Nobody wants to see their favorite player go out with an injury, but some teams’ rosters seem to be especially prone to accidents. This can be frustrating for fans who pay to see the top stars perform, and it can have serious consequences for a franchise’s performance.
From ACL tears to concussions, there are a variety of injuries that can keep players on the shelf for several games or even an entire season, but which teams have been the most affected by injuries over the last five years?
To find out, we’ve looked at the recent history of each NFL team and player to see who are the biggest victims of the injury curse.
Which team’s players have missed the most games due to injury?
Starting with NFL teams as a whole, here are the teams whose players have seen the most injuries over the years:
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Since winning the Super Bowl in 2021, the Bucs have been plagued by injuries over the last few seasons. Their 2020-21 season was relatively smooth sailing, with players missing a combined total of just 14 games. By the next season, however, that number had more than doubled to 34.
The 2024-25 season didn’t provide any relief for Tampa either, as they ranked as the team whose players missed the most games to injury across the entire league. The team recorded 73 absences throughout the year, resulting in an average of 4.3 missing players per game.
Comparing their 2020-21 season to 2024-25, the Bucs have seen a 421% increase in players missing games, making them the NFL team with the sharpest rise in injuries. Over the last five seasons, their players have missed a combined 197 games.
2. Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers finished their 2020-21 season in relatively good standing, with their players having missed a combined total of just 12 games between them. The next few years saw similar numbers: 19 absences in the 2021-22 season and just 16 in 2022-23.
Unfortunately, the Panthers haven’t been as lucky this year, with the team racking up a massive 62 total games missed by injured players. This marks a 417% rise in injured players compared to five years ago. In that time, their players have missed games on 146 occasions.
3. Houston Texans
The last five seasons have been difficult for the Texans, as they rank as the team with the most total games missed over that period, at 205 absences. What’s particularly frustrating for fans, though, is that things used to be very different.
At the end of the 2020-21 season, Houston players had missed only 14 games to injury, making them a relatively healthy and safe roster. By the next season, however, they had missed 38 games combined.
Their issues peaked in the 2024-25 season, with a total of 66 missed games. Compared to their performance five years ago, this means they’ve seen a 371% increase in injuries affecting their schedule.
4. Baltimore Ravens
Although they failed to make the playoffs in the 2020-21 season, the Ravens can at least take pride in the fact that they finished without too many injuries, as they racked up just 11 absences over the course of the year. And since then, the team has been a strong postseason competitor despite increasing injury counts.
The 2024-25 season was the Ravens’ hardest of the 2020s in terms of injuries, though, with 48 total missed games across their whole roster. This means that, despite missing just 143 total games in the last five seasons, they had seen a 336% rise in injury absences.
5. New York Giants
The New York Giants have struggled to find their footing in the 2020s for various reasons, but high-profile injuries have been among their biggest hurdles. Just as things looked to be improving for the franchise after the 2022-23 season, several injuries to Daniel Jones the following year led to a downturn in performance, which culminated in a 6-11 record.
Their most recent season saw 53 total missed games across the roster, a 279% increase from five years earlier, while they recorded just 14 absences in the 2020-21 season. Surprisingly, though, their best period was also the year with the most injury time, as Giants players missed a total of 55 games in the 2022-23 regular season.
Which team’s players have missed the least time due to injury?
With the most injured teams covered, let’s now take a look at the NFL teams with the lowest injury rates.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
As the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Eagles have substantially improved their injury record over the last five years. With 60 total absences in the 2020-21 season, there were serious concerns about the number of non-starters for the team. Luckily, in the most recent NFL season, they recorded just 39 missed games across the roster, a 35% decrease from five years earlier.
2. Minnesota Vikings
Another team that has reduced its injury numbers over the last five seasons is the Minnesota Vikings. At the end of the 2020-21 season, they had a total of 37 absences across the games played. Since then, though, they have managed to decrease this number by 30%, with just 26 total games missed last season.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars have been up and down over the last few years when it comes to injuries, but they’ve luckily managed to stabilize over the last season. By the end of the 2020-21 season, they had accumulated 36 absences from games due to injuries. This number dropped to 16 the following year and eventually dipped to ten in 2022-23. Although injury numbers have been on the rise again, with 28 by the end of the 2024-25 season, it still marks a 22% decrease across five years.
