By Nick Murray
With the start of the 2020-2021 NFL season, many fans were suspicious of how long it would last. The public suspected that Covid-19 would plague the NFL due to its poor protocol and lack of a so-called bubble. In addition to Covid-19 forcing many games to be postponed, another unforeseen consequence of Covid football is the multitude of injuries. As a result of inadequate preseason training, NFL players continue to be unfit for the demanding task of professional football. Therefore, the 2020 NFL season has been plagued with soft tissue injuries around the league.
The San Francisco 49ers serve as a perfect example, losing stars such as Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle, Raheem Mostert, and Nick Bosa for various amounts of time within the first 3 weeks. Likewise, the New York Giants lost their star running back Saquan Barkley after sustaining a season ending ACL tear in his right knee. The very same week the Carolina Panthers lost starting running back Christian McCafrey for four to six weeks due to a high ankle sprain.
Naturally, with football being a severely demanding sport, injuries are expected. However, never have we seen injuries affect the league to such an extent. As the NFL scrambles to adapt to Covid America, cutting preseason training was an obvious way to reduce the spread of Covid-19. However, reduced physical activity in the offseason resulted in a 2020-2021 NFL season filled with players unfit to participate in such a physicality. As a result, many of the league’s top talent has been forced out of games due to myriad injuries as the league works to cope with the struggles of Covid-19.