NFL Power Rankings: Teams That Will Plummet Because of Injuries

Injuries have a way of destroying an NFL season, and the Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans have felt the full wrath of the injury bug—as reflected in my latest power rankings.

Every team gets banged up during the course of an NFL season, but it's something completely different when you lose a starter or, even worse, a star player.

Last year's Green Bay Packers are really the only example of a team where, when starters had immense injuries, the team still somehow managed to make the playoffs, and then won the Super Bowl.

The Packers seem to be the exception to the injury rule, though. Most teams don't get so lucky.

I know these few teams won't be as fortunate, and their spots in my newest power rankings reflect that.

Chicago Bears

Unfortunately, what was looking like a very good season for the Bears has been all but lost after Jay Cutler was sidelined with a thumb injury.

Many felt the Bears should pick up former Bear Kyle Orton when the Broncos let him go, but Chicago decided to stick with backup quarterback Caleb Hanie.

Hanie went 18-of-36 for 254 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in a Bears loss to the Oakland Raiders, 20-25.

The only consolation for Chicago is that Detroit lost to Green Bay, which allows them to hold onto a fragment of hope for the wild card. All-in-all this team looks to be done.

Without Jay Cutler, this isn't a team that can make a playoff push to end the season.

Buffalo Bills

While Ryan Fitzpatrick was a huge part of the Bills' hot 5-2 start, there is no doubting that running back Fred Jackson was the star of the show.

He continued to be the lone bright spot on the team during their three-game skid, but was lost for the year after breaking a bone in his right leg during a game against the Dolphins.

This was a team that relied heavily on Jackson, and they obviously weren't the same without him.

Buffalo averaged well over 100 yards per game with Jackson on the field. Without him, they were only able to rack up 86 yards in a loss to the New York Jets.

The team was reeling with Jackson, so I think it's safe to say that they are imploding without him.

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans started this year thinking they had a legitimate shot at making some noise in the playoffs—for the first time in franchise history.

Those hopes increased when Peyton Manning was unable to play for the Colts, which left the AFC South all but wide open.

Losing starting quarterback Matt Schaub last week for the year was a huge blow to the team, but the organization rallied around former college star and current NFL backup Matt Leinart. Leinart was "the guy" to lead them to the playoffs.

Then Leinart was injured in Houston's  20-13 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. It appears he has a broken collarbone, which would essentially put him on the bench for the year as well.

That means the Texans are down to third-string quarterback T.J. Yates or newly signed Kellen Clemens, neither of which inspires much confidence in the Texans' future.

If the Texans are lucky, they might be able to limp into the playoffs, but even that is questionable at this point.

Andrew Kulha's NFL Power Rankings: Week 13

1. Green Bay Packers
2. New England Patriots
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. San Francisco 49ers
5. New Orleans Saints
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
7. New York Giants
8. Dallas Cowboys
9. Cincinnati Bengals
10. New York Jets
11. Chicago Bears
12. Atlanta Falcons
13. Oakland Raiders
14. Houston Texans
15. Denver Broncos
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Detroit Lions
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19. Buffalo Bills
20. Seattle Seahawks
21. San Diego Chargers
22. Tennessee Titans
23. Philadelphia Eagles
24. Kansas City Chiefs
25. Cleveland Browns
26. Jacksonville Jaguars
27. Minnesota Vikings
28. Miami Dolphins
29. Carolina Panthers
30. St. Louis Rams
31. Washington Redskins
32. Indianapolis Colts