NFL Injury Report, Week 6: Which Defenses Are Breaking
The official injury report, read by unit instead of by name. One missing starter rarely moves a game; several out of the same front seven or secondary does, because the replacements were not in the rotation. This board weights every absence by the player’s share of snaps and flags the defenses that are close to breaking.
Week 6 defensive injury board
Every defense on the Week 6 slate, ranked by how much of its front seven (DL + LB) and secondary (CB + S) is out or questionable. Snap share is summed across the unit — 1.00 is one every-down player. 13 defenses are flagged.
| Defense | Game | Line | Front out (+Q) | Secondary out (+Q) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHI | @ ATL | −1.5 | 2.10 | — (+0.61) | CLUSTER · front Out: T.J. Edwards LB 84%, Montez Sweat DL 71%, Dayo Odeyingbo DL 55% Questionable: Tyrique Stevenson CB 62% |
| TEN | @ IND | +6.5 | 0.35 | 2.00 | CLUSTER · secondary Out: Kevin Winston S 100%, Alontae Taylor CB 100%, Jordan Elliott DL 34% |
| NYG | vs NO | +0.5 | 1.08 (+0.93) | 1.75 | WATCH · front Out: Colton Hood CB 98%, Tyler Nubin S 78%, Brian Burns LB 55%, Chauncey Golston DL 53% Questionable: Abdul Carter LB 92% |
| ARI | @ LAR | +12.5 | — (+0.45) | 1.07 (+0.99) | WATCH · secondary Out: Andrew Wingard S 68%, Wydett Williams S 39% Questionable: Budda Baker S 100%, Zaven Collins LB 44% |
| HOU | @ JAX | +2.5 | 0.29 (+0.92) | 0.90 (+0.94) | NEAR Out: Jalen Pitre S 90%, Mario Edwards DL 29% Questionable: Reed Blankenship S 94%, Azeez Al-Shaair LB 92% |
| LAC | @ KC | +7.5 | — (+1.80) | 1.24 | NEAR Out: Derwin James S 92%, Donte Jackson CB 33% Questionable: Daiyan Henley LB 89%, Jamaree Caldwell DL 57%, Dalvin Tomlinson DL 34% |
| NE | vs NYJ | −7.5 | — (+0.94) | 0.94 (+0.83) | NEAR Out: Carlton Davis CB 94% Questionable: Christian Elliss LB 94%, Craig Woodson S 83% |
| PIT | @ TB | −2.5 | 0.36 (+0.62) | — (+1.64) | NEAR Out: Derrick Harmon DL 36% Questionable: Jalen Ramsey CB 100%, Jamel Dean CB 64%, Keeanu Benton DL 62% |
| GB | vs DAL | −1.5 | 1.54 | — (+0.96) | NEAR Out: Edgerrin Cooper LB 77%, Javon Hargrave DL 46%, Jonathan Ford DL 32% Questionable: Brandon Cisse CB 96% |
| CAR | @ PHI | −3 | — (+0.69) | 1.56 | NEAR Out: Jaycee Horn CB 87%, Michael Jackson CB 69% Questionable: Jaelan Phillips LB 69% |
| NO | @ NYG | −0.5 | 1.27 (+0.65) | — | NEAR Out: Kaden Elliss LB 100%, Anfernee Jennings DL 28% Questionable: Nathan Shepherd DL 65% |
| CLE | vs BAL | +3 | — (+1.85) | — | NEAR Questionable: Carson Schwesinger LB 100%, Mason Graham DL 49%, Derek Barnett DL 36% |
| WAS | @ SF | +7.5 | 0.97 (+0.65) | — | NEAR Out: Leo Chenal LB 53%, Charles Omenihu DL 44% Questionable: Javon Kinlaw DL 65% |
| SF | vs WAS | −7.5 | 0.66 (+0.45) | 0.84 (+0.56) | — Out: Marques Sigle S 84%, Dre Greenlaw LB 66% Questionable: Upton Stout CB 56%, Gracen Halton DL 45% |
| TB | vs PIT | +2.5 | — (+0.88) | 1.48 | — Out: Antoine Winfield Jr. S 97%, Benjamin Morrison CB 51% Questionable: Josiah Trotter LB 88% |
| DAL | @ GB | +1.5 | 0.27 (+0.28) | 0.71 (+0.29) | — Out: Jalen Thompson S 71%, Jonathan Bullard DL 26% Questionable: Ameer Speed CB 29%, LT Overton DL 28% |
| ATL | vs CHI | +1.5 | 0.39 (+0.31) | 0.81 | — Out: C.J. Henderson CB 81%, Yasir Abdullah LB 39% Questionable: Za'Darius Smith DL 31% |
| NYJ | @ NE | +7.5 | 0.45 | — (+1.00) | — Out: Joseph Ossai DL 45% Questionable: Dane Belton S 100% |
