Detroit Lions and 10 NFL Teams Who Are an Injury Away from Ruin

As Peyton Manning proved this season, every team can be one injury away from irrelevance.

Every successful offense must exploit the talents of their best player, and without them, there is little hope to compete in the postseason. Regardless of current record or health, these players are one misstep away from leading their squads to certain disaster. 

RB Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

The terrorizing Ravens defense can’t be discounted in their 4-1 start, but the offense, no doubt, runs on Rice. It is no coincidence that the Ravens sole defeat came on the single afternoon that Rice failed to rush for at least 50 yards.

There is no expectation that the underachieving Anquan Boldin and the Ravens passing game can carry the team behind a suspect offensive line, and they will need their top five RB to lead their offense for as long as the games count.

QB Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles

The 2-4 Eagles can ill-afford any loss, but last week’s win in Washington keeps QB Michael Vick atop their list of indispensable players.

Much of the disappointment in Philly can be attributed to the team’s inability to stop the run, but there is always hope—so long as Michael Vick keeps the chains moving on the other side of the ball.

Backup Vince Young is a complimentary player, while Vick is a guy that every opposing offensive coordinator must worry about; there is just no way to replace a QB like No. 7 and compete in the competitive NFC East.

WR Wes Welker, New England Patriots

The Patriots workhorse is on pace to shatter long-standing receiving records in 2011, and that’s not a good thing.

Welker has missed a few games and played through injuries in past seasons of lesser work, so his 130-plus reception pace could inspire Tom Brady to share the load. It is hard to imagine any Belichick-Brady team being dependent on another player, but the passing attack is truly the only strength of a team many consider to be the AFC favorite.

Without being able to consistently stop the opposition or protect a lead, the Patriots require their fearless 5’9” threat to remain an offensive juggernaut.

QB Matt Hasselbeck, Tennessee Titans

When did the Titans go from being Chris Johnson’s team to a squad dependant on a 36-year-old quarterback?

After only one 100-yard rushing game to date, C.J. has been an incredible disappointment, while the unheralded Hasselbeck has lead the team to their current 3-2 record. Despite losing standout WR Kenny Britt for the year, the former Seahawk boasts a 95.9 QB rating (second highest of his career) and has the Titans poised for a playoff run.

Hasselbeck needs the old C.J. to return if he is to lead the Titans to a playoff run but, without him, their odds are zero.

RB Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants

The notoriously banged-up Bradshaw has excelled in his fifth season, remaining healthy even after co-tenant Brandon Jacobs went down with injury.

Although he played a full 16 games last year, Ahmad has a tendency to play through pain and wear down over the course of the season. In the last two years, his rushing average has dropped from 4.7 to 3.9 yards per carry after Week 8, and the Giants need him more than ever with Jacobs on the shelf.

Eli can’t do it alone, and Bradshaw can’t be trusted with the same workload as he had in Week 6 (26 carries) if the 4-2 Giants are to claim the NFC East.

QB Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

The Saints don’t have a traditional running game because their quarterback is Drew Brees, such an accurate passer that any ground game becomes moot until the goal line. Carries that once went to Pierre Thomas are turning into Darren Sproles passes out of the flat, and it is all thanks to the Saints' confidence in their shot-caller.

Almost no quarterback on Earth can be trusted with such responsibility and certainly no New Orleans backup, making the Drew Bress-tailored offense in New Orleans arguably the most one-player dependent scheme in the league.

RB Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers

The lone offensive force on the 5-1 49ers has suffered through increasingly debilitating injuries since his 1,695-yard breakout season in 2007, and is on pace to more than double his workload from last year.

The 28-year-old Gore appears to be in his prime after three consecutive monster games against subpar run-stopping teams, but defensive attention toward the running game is sure to mount until Alex Smith also proves to be a threat.

The schedule will get easier, with plenty of NFC West games still on the slate, so the 49ers would be wise to share Gore’s load and keep him fresh for the surprising 49ers playoff run.  

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers' offensive line has been their Achilles heel for the second consecutive season, and it will cost them meaningful games in December if an opposing defender knocks Big Ben out of the starting job.

There is no way to measure Roethlisberger’s value to the Steelers since his stellar numbers come in the face of incalculable pocket pressure, but he could easily be a top five quarterback without constantly running for his life.

Given the Steelers' regression on defense, they cannot afford to lose their no-excuses offensive leader.

RB Matt Forte, Chicago Bears

Not many starting running backs can go three-plus years without missing a game, and when your offense is entrusted to Jay Cutler, it’s definitely necessary.

Forte doesn’t just lead the 3-3 Bears in rushing this season, but has more than twice as many catches (36) as anyone else on the team, giving him no shortage of leverage to negotiate a fat new contract in 2012. Jay Cutler has many of the physical tools to play quarterback, but is a reported locker-room-dividing sourpuss while Forte is the guy that every teammate clamors to extend at any price immediately.

Who do you think is more valuable to the Bears?

QB Matthew Stafford/WR Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions

The Lions are a team of tremendous strengths (passing, pass rush) and opposite weaknesses (running, stopping the run) that combine for the most exciting squad in the NFL.

Also adding to the intrigue are their two star players, QB Matthew Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson, who might have led a Lion uproar last year had it not been for injury. Given their inability to run the ball, it is no question that Detroit would have to wait another year without their infamous QB-WR duo.

Losing either is as harmful to their Super Bowl chances as losing both.