4. Cincinnati Bengals
Despite some fluctuations, the Bengals finished their 2024-25 season in the same place they finished the 2020-21 season in terms of injuries. In both years, they totalled 33 absences by the end of the season, meaning there’s been a 0% change across five years. Their least injury-prone season in that time was 2021-22, where they had just 17 missed games.
5. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills round out our list of the NFL teams with the lowest rise in injuries over the last five years, which is a surprise considering they saw a 13% increase. Compared to 31 absences at the end of the 2020-21 season, the Bills finished last season with 35 total missed games. The fact that they ranked so low on our list, despite an increase, shows that NFL teams are experiencing more injuries across the board.
The NFL’s most injury-prone players
Outside of team-wide injury issues, we also wanted to know which specific players were seeing the biggest injury rates overall. Here’s what we uncovered:
1. Terron Armstead (New Orleans Saints & Miami Dolphins)
Making his NFL debut in 2013, offensive tackle Terron Armstead made his name with the Saints before being signed by the Dolphins in 2021. His accolades include five Pro Bowl appearances and a second-team All-Pro title in 2018, but by the end of his career, Armstead was becoming increasingly prone to injuries. He suffered a pectoral strain early in the season when debuting for Miami and missed several games in 2023 due to multiple injuries.
Despite missing just eight games over the last five seasons, Armstead ranks as the player with the highest total injury count, racking up 42 of them. He retired from the NFL in April 2025 after an eleven-season career.
2. Kyle Dugger (New England Patriots & Pittsburgh Steelers)
After recently signing with the Steelers, Kyle Dugger will be hoping for better luck than he experienced on the New England Patriots, where he racked up a total of 40 injuries over the last five seasons. Luckily, these injuries didn’t seem to affect him on the field much, as he only missed three games.
Some of Dugger’s most notable absences include a knee injury in 2021 that forced him to miss the Patriots’ loss to the Ravens and a lingering ankle injury in 2024 that affected his play.
3. Jonathan Jones (New England Patriots & Washington Commanders)
Cornerback Jonathan Jones is a two-time Super Bowl champion, playing for the Patriots during their 2016 and 2018 championship seasons. He spent eight years with the team before signing with the Washington Commanders in 2025, where he picked up a hamstring injury early in his tenure.
In the seasons leading up to his departure, Jones had picked up various other injuries, totalling 31 over five years. He still managed to compete consistently despite these setbacks, only missing one game in that time.
4. Marshon Lattimore (New Orleans Saints & Washington Commanders)
Marshon Lattimore was a first-round draft pick for the Saints in 2017, when he was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Unfortunately, his subsequent seasons were often cut short due to hamstring injuries. Lattimore picked up 31 injuries between 2020 and 2025, missing 17 games in total, which means he missed a whole season’s worth of games.
In 2024, Lattimore also signed with the Washington Commanders but missed his first four games due to hamstring issues. He would later miss the team’s last games of the season after aggravating the injury.
5. Jaire Alexander (Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens & Philadelphia Eagles)
Jaire Alexander caps off our list of the most injury-prone players in the NFL, having racked up a variety of issues during his time with the Green Bay Packers. He debuted for the team as a cornerback in 2018, but would often have to take time off due to a groin injury.
His luck didn’t improve in the 2020s, with a shoulder injury taking him out of action in 2021, and several leg injuries impacting his 2024-25 season. Following these issues, he was traded to the Ravens, appearing in just two games before joining the Eagles, where he would step back from football to focus on his health. He accumulated 31 injuries from 2020 to 2025, missing ten games.
Which players have missed the most time due to injury?
While total injury count is one thing, some injuries can keep players down for a long time. Here are the players who have missed the most games due to injuries:
1. Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans & Cleveland Browns)
Deshaun Watson’s NFL debut season saw him set numerous records as a rookie for the Houston Texans. The first-round pick QB racked up the most passing touchdowns in a month by a rookie in his position, as well as the longest streak of games with three or more passing touchdowns by a new player.
After being traded to the Browns in 2022, though, Watson began missing games for a variety of reasons. He was suspended for 11 games due to serious misconduct allegations, but his first missed time for an injury came after a shoulder fracture in 2023.
