The Lions were not just working with a serious talent deficit in 2021 (and on both sides of the ball). But, they were also ravaged by injury and were one of the most unlucky teams throughout the season, in terms of dealing with games lost by players due to both the injury bug and COVID-19.
Most notably, cornerback Jeff Okudah and wide receiver Tyrell Williams suffered season-ending injuries in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers.
In fact, according to a study conducted by The Buffalo News, Detroit’s starters missed more games as a result of injury and COVID in 2021 than any other NFL franchise.
The Lions experienced 134 games lost by starters due to the two above factors, and were followed in the stat by the Baltimore Ravens (125 games lost), the N.Y. Giants (115), the N.Y. Jets (113) and the Washington Football Team (111).
One common denominator among these five teams this past season was that they all had losing records, with Baltimore recording the most wins of the bunch with eight.
Meanwhile, the New England Patriots experienced the healthiest season of any team in 2021, with just 23 games lost by their starters to injury/COVID.
In terms of fewest contests lost by starters due to an ailment, the Patriots were followed by the Buffalo Bills (36 games lost), the Kansas City Chiefs (40), the L.A. Rams (44) and the Atlanta Falcons (49).
To no surprise, four of those five aforementioned organizations were playoff teams this past season. Of the five, the only team that did not qualify for the postseason was Atlanta.
It's symbolic of the fact that no matter how talented your roster is to start the season, you need luck on your side when it comes to players staying healthy, especially your starters.
Jeff Okudah missed the majority of the 2021 season after suffering an Achilles injury against the San Francisco 49ers.
Read more on the pros and cons of the Detroit Lions re-signing wide receiver Kalif Raymond this offseason.
Read more on whether the Detroit Lions should pursue Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk in free agency.
Health is a premium in the NFL, and without it, your roster is likely in disarray on a weekly basis.
Just ask Dan Campbell and the Lions.
David Reginek, USA TODAY Sports
Campbell addressed the team's injury woes early on in the 2021 campaign, claiming he did not see them as a "setback" for his young roster.
(Derrick) Barnes is still coming along, (Alim) McNeil’s coming. Levi (Onwuzurike), he’s got to get better, but he’s continuing to grow," Campbell told reporters. "Jerry Jacobs is going to continue to grow. Bobby (Price is) still going to be able to grow and help us in other areas. Sewell, there again, we’ll see where he’s at, but I feel like we still have enough young guys that we are developing.
"I don’t feel like it’s a setback. I mean, we still got plenty of young bucks that are out there, that are helping us, contributing and they’re growing every time they get to play and the reps that they’re getting."
Not only will Detroit need to add more talent this offseason, but it will also need more health on its side in 2022, in order for the organization's rebuild to continue moving in the right direction.
Easier said than done for Campbell & Co.
As a disclaimer, The Buffalo News, as part of its study, did not count starting players who were injured in the offseason, never suited up during the preseason and missed the season opener.
