It has only been about four weeks into the 2023 season, but injuries have already escalated in the NFL. There has been a massive amount of devastating injuries so far within most of the League’s teams, causing team management to scramble to find replacements. Even though the NFL saw a 5.6% decrease in injuries from 2022 to 2021 according to NFL media, it is a completely different story for this year’s season.
The most common injury sustained by NFL players that has seen an increase this year are muscle strains which account for 31% of injuries in the NFL. Torn ACLs make up 20% of all football-related knee injuries, there is a 15.4% increase of ankle injuries, and 52% of NFL players have a lower limb injury which has also increased over a 10-year period.
Trail Pierce (11) is a huge NFL fan and was devastated when his favorite players were out for the season.
“I think that NFL injuries have increased because players get better and better each year,” Pierce said. “The NFL is not the same as it was 20 years ago, and the difficulty has changed dramatically. Also, players have been getting injured due to the turf fields that they use, for example one of my favorite players, Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles, and one major reason that I think on why he got hurt was due to the turf field.”
Star players who have been injured this year have a tremendous impact on their team’s performance and whether their team will make it to the playoffs or not. Players such as Joe Burrow, quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals; Nick Chubb, running back for the Cleveland Browns; and Saquon Barkley, running back for the New York Giants, have had the biggest influence on the 2023 NFL season so far.
As a football fan, Lillian Delaney (12) is concerned with the number of NFL players who have been getting injured more this year.
“I think that NFL injuries have increased because of the level of the increase intensity in the NFL. The NFL has become more advanced in the level of play and competitive players are more prone to injury,” Delaney said.
Head injuries have been a major concern this year, as studies continue to show how dangerous they can be to a person. According to NFL.com, biomechanical engineers are performing extensive testing on helmet models, recreating the realities of on-field play, to collect data and identify which helmet models best reduce the severity of impact. In trying to improve the protective equipment for players, the NFL hosts innovation challenges, including the NFL Helmet Challenge, and provides funding for engineers to design new and better-performing helmet models. The NFL is helping to stimulate the development of position-specific helmets, which can be customized through technology like 3D printing to continue to advance helmet safety and innovation.
Lamont Brewton (10) continues to hope that his favorite players will avoid injury this season.
“I think there has been an increase in injuries because for football for example, the intensity has grown a lot throughout the years and there are things out of the players control like the turf they play on or their gear not protecting them as well as it should,” Brewton said.
