Injuries always start stacking up early in the NFL, but through Week 5 of the 2026 season, a few teams have been hit far harder than the rest. At the top of the list are the Bears and Commanders, two clubs that have already leaned on third-string quarterbacks and other replacements just to stay afloat.
The leaguewide tally shows just how uneven the damage has been. Chicago has lost 54 games and 65 Total Points, while Washington sits at 50 games missed and 61 points lost.
After that comes a sizeable drop, with the Texans at 81 games missed and 40 points lost, followed by the Patriots and Cowboys at 57 games missed and 36 points lost apiece. The 49ers, once again, are near the front of the pack too, with 61 games missed and 34 points lost.
Here’s the full league picture through Week 5:
Bears 54 65
Commanders 50 61
Texans 81 40
Patriots 57 36
Cowboys 71 36
49ers 61 34
Chargers 51 29
Eagles 55 28
Browns 57 27
Ravens 39 27
Lions 50 26
Panthers 39 25
Buccaneers 37 25
Cardinals 48 23
Giants 33 23
Vikings 52 23
Packers 44 22
Rams 25 21
Jets 70 20
Falcons 41 19
Saints 61 18
Titans 48 17
Steelers 33 16
Seahawks 50 15
Dolphins 48 15
Broncos 27 15
Bengals 28 13
Bills 23 13
Colts 37 13
Jaguars 28 10
Chiefs 19 10
Raiders 49 10
The measure behind those numbers is straightforward: each injured player’s Total Points per game over his previous 17 games, multiplied by the number of games he has missed because of injury. Only injuries suffered since August 1 count.
Total Points is the grading system here for player value, using Expected Points Added as the currency. It folds in all the little things that swing a game - a missed block, a dropped pass, a tackle, a quarterback fitting one into a tight window - and translates them into a single number that can be compared across positions.
When you zoom out from games missed and look at total value lost, the Commanders are still sitting on the heaviest burden. That’s driven mainly by Laremy Tunsil’s season-ending injury and the early missed time from Jayden Daniels, whose per-game Total Points value is especially high. Washington leads the combined total of value lost already and value still projected to be lost.
The Bears have taken the biggest hit so far in actual value gone from the roster, with Caleb Williams front and center there. Coby Bryant’s season-ending knee injury in August adds a bigger cumulative loss over time.
The Texans have absorbed some meaningful blows, but not all of them look like long-term sinkholes. Their receiver room has taken hits both short term, with Nico Collins, and long term, with Jayden Higgins, though they are getting Braden Smith back to help up front.
San Francisco’s total lost value is lower than you might expect, but the warning light is still flashing. The 49ers have ranked among the league’s most-injured teams in each of the previous two seasons, so the real test is whether they can finally put together a healthier one.
The Giants are another team to watch on the climb. Jaxson Dart and Brian Burns have already accounted for two major injuries, and that total will only keep growing as the missed games pile up.
At the other end of the spectrum, the top AFC West teams have mostly dodged the worst of it and are overperforming early. The five teams with the least value lost are a combined 17-7 so far, while the five teams with the most value lost are 10-14-1. That most-affected group has still hung around better than you’d think, but four of those five teams were already viewed as playoff-caliber entering the season.
In Other News...
Commanders Head Into 49ers Test With One Costly Problem Up Front
The Commanders head into Monday Night Football against the 49ers still trying to steady themselves after the tie with the Giants, and the biggest concern is not hard to spot. Up front, injuries have forced Washington into a thinner lineup than it wanted, with Chris Paul stepping in on the offensive line while Laremy Tunsil remains out, leaving the unit shorthanded at a time when it needs to be at its cleanest.
Paul has been asked to carry more than the Commanders likely expected, and the results have been uneven enough to keep the issue front and center as the matchup with San Francisco approaches. With little proven depth available behind him, Washington does not have many easy answers if the line continues to wobble, which makes this a problem the team may have to manage rather than solve right away. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Cross Gives Commanders Defense A Needed Lift At The Right Time
Nick Cross is moving back into the Commanders defensive mix at a timely moment, with Dan Quinn saying the safety is expected to be fully available for the upcoming matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. After missing games because of an internal medical issue, Cross returned to full participation in practice, a step Washington needed after the defense had some trouble filling the void in his absence.
The timing matters even more with Monday night preparation ramping up and the 49ers next on the schedule. Crosss return should give the Commanders a steadier presence on the back end, and it comes after a stretch that included an overnight hospital stay following the Cowboys game, a reminder of just how much has gone into getting him back on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Face A Trade Temptation Adam Peters May Need To Resist
With Washington still digging out of a disappointing season, the temptation to chase an immediate fix is easy to understand. A receiver with a built-in connection to Jayden Daniels would look like the kind of move that could speed up the rebuild, especially when other teams around the league have been aggressive in adding star power through trades.
But for Adam Peters, the smarter path may be patience. The Commanders are better served protecting their draft capital and letting roster upgrades come through the draft or the offseason, not spending heavily for a deal that might make more sense later than it does now. In that sense, the real test is not whether Washington can make a splash, but whether it can resist one until the timing is right. [Read more 🡒]