The word severity has appeared in 324 New York Times articles in the past year, including on Nov. 17 in "In the Zone With Peyton Manning" by Ken Belson:

• ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - As the Denver Broncos ran out the clock in their win over the San Diego Chargers last weekend, football fans gasped as Peyton Manning, the undisputed face of the N.F.L., got up limping after being tackled around his legs.
• ...This has not been a good year for star quarterbacks, either. Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler and Michael Vick have been sidelined by injuries, and backup quarterbacks are also being knocked out.
• "I never like to see a quarterback get injured, I will say that," Manning said Wednesday at the Broncos' training facility while he sidestepped questions about the severity of his injury. "I think quarterbacks are a kind of unique fraternity, and you kind of pull for one another - maybe not when you're playing against them that day."