National Football League

NFL Injuries: Ranking every team's health from No. 1 to No. 32

Updated Oct. 14, 2021 5:45 p.m. ET

By Dr. Matt Provencher
FOX Sports Injury & Performance Analyst

Last year, we and our friends at fantasypredictors.com introduced the BUS™, or Banged Up Score, during the NFL playoffs.

Although many NFL observers, including most gambling houses, had Kansas City as the team to beat, the BUS showed us that Tampa Bay was much healthier than Kansas City. In fact, when we broke down the BUS further, the Chiefs' offensive line was so beaten up – especially compared with Tampa Bay’s defense -- that it appeared inevitable Kansas City would have a tough time in the Super Bowl.

This is what we wrote ahead of the game back in February:

"Super Bowl champions over the past four seasons have had an average BUS Score of 89, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs both boast high BUS Scores heading into Sunday. The Chiefs are favored (-3), according to FOX Bet, but BUS indicates that the Bucs might have the upper hand, with a score of 88 compared to Kansas City's 82.5. … All of those injuries don't bode well for K.C. Based on BUS Score, it seems Tampa Bay is the better bet to hoist the Lombardi Trophy come Sunday."

For more analysis of the NFL from Dr. Matt, follow him on Twitter or go to FantasyPredictors.com.

But it didn't stop there. The BUS correctly predicted winners for the majority of the NFL matchups throughout the playoffs.

So where do we go from here?

The answer, of course, is into the regular season.

As we approach Week 6 of 2021, there have been several high-profile injuries to both big-name players and lesser-known guys. We started with the entire Baltimore Ravens running back corps essentially out for the season, and we're now in October with injuries to Christian McCaffrey, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Russell Wilson and Jadeveon Clowney.

It can be difficult to make sense of it all, as injuries have been nothing more than a talking point in the past. As we are finding out, though, injuries play a big part in the performance of elite athletes and can have big impacts on the outcomes of games. In essence, health matters.

A look below shows you the current BUS for teams heading into Week 6. You can see the five healthiest teams (Bills, Vikings, Jets, Chiefs and Cardinals), the five who have been hit the hardest by injuries (the Titans, Ravens, Browns, Giants and Saints) and every team in between.

Entering Week 6, the BUS formula shows the league's healthiest teams (highest numbers, at right) and those hit most by the injury bug (left).

Could this play a role in Sunday's games?

Keep in mind the Tennessee Titans have the lowest projected BUS at 50.9, as they have numerous players out — such as star receiver Julio Jones — or playing through injury. This weekend, they face the Buffalo Bills, who have the highest projected BUS, at 92.5.

In another interesting matchup, the Cleveland Browns — who are third from the bottom and missing players including Clowney — take on Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals, who have the fifth-highest projected BUS. These gaps in health could make a difference.

Another thing to consider, however, is how BUS trends over the season.

If a team, such as Dallas, starts with multiple high-profile injuries, its BUS score will start low and might stay low. But as they grow as a team and new players get more reps, the team can improve.

In contrast, a team such as Carolina, which started with a very high BUS but has endured the largest fall over the course of the season so far, might have a tougher time trying to get new players up to speed, which can cause continued performance issues on the field.

The chart above tracks how the BUS numbers have changed for the healthiest and unhealthiest teams in the first five weeks of the 2021 season.

Again, health matters, and the BUS shows us which teams are and are not healthy. It provides valuable comparisons to enhance our understanding of the NFL contest at hand and how health will come into play. It improves fans' ability to understand the nuances of injuries and win — both in fantasy and in betting opportunities.

Renowned orthopedist Dr. Matt Provencher and his company Proven Performance Technology (PPT) 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.