Later, an Achilles tear in October 2024 saw him carted off the field and missing the rest of the season. He re-ruptured the tendon in 2025, likely keeping him out of play for another full year.
Between the start of the 2020-21 season and the end of 2024-25 campaign, Watson had missed a total of 20 games due to injury, making him the player who has spent the most time off the field for medical reasons. In that time, he reportedly suffered 22 injuries, but the severity of these injuries led to him taking an extended leave.
2. Adoree’ Jackson (Tennessee Titans, New York Giants & Philadelphia Eagles)
Debuting for the Tennessee Titans in 2017, cornerback Adoree Jackson was a terrific college football player for USC before being picked in the first round of the draft. His play helped the Titans reach the playoffs in three of his four seasons with the team before being traded to the New York Giants in 2021.
Although he’s been a reliable hand on the field, Jackson’s injury history has led to him missing several games throughout his career. A foot injury saw him miss the last four games of the 2019 regular season, while a knee issue saw him placed on injured reserve during his final season with the Titans. Later, in his debut year for the Giants, Jackson would suffer an MCL sprain.
Having racked up 28 injuries in recent years, he has missed a total of 18 games. Jackson is currently signed to the Philadelphia Eagles, who will likely be keeping a close eye on his health to ensure he doesn’t miss more time.
3. Marshon Lattimore (New Orleans Saints & Washington Commanders)
The only player to appear on both our missed time and total injury rankings, Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore seems like he can’t catch a break when it comes to his injury status. Despite a career full of impressive accolades, a persistent issue with Lattimore’s hamstring has seen him miss many high-stakes games for both New Orleans and Washington.
Having sustained 31 injuries in total over the last five NFL seasons, Lattimore has missed 17 games. These absences include the first four games and the last two games of the Commanders’ 2024-25 season.
4. Braden Smith (Indianapolis Colts)
Auburn alumnus Braden Smith has played for the Colts since he was drafted to the team in 2018. As an offensive tackle, he was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in his debut season, where he helped Indianapolis reach the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Smith has been sidelined from the NFL on multiple occasions, including being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Colts on Christmas Day in 2020. He also suffered from religious scrupulosity in 2024, a type of OCD that saw him miss the last five games of the regular season.
After almost retiring from the NFL due to the pressure of his condition, he was treated in Mexico and received therapy back in the US, eventually reporting that he was beginning to feel better. With 28 injuries recorded over the last several seasons, Braden Smith’s 17 games missed in total put him in a tie with Lattimore for time taken away from the league. However, since Smith suffered fewer injuries in total, we’ve decided to rank him at #4.
5. Deebo Samuel Sr. (San Francisco 49ers & Washington Commanders)
Deebo Samuel was a stand-out player for the 49ers before his 2025 trade to the Commanders. In 2021, he led the league in average receiving yards per game, earning him All-Pro honors and a spot in the 2021 Pro Bowl.
During his college career at the University of South Carolina, Samuel broke his right fibula in a Week 3 game against Kentucky, leading him to miss the rest of the 2017 season. His leg issues would later come back to haunt him in the NFL, with hamstring and ankle injuries affecting his play during the 2022 regular season.
Across his NFL career, Samuel has accumulated 26 injuries and missed 17 games. This puts him just ahead of players such as Kenny Golladay and Jimmie Ward to finish our top five.
What are the most common NFL injuries?
Even the safest of NFL players can be hurt in an accident, but which body part is the most likely to be affected in a football game?
According to our data, knee injuries are the most common in the NFL, with 853 recorded so far in the 2020s. They’re closely followed by ankle injuries, which have affected players 776 times in the same period, with hamstring injuries ranking third (670).
Concussions have also proven to be a major issue facing NFL players for years, but they rank fourth on our list with 545 instances over the last five seasons. Shoulder injuries round out the top five, with 247 reported.
Conclusion and Methodology
Injuries have become increasingly common in the NFL in recent years. Although some teams have mitigated their injury issues over the last five years, almost the entire league has seen an increase in games missed since the 2020-21 season. While many are minor enough for players to work through, they can lead to major absences if they’re not treated early, with many high-profile players missing entire seasons’ worth of games due to long-term health issues.
All the data was collected from NFL.com and was accurate as of 11/12/2025.
