Not many people expected this year’s NFL season to happen due to the coronavirus pandemic. With the preseason and training camp being canceled entirely, it appeared to be a longshot for players to get to playing such a high-risk sport.
The removal of preseason games had a great impact on player health and conditioning. The opening week of the season saw the Colts immediately lose starting running back Marlon Mack to a season-ending injury with a torn ACL. Losing Mack, who finished 2019 in the top-ten in both rushing yards and touchdowns would be a big blow to the Colts offensive attack.
Another big name lost for an extensive period was the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas, who suffered a high ankle sprain and would be out four to six weeks. The loss is a huge blow to the Saints’ offensive, as Thomas was the centerpiece to their effective passing attack.
Week Two, however, was when the injury risk for players became more evident, with multiple big names being lost for the year. Among these players would be superstar RB Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants, WR Courtland Sutton of the Denver Broncos and defensive end Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers, all who tore their ACLs. Along with the loss of Bosa on the defensive line, the 49ers would lose defensive tackle Solomon Thomas for the year as well as All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman for numerous weeks due to a calf strain.
Other big names out for an extensive period include RB Christian McCaffrey, a consensus number one overall pick in fantasy football across all formats, who would be out for four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain. The Broncos would lose their young quarterback Drew Lock for multiple weeks as well with a torn rotator cuff.
In one of the more peculiar injuries in recent memory, Los Angeles Chargers starting QB Tyrod Taylor had his lungs punctured by the team doctor due to a botched injection.
Week Three saw a comparable plunge in major injuries, although key divisional rivals in the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers would lose major factors in their offense. The Bears lost their pass-catching RB Tarik Cohen to a season-ending ACL injury. Packers WR Allen Lazard, coming off of a career game in Week Three, suffered a core muscle injury that would sideline him for at least a month.
The effects of the ongoing pandemic finally began taking a toll on the league in Week Four. Multiple members of the Tennessee Titans organization reportedly contracted the virus, forcing the NFL to make the first of many changes in scheduling and logistics. The Titans would later be found to have violated multiple league guidelines regarding COVID-19 and have since had multiple games rescheduled.
New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton would be the most notable loss, as the former MVP could not play against the Chiefs in Week Four because he contracted the virus. The Patriots later saw the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, CB Stephon Gilmore, contract the coronavirus as well, a big blow to the Patriots on both sides of the ball. Time will tell if this will expand to a large scale issue in the organization.
The quarter-point of the season saw more injuries to big-name RBs. First, the Chargers lost rising-star Austin Ekeler to a hamstring injury, leaving him out for four to six weeks. The Cleveland Browns lost star RB Nick Chubb to an MCL injury, leaving him out for multiple weeks as well.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers would then lose tight end OJ Howard to an ACL tear, ending his season. The struggling New York Jets would lose their young signal-caller Sam Darnold to a shoulder injury for multiple weeks.
The biggest name of Week Five to go down with an injury would be the Dallas Cowboys’ star QB Dak Prescott, who had a compound fracture and a dislocation on his right knee.
The loss of these players would open the door for new names and familiar faces to take over. Former Pro Bowl RBs Kareem Hunt and Devonta Freeman have maintained life in the backfield in relief of Chubb and Barkley, respectively, and Mike Davis has done exceptionally in relief of Christian McCaffrey. Injuries to Sam Darnold and Dak Prescott have allowed veteran starters Joe Flacco (2008-2018 for the Ravens) and Andy Dalton (2011-2019 for the Bengals) to get back into the game.
Only time will tell how the pandemic and these injuries will affect the course of the season.
Article by Kevin Zhang of Richard Montgomery High School and Andrew Plotnick of Walter Johnson High School
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons