NFL Playoff Predictions: Injury-Plagued Teams That Will Falter Early

Even if a team has all of its players 100 percent healthy and ready for action, it's pretty hard to make it all the way to the Super Bowl.

Sadly, there's no such thing as a 100 percent healthy playoff team. The teams that make the cut have to make do with what they have. 

Some teams are able to do it. The 2010 Green Bay Packers would be a perfect example. If a team has enough depth, it can overcome its injuries and make it all the way to the Super Bowl.

It could happen this season, but not if we're talking about the four teams listed below. They're simply too banged up to go very far.

Detroit Lions

It's going to be hard enough for the Lions to march into the Superdome and beat the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round. Their injuries are going to make it even harder for them to pull it off.

If you take a look at Detroit's current injury report, some pretty big names stand out. A couple of players (i.e. Calvin Johnson) are just fine, but you have to worry about how the Lions will fare against the Saints if players like Chris Houston, Aaron Berry and Nick Fairley are absent or limited in any way.

To boot, we shouldn't overlook the fact that the Lions have gotten this far without Mikel Leshoure and Jahvid Best. They don't have a running game they can rely on, and that could be the difference in a game where Matthew Stafford is going to have to outperform Drew Brees.

That, for the record, won't happen.

Comparatively speaking, the Lions aren't dinged up too bad. But against a team as strong as the Saints, they look pretty weak.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh's injury list (via Rotoworld), is brimming with stars, and that's not a good thing.

The good news is that players like Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu and Maurkice Pouncey seem to be okay. You have to worry about how all three of them are going to be able to hold up in the postseason, but at least they'll be able to play.

It sounds like the same cannot be said of Rashard Mendenhall. He hurt his knee during Sunday's regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns, and Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com tweeted that he is likely done for the year with a torn ACL.

Mendenhall is Pittsburgh's leading rusher, and he will be missed if he is indeed out for the season. The Steelers are still a strong enough team without Mendenhall, but it's hard to picture them winning three straight road games without him.

Especially if Big Ben's ankle succumbs to a slight breeze.

New York Giants

I have to admit, I figured the Giants were going to be doomed by their injuries before the season even began.

But somehow, the Giants have survived. For that, you have to give Tom Coughlin credit.

The trouble is that Tom Coughlin can't play in the Giants' secondary, which is one of the weakest units in the league. He also can't carry the ball in place of Ahmad Bradshaw, who is always hurt in some way or another.

Come to think of it, Coughlin can't fill in for any of the 28 names the Giants have on their current injury list (via Rotoworld).

The Giants did a fine job of getting to the playoffs, but their stay will be short.

Houston Texans

Compared to other teams around the NFL, the Texans didn't suffer that many injuries this season.

It just so happens the ones they did suffer were huge. Losing Mario Williams early in the season hurt, and the Texans missed Andre Johnson when he was away. Of course, they also lost Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart.

They're also this close to losing T.J. Yates. Per the Sporting News, the rookie out of North Carolina has a separated left shoulder. He intends to play with it, but one bad hit could put Jake Delhomme in the game.

If Delhomme has to enter the game against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round, the Texans are doomed. If Yates is able to stay healthy, the Texans will still have their work cut out for them.

And that's just against the Bengals. Even if the Texans escape the Wild Card round, you have to think they can only go so far.