The highly talked about topic when it comes to NFL injuries is ACL. ACL stands for Anterior Cruciate Ligament, a crucial ligament in connecting the femur to the tibia. A study from the National Library of Medicine shows, “A total of 314 ACL injuries occurred during the 5-year study period, with a mean of 62 per year. The overall 1-season injury risk of an NFL player sustaining an ACL injury was 1.9% (95% CI, 1.7%−2.1%).” 

Some ACl injuries stand out more than others. Patrick Mahomes, 3x Super Bowl champion and 2-time MVP, and Quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, recently went down with an ACL injury in their week 15 matchup against the Chargers. This is a big loss for the Chiefs as they build their entire team around Mahomes. In the Chiefs week 15 matchup, they were fighting for a chance to make the playoffs, meaning a loss resulted in hey elimination. When Mahomes suffered an injury late in the 4th quarter, they ultimately lostthe game and officially dropped from playoff contention.

Another big name in the NFl world is Micah Parsons, an all-pro Linebacker for the Green Bay Packers and winning defensive player of the year in 2021. Like Mahomes, Parsons went down with an ACL injury in week 15 in their matchup against the Denver Broncos. Parsons was the Packers sack leader racking up 12.5 sacks, top 5 in the league. This was a very big loss for the Packers, losing their best defensive player before entering the playoffs. This can really make a dent in their playoff run without their leading pass rusher. 

Junior Ronan O’Brien thinks that “The Packers will not go far in the playoffs because they dont have Parsons and won’t be able to stop some powerful offenses.”

Along that sentiment, fellow junior Sebby Arata believes that “Without Patrick Mahomes, the chiefs will not maintain a steady offense and will not succeed in the future.” 

Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent these ACL injuries while playing sports, and we see them starting to become more and more common every season.