Packers are due some good luck with injuries in 2019

The Green Bay Packers are overdue some good luck with injuries in 2019. Right?

Injuries are part of football. In fact, they’re part of all sports. That’s why the best teams have depth at key positions and are able to overcome injuries.

But in the NFL, you sometimes also need some luck. There are often many teams talented enough to go and win a championship, but injuries to key players can have a huge impact.

And the Packers always seem to have bad luck with injuries. By Week 17 of the 2018 season, the Packers had 18 players on injured reserve. That included Kenny Clark, Mike Daniels, Muhammad Wilkerson, Geronimo Allison, Kevin King, Aaron Jones and Nick Perry.

To add to that, in the season finale against the Detroit Lions, 15 players were on the injury report, including Aaron Rodgers, David Bakhtiari, Bryan Bulaga and Davante Adams. Only three teams had more players on the injury report in Week 17 — the Indianapolis Colts (19), Houston Texans (18) and New York Jets (16).

Of course, that’s only one week.

And the Packers haven’t actually been the unluckiest team in the NFL when it comes to injuries the past couple of years, but they are still in the bottom half of the league, based on Football Outsiders’ Adjusted Games Lost rankings. Football Outsiders had the Packers ranked 21st in the NFL in both 2017 and 2018.

And it’s not just the quantity of injuries, but when they happen and to which players. In two of the past six seasons, Aaron Rodgers has missed half the year with a broken collarbone. Jordy Nelson missed all of 2015 with a torn ACL. The Packers have not only had lots of injuries, but also significant injuries to key players.

It should perhaps come as no surprise, then, that the Packers were relatively healthy throughout the 2014 season, which was their best chance of reaching the Super Bowl since their victory in 2010.

Despite reaching the NFC Championship Game again two years later, the Packers had 15 players on the injury report. Jordy Nelson played with broken ribs. Due to injuries along the offensive line, by the end of the game defensive tackle Letroy Guion had to take snaps at guard.

It wasn’t injuries that cost the Packers in that game. The Falcons completely outplayed them. But injuries didn’t help, either. The Falcons were close to full strength in the game with only four players on their injury report, and all four played in the game.

Like every other team in the league, the Packers will need to be ready to overcome injuries just as they did when they won the Super Bowl in 2010. But some injuries are too difficult to overcome, like when Rodgers broke his collarbone two years ago.

Injuries will happen. But this year, the Packers are surely due some better luck with injuries? It happened in 2014. Maybe they’ll stay relatively healthy again this season.

Go Pack Go!