National Football League

NFL's 5 healthiest, most injured teams; previewing Seahawks-Giants

Updated Oct. 25, 2022 6:21 p.m. ET

By Dr. Matt Provencher
FOX Sports Injury & Performance Analyst

Week 7 of the season did not disappoint and produced plenty of headlines along with it. After trading Christian McCaffrey, the Panthers were still able to hold off the Buccaneers, while the 49ers had a few players return, but it still wasn't enough to overcome the injuries in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs.

But Week 7 also brought its share of unfortunate injuries to key players.

The Jets were able to continue their winning ways but at the cost of rookie running back Breece Hall, who unfortunately suffered a season-ending ACL tear. Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams sustained a high ankle sprain that will undoubtedly keep him sidelined for a few weeks, while teammate J.C. Jackson will miss the remainder of the season after rupturing the patella tendon. Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf suffered a patellar tendon injury that could cause him to miss some game action, and Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal suffered an MCL injury.

This week, the Chiefs and Chargers are among those on bye weeks. Great news for a Los Angeles team dealing with some big injuries. Along with the Chiefs, here are the rest of the healthiest teams in the NFL, according to ThePredictors.com Banged Up Score.

Healthiest Teams Ranked by BUS Score:

Philadelphia Eagles – BUS: 88.2 / Record: 6-0
Minnesota Vikings – BUS: 87.7 / Record: 5-1
Kansas City Chiefs – BUS: 86.7 / Record: 5-2
Jacksonville Jaguars – BUS: 85.1 / Record: 2-5
Chicago Bears – BUS: 84.5 / Record: 2-4

While those teams have been fortunate enough to stay atop the healthiest teams in the league for some time, others haven't been so lucky, as these are the 5 least healthy teams in the NFL for Week 7.

Least Healthiest Teams Ranked by BUS Score:

Denver Broncos – BUS: 58.9 / Record: 2-5
New York Giants – BUS: 60.6 / Record: 6-1
Los Angeles Chargers – BUS: 61.7 / Record: 4-3
Arizona Cardinals – BUS: 62.0 / Record: 3-4
Tennessee Titans – BUS: 63.5 / Record: 4-2

Last week, we discussed the healthy Chiefs against the very banged-up 49ers. Even after adding CMC, the 49ers could not overcome their injuries in a 44-23 loss. For this week's BUS game, we look at two teams who have been pretty banged up to this point but continue to find ways to win — the New York Giants and the Seattle Seahawks.

The Giants sit at 6-1 currently, just behind the Eagles in the NFC East. As one of the most banged-up teams in the league, they have found ways to hold off opponents and squeak out wins. A big part of that is thanks to Saquon Barkley, who after a few injury-marred seasons looks like the running back we remember him being.

The Giants have had to dig deep into their depth and have other players step up due to injuries over the past few weeks, with injuries to big names such as wide receiver Kadarius Toney (hamstring), star rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux (MCL) and wide receiver Sterling Shepard (ACL).

The question is, will health catch up? At what point could Barkley's small injuries turn into a bigger one with him carrying so much of the offensive load? We know from years of data that eventually healthier teams win out. Can the Giants continue this success long term, or are they a ticking time bomb? History would suggest the latter, but maybe head coach Brian Daboll can prove history wrong.

Giants BUS Scores Through Week 7

Week 1: BUS – 83.4
Week 2: BUS – 78.3
Week 3: BUS – 77.8
Week 4: BUS – 73.2
Week 5: BUS – 69.1
Week 6: BUS – 62.7
Week 7: BUS – 60.6

The Giants' opponent this week is dealing with their fair share of health concerns to top-tier players, which has Seattle toeing nearing the bottom 5 in health score on several occasions this year.

A quad tendon rupture to safety Jamal Adams and a season-ending injury to starting running back Rashaad Penny have been big blows. Luckily quarterback Geno Smith and the offense have stepped up, while rookie running back Kenneth Walker III has filled in admirably as the lead back after the Penny injury, logging 411 yards on 67 attempts with four touchdowns.

The Seahawks' BUS score has risen since the Penny injury thanks to some great play and getting players back in action. Though Walker has played exceptionally over the past few games, consistency is key, and if he can keep this up then he will have a much bigger impact on the overall picture.

Seahawks' Kenneth Walker III runs all over the Chargers' defense in blowout victory

Kenneth Walker III rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns as the Seattle Seahawks cruised to a comfortable 37-23 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

This past week didn't do them any favors with Metcalf's injury that won't require surgery but will cause him to miss some time. A big blow to an offense that really needs to keep its offense as healthy as possible as Seattle has been on a downward health trend over the past few weeks and were hoping to start turning that around. However, it looks as though that may not be the case.

Seahawks BUS Scores Through Week 7

Week 1: BUS – 79.7
Week 2: BUS – 77.8
Week 3: BUS – 71.8
Week 4: BUS – 75.4
Week 5: BUS – 73.6
Week 6: BUS – 64.8
Week 7: BUS – 68.3

Whatever the outcome of this NFC matchup is this Sunday, know that neither team is playing at full strength. An unfortunate fact that will need to start turning around fast if they want to keep competing for the top spot. As the season marches on, team injuries become more important. Health matters because healthy teams win championships. Make sure to check thepredictors.com and follow @sportsdocmatt and @NFLonFOX for updated BUS scores Sunday morning.

Renowned orthopedist Dr. Matt Provencher and his company, ThePredictors.com, deliver data-driven injury insights to football fans. In this first-of-a-kind role as Athlete Injury and Performance Analyst for FOX Sports’ digital platforms, Provencher provides important predictive player health and recovery information about post-injury performance, the impact of weather, field conditions and more.