Derrick Henry's return a boost for Titans, but Packers are healthiest team
Sat, Jan 22, 2022
NFL News (AP)
AP Sports Injury & Performance Analyst
The NFL playoffs have entered the divisional round and health issues continue to play a role in impacting these crucial matchups.
Knowing this, it can be helpful to quantify player and team health. We've worked hard to do that with our "Banged Up Score" - or "BUS" - which utilizes a wealth of proprietary data to produce a number that does just that.
What is the BUS? Here is a brief explainer:
Dr. Matt Provencher explains what the "BUS" or "Banged Up Score" is and how it affected teams last season in the NFL.For more analysis of the NFL from Dr. Matt, follow him on Twitter or go to FantasyPredictors.com.
Looking at this weekend, it's clear that the Green Bay Packers, who are coming off a bye, are the healthiest team in the playoffs, followed closely by the Buffalo Bills.
The least-healthy team remaining in the postseason is the Tennessee Titans, but there is a huge caveat to that:
That's right, Tennessee's star running back Derrick Henry is expected to be activated and start in Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Henry participated in all practices this week and did not experience any setbacks.
"I felt great," Henry said. "I just wanted to get some pads on. Haven't had them on in a while and got some contact going."
It remains to be seen how much Henry will play, but his return should be a big boost to a Titans lineup that went 6-3 without him.
Here are the health rankings for the eight remaining playoff teams, with a bit of info on each.
1. Green Bay Packers - 94.6 BUS
This week: vs. 49ers (BUS of 70.0) on Saturday.
Injury report: DOUBTFUL: WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (back); QUESTIONABLE: OT David Bakhtiari (knee), CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder).
Note: The Packers are likely to have both receiver Randall Cobb and running back Aaron Jones back in action.
2. Buffalo Bills - 89.3 BUS
This week: at Chiefs (BUS of 87.9) on Sunday.
Injury report: None.
Note: There was some question about whether defensive end Mario Addison would be able to play on Sunday, but things look good after he practiced in full on Friday.
3. Kansas City Chiefs - 87.9 BUS
This week: vs. Bills (BUS of 89.3) on Sunday.
Injury report: QUESTIONABLE: RB Darrel Williams (toe), CB Rashad Fenton.
Note: Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is expected to return, though the Chiefs looked pretty good with Jerick McKinnon carrying the load against the Steelers last week (12 carries for 61 yards and six catches for 81 yards).
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 84.8 BUS
This week: vs. Rams (BUS of 69.1) on Sunday.
Injury report: OUT: RB Ronald Jones II (ankle), WR Breshad Perriman (hip/abdomen). QUESTIONABLE: WR Cyril Grayson (hamstring), CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (hamstring), C Ryan Jensen (ankle), OLB Jason Pierre-Paul (personal), OT Tristan Wirfs (ankle).
Note: It is still unclear whether Leonard Fournette will play on Sunday. The biggest potential blow, though, could be if linemen Jensen and Wirfs sit out, especially with a hungry Rams defense eager to get at Tom Brady.
5. San Francisco 49ers - 70.0 BUS
This week: at Packers (BUS of 94.6) on Saturday.
Injury report: QUESTIONABLE: DE Jordan Willis (ankle), CB Ambry Thomas (knee).
Note: The 49ers got a huge boost when they revealed on Friday that Nick Bosa had cleared concussion protocol and was cleared to play. Even better? QB Jimmy Garoppolo isn't even listed on the injury report despite dealing with thumb and shoulder ailments.
6. Cincinnati Bengals - 69.8 BUS
This week: at Titans (BUS of 66.2) on Saturday.
Injury report: QUESTIONABLE: WR Stanley Morgan (hamstring), DB Jalen Davis (knee).
Note: Trey Hendrickson appears to be ready to return from a concussion and bulk up the defensive line.
7. Los Angeles Rams - 69.1 BUS
This week: at Buccaneers (BUS of 84.8) on Sunday.
Injury report: OUT: S Taylor Rapp (concussion), OT Andrew Whitworth (knee). DOUBTFUL: RB Buddy Howell (hamstring).
Note: Whitworth was hurt on the first play of Monday's win over the Arizona Cardinals, and while he did return to play, Joseph Noteboom played most of the second half. Rapp was unable to pass concussion protocol in the short week.
8. Tennessee Titans - 66.2 BUS
This week: vs. Cincinnati (BUS of 69.8) on Saturday.
Injury report: QUESTIONABLE: DT Teair Tart (ankle).
Note: The big news here is the return of star running back Henry, who gained 937 yards and scored 10 touchdowns in only eight games before breaking his foot. As we wrote in this week's injury report: "If Henry does return this week, expect him to test the ankle at first, meaning he will likely have a minimum 20-25% reduction in snap percentage. If all goes well and he feels good, those numbers should be cranked up if the Titans can pull off a win this weekend."
Renowned orthopedist Dr. Matt Provencher and his company, Proven Performance Technology (PPT), deliver data-driven injury insights to football fans. In this first-of-a-kind role as Athlete Injury and Performance Analyst for AP Sports' digital platforms, Provencher provides important predictive player health and recovery information about post-injury performance, the impact of weather, field conditions and more.
