Late-Season Injuries Likely to Affect 2015 NFL Playoff Race

We are now down to just three remaining weeks in the 2015 NFL regular season, and the playoff race is beginning to heat up like a hover board.

Eleven are teams over .500, plus six non-winning teams are still in contention in the NFC East and AFC South races. Yet, only three teams—the New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals—have managed to secure playoff spots.

The final three weeks are going to be quite intriguing, and with 13 games in the book for each team, attrition is going to be nearly as important as talent. Sometimes, it's the healthiest team, not the better team, that wins in December and January.

Unfortunately, many of these potential contenders have suffered key injuries over the past couple of weeks. Week 14 was particularly injury-filled, with guys such as Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls and Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen all going down.

Of course, not every seemingly significant injury is a death sentence. Just ask the Patriots, who have been surviving critical injuries all season.

Which of these injuries are going to alter the playoff chase and the ensuing races toward the Super Bowl? Well, that's exactly what we're going to determine over the next few pages. 

Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Indianapolis Colts

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The Indianapolis Colts are on top of the AFC South. At 6-7, however, they almost have to win out to ensure they stay there. The Houston Texans share that 6-7 record, and the suddenly surging Jacksonville Jaguars are right behind at 5-8. 

The good news is that all three of Indianapolis' remaining games are winnable. There are two division games (against Houston and the Tennessee Titans) and one against the Miami Dolphins. The bad news is that the team is hurting at quarterback.

Starter Andrew Luck has been out since Week 9 with an abdominal injury and a lacerated spleen. Though Luck does expect to return this season, he won't be available for Week 15's critical game with the Texans. Backup Matt Hasselbeck, who has gone 4-2 as a starter this season, might not be available either.

Hasselbeck was injured in last week's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. According to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, Hasselbeck suffered a rib injury and has been experiencing "spasms" associated with the injury. 

As a result, Hasselbeck has had his arm in a sling this week.

"Immobilizing the arm helps with the spasms," head coach Chuck Pagano explained, per Holder. 

NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported Monday that the Colts expect Hasselbeck to start in Week 15. Yet, it's difficult to know how well he'll be able to perform with spasms being part of the equation. If Hasselbeck can't go or has to leave the game, Indianapolis will have to rely on journeyman Charlie Whitehurst under center.

If the Colts lose to Houston, it will allow the Texans to gain control of the division and could even open the door for Jacksonville, who finishes the season in Houston. 

J.J. Watt, DE and Brian Hoyer, QB, Houston Texans

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So the Texans have an opportunity this week to take over the AFC South. Unfortunately, they're dealing with a quarterback injury of their own.

Starter Brian Hoyer suffered a concussion in last week's loss to the Patriots. It was his second concussion in a month's time, and it could be enough to bring his season to a premature end. ESPN's Ed Werder recently reported that the Texans believe their quarterback could be out "for a while" and that Hoyer himself is concerned. 

While Hoyer hasn't exactly set the world on fire this season, he's been solid. He's completed 60.5 percent of his passes, has thrown 18 touchdowns with just six interceptions and has amassed a respectable passer rating of 93.0. With him out, the Texans will likely turn to T.J. Yates.

The Texans are also dealing with an injury to star pass-rusher J.J. Watt, which is an obvious detriment to the defensive side of the ball (you know, the side that has been winning games this season).

Watt suffered a broken hand in practice the week before the Patriots game. During the contest, he appeared visibly hampered by the injury. He didn't record a sack, and per Pro Football Focus, he had just one quarterback hit (likely his roughing-the-passer penalty) and zero quarterback pressures. 

For a guy who came into the game averaging one sack, 2.5 hits and two additional pressures per game, this was a clear drop-off.

If Watt continues to be hampered and Hoyer can't get back on the field, the Texans could effectively be out of the playoff hunt.

Bene Benwikere, CB and Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers

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We mentioned at the top of this slideshow that Panthers tight end Greg Olsen left last week's blowout win over the Atlanta Falcons. However, it seems that his knee injury isn't really significant.

Head coach Ron Rivera stated after the game that Olsen could have returned if needed, according to Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer.

What is more significant is the loss of cornerback Bene Benwikere, who is done for the season with a leg fracture. 

As a guy playing primarily in the slot, Benwikere hasn't earned a lot of praise this season. However, he has been a key piece of Carolina's dominant defense. Pro Football Focus rates him 73rd out of 199 NFL cornerbacks this season. PFF also rates him 19th overall among cornerbacks in run-stop percentage.

Benwikere has produced 59 tackles, one forced fumble, one sack and nine passes defended this season. His absence could create problems in the playoffs against a team with a potent offense—like, say, the Arizona Cardinals.

The Panthers are also dealing with running back Jonathan Stewart's foot injury. 

