149.
As for players, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson missed the most games because of injury followed by defensive back/receiver Adoree Jackson, defensive back Marshon Lattimore, offensive lineman Braden Smith and receiver Deebo Samual.
Which NFL Teams Were Healthiest?
On the other end of the spectrum, Miami lost only 94 games to injury.
The Dolphins are the only team to come in under 100.
Next on the list are the Los Angeles Rams (110) followed by the Dallas Cowboys (116), Kansas City Chiefs (123) and Jacksonville Jaguars (124) to round out the five teams to lose the fewest games to injury.
What Are the Most Common Injuries?
Scanning the data determined knee injuries are more prevalent than any other. They accounted for 853 games lost while ankle came in second (776).
Hamstring was No. 3 (670) followed by concussions (545) and shoulder (247).
About the Authors
InGame is a website dedicated to covering regulated sports betting in the United States. That includes news, features and analysis of business and finance, legislation and regulations, consumer interest and public policy.
According to the study’s authors, all data was collected from NFL.com and accurate as of Nov. 12.
