The Chicago Bears had the most games lost to injury in 2016

Injuries were a big part of the 2016 Chicago Bears. They saw their starting center go down before the season even started. They had three different quarterbacks go on injured reserve. They lost their starting tight end to IR and three different wide receivers. The linebacking corps and the defensive line were hit hard too. Injuries weren’t the only reason the team managed a paltry three wins last year, but it certainly had a hand in it.

Scott Kacsmar of Football Outsiders, recently looked at Adjusted Games Lost (AGL) for the 2016 season. Not only did the Bears lead the league at 155.1 AGL, but they had the highest total ever in the Football Outsider’s database, “eclipsing the 141.3 AGL for the 2013 Giants.” Kacsmar added, “Chicago had 12 players incur at least 6.0 AGL. The next closest teams were Buffalo and San Diego with eight such players each.”

The article also indicated that the Bears led the league in most times reporting a player as questionable to play in that weeks game. On 111 occasions, the Bears gave a player the questionable designation, only to have the players play 83 times. The league average rate in 2016 was 74.2%, meaning the Bears rate of 74.8% was the closest to the NFL’s average of all 32 teams.

If you remember, the NFL changed their injury designations last year to questionable (uncertain if player will play), doubtful (unlikely to play) and out (will not play).

There are a few other interesting injury related nuggets in the article so make sure you give it a once over.