| IND | vs TEN | −6.5 | 1.22 | — | — Out: Arden Key DL 63%, Jaylon Carlies LB 59% |
| PHI | vs CAR | +3 | 0.68 | 0.40 | — Out: Jalyx Hunt LB 68%, Michael Carter II CB 40% |
| LAR | vs ARI | −12.5 | — | — (+1.00) | — Questionable: Trent McDuffie CB 100% |
| BUF | @ LV | −5 | — (+0.36) | — (+0.42) | — Questionable: Dee Alford CB 42%, Ed Oliver DL 36% |
| KC | vs LAC | −7.5 | — | — (+0.78) | — Questionable: L'Jarius Sneed CB 78% |
| LV | vs BUF | +5 | 0.51 | — | — Out: Tonka Hemingway DL 51% |
| JAX | vs HOU | −2.5 | — | 0.46 | — Out: Montaric Brown CB 46% |
| BAL | @ CLE | −3 | 0.32 | — | — Out: Broderick Washington Jr. DL 32% |
Percentages are each player’s share of defensive snaps over his team’s last four games. Out = listed Out or Doubtful, on injured reserve, or no longer on the roster. Updated nightly Thursday to Sunday from the official report.
This week’s trigger calls
The one spot the history backs: a clustered defense that the market still favours. From 2018–2025, scoring each season only with rules set on the seasons before it, the opponent covered 45-27 (62.5%).
2026 ledger, graded in public
Every defense that actually played a game in a cluster this season, measured from snap counts after the game, and whether its opponent covered the closing line. Trigger spots so far: opponent 0-1.
| Wk | Defense | Opponent | Line | Cluster | Score | Opp ATS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | DET ★ | ARI | −5.5 | secondary + cb-wipeout | 21–45 | LOSS |
| 5 | NO | MIN | +2.5 | front | 23–13 | COVER |
★ = trigger spot (the clustered defense was favored).
Injury clusters, explained
What is an NFL injury cluster?
A cluster is when one unit of a defense loses several regulars at once: three or more starters out of the front seven (defensive line and linebackers) or the secondary (cornerbacks and safeties), or two full players’ worth of that unit’s snaps. A team can usually absorb one missing starter because the replacement is still an NFL player. Several at once means players who were not in the rotation are playing together, and offenses keep attacking that patched unit.
Does the market price defensive injuries correctly?
Mostly, yes. The exception in our 2013–2025 study is a clustered defense that the market still favours. Scoring each season only with rules set on the seasons before it, the opponent covered 45-27 (62.5%) from 2018–2025, about 1.6 points better than an ordinary game. When the clustered team is the underdog, the line already reflects it. It is a small sample, which is why every 2026 case is graded on this page.
How is “out” decided before the game?
From the official injury report: a player listed Out or Doubtful, on injured reserve, or no longer on the roster counts as out. Questionable players are shown separately, and a defense that becomes a cluster only if its questionable players sit is marked WATCH. Each player’s weight is his share of defensive snaps over his team’s last four games, so a rotational backup counts for less than an every-down starter.
Which matters more, the front seven or the secondary?
In the history, the front seven. Front-seven clusters ran about 1.5 points worse than expected for the defense; secondary clusters barely moved the result, because offenses throw more but the extra passes are not more efficient. The one secondary case that did break was three starting cornerbacks out at once.
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