Though Stewart's injury doesn't appear to be one that will linger deep into the postseason, it could impact Carolina's race toward an undefeated regular season. According to Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer, a recent MRI revealed a slight foot sprain for Stewart, and it's "tough to imagine" him playing this week against the New York Giants.

Carolina is still considered the favorite against New York even with Stewart's injury, but the Giants are chasing an NFC East title and will be selling out to win this one. Not having Stewart on the field would at least help even the odds. 

Thomas Rawls, RB, Seattle Seahawks

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The Seahawks have only had the services of starting running back Marshawn Lynch for seven games this season. However, the running game hasn't really suffered, thanks to the emergence of undrafted rookie Thomas Rawls.

In 13 games (seven starts), Rawls has rushed for 830 yards, averaged 5.6 yards per carry and scored five total touchdowns. His highlight game came in Week 11, when he rushed for 209 yards and scored twice against the San Francisco 49ers. 

Unfortunately, Rawls suffered a broken ankle and torn ligaments in last week's win against the Baltimore Ravens. The Seahawks placed him on injured reserve earlier this week.

The problems for Seattle here are twofold. For one, Rawls has been terrific this season, and the team will undoubtedly miss him down the stretch. Second, Lynch is still away from the team and recovering from sports-hernia surgery.

Lynch may be back in time for the postseason, but the Seahawks will likely have to play the majority of the remaining regular season without him. Veteran back Fred Jackson is on the roster, and the team recently re-signed Bryce Brown.

“It’s a good opportunity to bring a guy back that we’ve been training,” head coach Pete Carroll said of the Brown signing, per the team's official website. “We liked the work that he did. Roster issues made him come and go a little bit here, but we’re happy to get him back.”

Seattle can probably rely on Jackson and Brown this week against the woeful Cleveland Browns. However, that duo might hamper Seattle's efforts against the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals in the final two weeks of the season. Losing one of those games could drop Seattle to the NFC's No. 6 seed. Losing both games could drop the 8-5 Seahawks out of the playoffs entirely.

Andy Dalton, QB and Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals

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The Cincinnati Bengals lost a couple of key players during last week's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, though quarterback Andy Dalton's thumb fracture is clearly the more significant injury.

The fracture is in the thumb on Dalton's throwing hand, and it is unclear exactly how much time the fifth-year quarterback will miss. 

According to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com, Dalton won't need surgery to repair the fracture. Surgery would have likely meant Dalton being done for both the regular season and the playoffs.

"That's about as good an outcome right now that we could expect," head coach Lewis said, per Harvey.

Of course, not definitely being done for the rest of the year is a far cry from being healthy for it. Dalton still has a thumb fracture, and one would imagine he will miss at least a few games because of it. This is obviously a huge blow for Cincinnati because Dalton has been incredible this season. 

For the season, Dalton has thrown 25 touchdowns with just seven interceptions, has completed 66 percent of his passes and has posted a passer rating of 106.3. Pro Football Focus rates him seventh overall among all quarterbacks. 

As long as Dalton is out, the Bengals will rely on backup AJ McCarron.

The Bengals also have to deal without tight end Tyler Eifert, who entered Sunday's game with a neck injury and left with a concussion. He is now in the league's concussion protocol and won't be able to return to the field until cleared.

The good news is that Cincinnati has enough overall talent that the only regular-season game these injuries are likely to drastically affect is the Week 16 matchup with the Denver Broncos. The bad news is that is the one game that really matters.

Assuming the Broncos and the Patriots don't each lose more than one game down the stretch, a loss in Denver would prevent the Bengals from securing a first-round bye.

LeGarrette Blount, RB and Dominique Easley, DT, New England Patriots

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For the most part, the Patriots have managed to weather the injuries they have suffered throughout the season. If all players were healthy, the team might still be undefeated, of course. Yet, New England is still in control of the AFC with an 11-2 record and appears likely to earn home-field advantage for the playoffs.

Unfortunately, the Patriots aren't done dealing with injuries.

New England lost running back LeGarrette Blount and defensive tackle Dominique Easley during last week's win over the Texans. It appears both are done for the year.

The team has already placed Easley on injured reserve with a thigh injury. According to WEEI FM radio, the Patriots also plan to place Blount on injured reserve with a hip injury.

Blount (703 yards rushing, 4.3 yards per carry) has been the team's leading running back this season. Easley has been a rotational player with 15 tackles and 2.0 sacks on the season. Losing Blount is obviously the bigger blow, but both injuries hurt. 

New England finishes the regular season with road divisional games against the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins. Though the team isn't in position to miss the playoffs or the AFC East crown, a loss in any of the final three games could cost the Patriots home-field advantage.

A more pressing concern is the effect of Blount's absence in the postseason. Against a team like the Bengals or the Pittsburgh Steelers, it would behoove the Patriots to control the clock and keep the opposing offense on the sideline via the run.

With Blount possibly done for the year, that task will become even more difficult.