The NFL's Most Injury-Riddled Teams of 2015 Season so Far

Trust me, this is a piece you really don’t want your favorite team to be a part of.

We're taking a look at the 10 NFL teams that have had the biggest injury issues this year. Keep in mind that this is for all of 2015 and takes into account players lost before the regular season even began.

So if you think this is only about the teams with the most players on injured reserve, think again. When we say biggest, we also mean the most significant.

But as you will see, not all of these clubs have fallen by the wayside due to the absence of key personnel. Quite the opposite in some instances. And in some ways, that’s what separates the best organizations from the others. 

10. New York Giants

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The New York Giants are far from a juggernaut at 5-4. But give credit where it’s due in terms of head coach Tom Coughlin keeping his team in the mix in the shaky NFC East.

Star wide receiver Victor Cruz and left tackle Will Beatty have been out all season.

Middle linebacker Jon Beason and tight end Daniel Fells are on injured reserve, and in Sunday’s 32-18 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, cornerback Prince Amukamara and tight end Larry Donnell were both inactive. It was the fourth consecutive game Amukamara missed. 

But the Giants are alone atop their division. That certainly says more about the NFC East than perhaps it does Coughlin and Co., but this team has done a good job remaining in contention.

9. Denver Broncos

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For the first time in eight games this season, the Denver Broncos are licking their wounds following a loss.

A lot of the injuries that this team has had to deal with have come along the offensive line, and they have been dealing with them ever since Pro Bowl left tackle Ryan Clady suffered a season-ending ACL tear this offseason.

The Broncos installed rookie Ty Sambrailo at left tackle in Week 1, but he’s been unavailable since Week 3 and has since been placed on injured reserve.

While Gary Kubiak’s club may not be dealing with as many injuries as the other teams on this list, the offensive-line issues have been a consistent hindrance since the offseason. As a result, the team has had a hard time protecting veteran quarterback Peyton Manning and moving the football.

8. Atlanta Falcons

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It’s not hard to go from 5-0 to 6-3 in the NFL. Just ask the Atlanta Falcons, who are suddenly riding a two-game losing streak and are 1-3 in their last four games after a perfect start.

On Sunday at San Francisco, an already-suspect Falcons defense gave up 133 yards rushing on 38 carries to a struggling 49ers team. Of course, Atlanta played without strong safety William Moore, cornerback Robert Alford and linebacker Justin Durant. They failed to sack Niners quarterback Blaine Gabbert but did pick him off twice in the 17-16 loss.

On offense, former Pro Bowler Roddy White has not looked like his stellar self all year, and wideout Leonard Hankerson has missed the last two games. This could be a team at a crossroads, and it is no doubt welcoming the bye week.

7. San Diego Chargers

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From having to shuffle their offensive line to now having to deal with the loss of one of the most productive wide receivers in the league in 2015, the Chargers are dealing with some injury issues.

San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers continues to put up big numbers, but his team continues to fall on its facemask. In eight games he’s thrown for 2,753 yards and 18 scores while committing nine turnovers. He’s gotten a lot of help from wideout Keenan Allen, who entered Week 9 with 67 receptions, the second-most in the league.

After serving a four-game suspension, tight end Antonio Gates returned and caught two touchdown passes. But he was sorely missed in the team’s 37-29 losses to the Raiders.

It’s not been pretty and a less-than-effective defense hasn’t helped. And it’s amazing that Rivers has stayed healthy despite dropping back 367 times in eight games this season while being sacked 19 times.

6. Chicago Bears

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As the Chicago Bears prepare for Monday night’s tilt with the San Diego Chargers, they will do so without one of their most productive offensive players in the league this season.

Entering Week 9, running back Matt Forte ranked fifth in the NFL with 767 total yards from scrimmage, rushing for 548 yards and two scores while catching 25 passes for 219 yards and one touchdown. As Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune reported on Saturday, Forte did not make the trip to San Diego and is dealing with a sprained MCL in his right knee.

Throw in the fact that quarterback Jay Cutler missed a game earlier this season and wideout Alshon Jeffery was out for four contests earlier this year, it is surprising head coach John Fox actually has his 2-5 team playing respectable football following a rough start.

