Barnwell: The injuries turning the playoff race upside down

8:56 AM ET

As much as we obsess over how NFL teams look on paper before the season, Super Bowl runs can come down to who stays healthiest over the course of a long, arduous season. The 2017 Eagles are the obvious counterexample, given that they won with Carson Wentz, Jason Peters and others sidelined, but they’re a rare exception to what has generally been a rule. We’re also seeing those same Eagles struggle under the weight of a new set of injuries this season.

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Of course, even the healthiest NFL team is going to put up with injuries here and there. In some cases, there’s no getting past losing a player like Andrew Luck or Deshaun Watson. In other situations, teams manage to scrape by with excellent coaching and useful depth. Week 11 saw a little bit of both scenarios. Let’s get to a few of the players whose injury absences either impacted the playoff picture on Sunday or will do so in the