Kenny Britt Injury: WR's Knee Injury Will Increase Pressure on Chris Johnson

In the first two weeks of the regular season, Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt was one of the most productive players in the league, hauling in 14 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns.

On Sunday against the Denver Broncos, things took a turn for the worse for Britt. Shortly after he caught his third pass of the day, Britt's right knee buckled underneath him, forcing him to hit the deck immediately. He was helped off the field and was eventually carted back to the locker room after retreating to the sideline.

The news on Britt is not good, as ESPN's Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen have reported that the Titans fear that Britt has torn his ACL and his MCL. If that diagnosis is confirmed by further tests on Monday, Britt's season will be over.

The Titans did win Sunday's game 17-14, but the question will be how many games they can possibly win if Britt is sidelined for the rest of the season. He has been their best offensive player in the early goings, and replacing his production is not going to be easy.

But it won't be impossible. As good as Britt has been, the Titans have an even more dangerous player in their midst. His name is Chris Johnson.

You know him. Johnson is the guy who rushed for over 2,000 yards in 2009, and he is also the guy who signed a huge contract just before the start of the season after a long holdout.

You may also know Johnson as the guy who has had an awful time of things in Tennessee's first three games. He's carried the ball just 33 times for 77 yards, an average rush of 2.3 yards that is not very Johnson-like. His 34-yard catch today against the Broncos aside, Johnson hasn't been productive in the passing game either.

Even if Britt hadn't gotten hurt, the Titans offense was going to need Johnson to get back on track. Now that the team could lose Britt for the rest of the season, getting Johnson back on track is absolutely imperative.

The reason for that is simple: somebody on the Titans offense is going to have to be responsible for making plays. Matt Hasselbeck is going to be at a disadvantage in this regard without Britt, so the pressure will be all on Johnson to recapture his form as one of the NFL's most explosive playmakers.

After all, this is something Johnson himself claimed to be when he was pining for a more lucrative contract extension. The Titans took his word for it, and Johnson now needs to hold up his end of the bargain.

If Johnson continues to struggle, the Titans offense is not going to be pretty. Maybe not totally ineffective, but not exactly dangerous either.

When all is said and done, a shortcoming like that could end up being Tennessee's downfall.