5. Baltimore Ravens

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Last season, the Baltimore Ravens finished 10-6, went to the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years and gave the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots all they could handle in the postseason.

At 2-6, John Harbaugh’s club has been one of the bigger disappointments in the league. But it hasn’t helped that veteran defender Terrell Suggs went down in the season opener, further weakening an already-suspect defense.

Now the Ravens will be minus wide receiver Steve Smith, out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury. Earlier in the season, Smith missed a game with a back injury, one that resulted in a 33-30 home overtime loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Getting back to the playoffs this season will be a tall order for the Ravens, especially with a pair of experienced performers on injured reserve.

4. Carolina Panthers

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They were forecasting doom for the Carolina Panthers this year when talented wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin went down before the regular season even began.

There were big-time concerns when perennial Pro Bowl linebacker Luke Kuechly went down with a concussion in Week 1 in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and would miss three games.

Defensive end Charles Johnson still hasn't returned since getting injured in Week 3 and is on the injured reserve/designated for return list.

Now the only concern when it comes to the Panthers is who is going to beat them. The team is 8-0 for the first time in franchise history and is growing with confidence. In the span of seven days, they held off the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers for a pair of home wins.

This is a tough-minded club that is going to be a hard team to beat and has answered the call all season despite some key injuries.

3. Buffalo Bills

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

Forget the inconsistency and unpredictability of Rex Ryan’s Buffalo Bills. The bottom line is that the team is 4-4 and certainly in the mix when it comes to a playoff spot. On Thursday night at MetLife Stadium, the 5-3 New York Jets host their former head coach and his new team.

After a pair of losses, and with an off week to get ready, the Bills squished the Dolphins on Sunday, 33-17. The team saw the return of quarterback Tyrod Taylor (who missed two starts) and saw running backs LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams each run for 100-plus yards against the Miami Dolphins. McCoy is another player who has missed time this season, as has wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who has played in only five of the team’s eight contests this season.

This Bills team is indeed hard to figure. But they have also done a pretty good job dealing with some key injuries along the way.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

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Here we go again.

Heading into this season, the Pittsburgh Steelers knew they would have veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and prolific wide receiver Antonio Brown. They also knew that due to league suspensions, they would be minus All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell and wide receiver Martavis Bryant for the first two and four games, respectively.

Think again. On Sunday in a wild 38-35 win over the Oakland Raiders, Roethlisberger went down with a foot injury. Last week, Bell was lost for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.

“Ben is our franchise quarterback," Brown told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. “We live and die with him. ... Hopefully he can be with us.”

By all accounts, Roethlisberger will be shelved a few weeks, meaning he will miss this week’s game with the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers are off in Week 11. This is the second time this year that the veteran signal-caller will miss time, having missed four games with a knee issue.

Still, Pittsburgh has remained above .500 with a 5-4 record thanks to contributions from backup quarterbacks Michael Vick and Landry Jones, as well as veteran running back DeAngelo Williams. The latter ran for 170 yards and two scores and also caught a pass for a two-point conversion in Sunday’s victory.

Can head coach Mike Tomlin keep Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes afloat? So far so good.

1. Dallas Cowboys

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It seems pretty simple. No Tony Romo has added up to no victories for the Dallas Cowboys.

While the effective quarterback wasn’t super sharp early in the season, he was the catalyst for the team’s come-from-behind win over the New York Giants in Week 1.

Romo went down seven days later at Philadelphia and the Cowboys are desperately waiting for him to get back on the field. In that victory over the Giants, they also lost prolific wide receiver Dez Bryant for a spell, but he’s managed to play the last two weeks.

In Romo’s absence there’s been quarterbacks Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel, who are a combined 0-6 and have ironically teamed to throw six touchdown passes and just as many interceptions.

Meanwhile, an improving defense has been inconsistent and while he got off to a good start this season, outside linebacker Sean Lee has been banged up again this year.

It's adding up to a lost season for a club that finished 12-4 and looked like a team on the rise in 2014.

All free-agent information and player signings/transactions are courtesy of Spotrac. Depth-chart information comes via Ourlads. Unless otherwise noted, all player and team statistics come from Pro Football Reference and ESPN.com. All player ratings courtesy of Pro Football Focus.