Jamaal Charles: Does Injury Put Chiefs in Driver's Seat for Andrew Luck?

With the Kansas City Chiefs' best offensive player, Jamaal Charles, being carted off the field after injuring his knee in the first quarter of the Chiefs' Week 2 game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, the Chiefs have seemingly moved into the lead in the race to land Stanford standout quarterback Andrew Luck in the 2012 NFL draft

The cart was brought out after Charles was unable to stand under his own power, which is a tell-tale sign that the injury is most likely fairly serious—meaning one could guess the running back will miss significant time, erasing any plans the Chiefs had to make their season somewhat successful.

Even with a decent quarterback in Matt Cassel, the Chiefs would be make a huge mistake not to take Luck in the draft if they get the chance, making for a possible trade to land a player or two that would benefit them next season for Cassel.

With a few teams out there who need a quarterback, it is possible the Chiefs could get good trade value for Cassel, who hasn't really panned out the way Kansas City thought he might after looking impressive in New England, filling in for an injured Tom Brady a few seasons ago.

If Charles misses significant time, the Chiefs would likely be in a race with other teams expected to fall flat this year, like the Peyton Manning-less Indianapolis Colts and the Seattle Seahawks.

The Chiefs weren't expected to make much noise this season, so if they do lose Charles, it won't be the worst thing that could happen to them—getting a quarterback who is expected to be a star to add to their superstar running back (assuming he can bounce back eventually) will benefit them for seasons to come.

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LIFE HURTS. THIS INJURY UPDATE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DICKIES.