NFL Injury Report, Week 8: 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 8 defensive injury board
Every defense on the Week 8 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. 3 defenses are flagged.
| Defense | Game | Line | Front out (+Q) | Secondary out (+Q) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | vs KC | +1.5 | 0.54 (+0.65) | 0.83 (+1.00) | NEAR Out: Talanoa Hufanga S 83%, Jonah Elliss LB 54% Questionable: Brandon Jones S 100%, Zach Allen DL 64% |
| NYJ | vs LV | −1.5 | 1.83 | — | NEAR Out: David Bailey DL 88%, T'Vondre Sweat DL 49%, Joseph Ossai DL 46% |
| KC | @ DEN | −1.5 | — | 1.51 | NEAR Out: Mansoor Delane CB 97%, L'Jarius Sneed CB 54% |
| ATL | @ TB | +2 | 0.71 (+0.53) | 0.41 (+0.68) | — Out: Divine Deablo LB 71%, Billy Bowman CB 41% Questionable: Avieon Terrell CB 68%, Samson Ebukam DL 53% |
| BUF | vs BAL | −3 | — (+0.66) | 0.84 (+0.50) | — Out: C.J. Gardner-Johnson S 84% Questionable: Dee Alford CB 50%, Greg Gaines DL 36%, T.J. Parker LB 30% |
| LAR | vs LAC | −6.5 | 1.00 | — (+1.00) | — Out: Kobie Turner DL 59%, Poona Ford DL 41% Questionable: Trent McDuffie CB 100% |
| CHI | @ SEA | +3 | 0.47 (+0.69) | — (+0.71) | — Out: Dayo Odeyingbo DL 48% Questionable: Malik Muhammad CB 71%, D'Marco Jackson LB 69% |
| WAS | vs PHI | −5.5 | 1.40 | 0.33 | — Out: Daron Payne DL 78%, Javon Kinlaw DL 62%, Fabian Moreau CB 33% |
| ARI | @ DAL | +7 | 0.62 | — (+0.75) | — Out: Walter Nolen DL 62% Questionable: Max Melton CB 75% |
| BAL | @ BUF | +3 | 0.65 | 0.72 | — Out: Jaylinn Hawkins S 72%, Tavius Robinson LB 65% |
| PHI | @ WAS | +5.5 | 0.74 | — (+0.62) | — Out: Jihaad Campbell LB 74% Questionable: Michael Carter II CB 62% |
| IND | @ JAX | +10 | — (+0.28) | 1.02 | — Out: Justin Walley CB 76%, Cam Taylor-Britt CB 26% Questionable: Bryce Boettcher LB 28% |
| DAL | vs ARI | −7 | 0.55 (+0.66) | — | — Out: Dee Winters LB 55% Questionable: Kenny Clark DL 66% |
| DET | vs MIN | −3.5 | — | — (+0.99) | — Questionable: Roger McCreary CB 99% |
| NE | @ MIA | −7 | — (+0.96) | — | — Questionable: Christian Elliss LB 96% |
| JAX | vs IND | −10 | — | 0.81 | — Out: Antonio Johnson S 82% |
| CLE | @ PIT | +3.5 | — | — (+0.57) | — Questionable: Myles Harden CB 57% |
| SEA | vs CHI | −3 | 0.53 | — | — Out: Uchenna Nwosu LB 53% |
| TEN | @ CIN | +12.5 | — (+0.51) | — | — Questionable: John Franklin-Myers DL 51% |
| PIT | vs CLE | −3.5 | 0.35 | — | — Out: Sebastian Joseph-Day DL 35% |
| LAC | @ LAR | +6.5 | — | 0.32 | — Out: Deane Leonard CB 32% |
| CIN | vs TEN | −12.5 | — | — | — |
| LV | @ NYJ | +1.5 | — | — | — |
| MIA | vs NE | +7 | — | — | — |
| MIN | @ DET | +3.5 | — | — | — |
| TB | vs ATL | −2 | — | — | — |
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 0-4.
| 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 |
| 6 | CHI ★ | ATL | −1.5 | front | 23–31 | LOSS |
| 6 | NO ★ | NYG | −1.5 | front | 27–34 | LOSS |
| 6 | TEN | IND | +6.5 | secondary | 20–26 | LOSS |
| 7 | CHI ★ | NE | −3 | front | 24–30 | LOSS |
| 7 | GB | DET | +3.5 | front | 20–17 | LOSS |
| 7 | NO | PIT | +3 | front | 16–10 | 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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