The NFL wants to do all it can to keep quarterbacks healthy. Even with aggressive enforcement of roughing the passer rules and lax enforcement of: (1) intentional grounding; (2) holding; and (3) illegal procedure, it’s not working.
More and more quarterbacks are injured. Quarterbacks from good teams. Quarterbacks whose teams play in prime-time, standalone games.
Through little more than half of the season, six starters have had season-ending injuries: Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (who could come back, but likely won’t), Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. That’s 18.75 percent of the league’s starters, gone and not coming back this season.
The Jets had high hopes and many standalone games, none of which have been flexed. The next one — the much-hyped Black Friday game on Amazon vs. the Dolphins — can’t be flexed.
The Vikings, Colts, Browns, and Bengals are all contenders. Whether they qualify for the playoffs will depend on the performance of their backups, or the ability of the rest of the team to overcome the performance of their backups. (The Colts have the most accomplished of the bunch, in Gardner Minshew.)
Other quarterbacks have missed game time due to injury: Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill (ankle), Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (concussion, back), Bears quarterback Justin Fields (thumb), Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (ankle), Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder (sort of), Saints quarterback Derek Carr (shoulder, concussion), Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (thumb), and Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (knee).
Others have been banged up, without missing games: Bills quarterback Josh Allen (shoulder), Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (X-ray room after Week 10 loss), Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (ribs, knee), Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (ankle injury on Thursday night), Jaguars quarterback Trevor…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/list-injured-quarterbacks-keeps-growing-135722639.html
Author : ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports
Publish date : 2023-11-18 13:57:22
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