... before the season, which teams will earn the right to keep playing on through the winter months.

Making the playoffs requires a lot of things of a football team: determination, hard work, skill, management of egos, and luck.

The last one plays a particularly pronounced role in one facet of NFL life: injuries.

They strike early and often (just ask Tom Brady) in the league and, at any moment, a player's career can be dashed in one play. It's the sad truth of the NFL.

But an injury to even the most important player does not necessarily doom a team's season. (again, ask Tom Brady's replacement, Matt Cassel)

Great teams are always preparing for the worst, and while no team, player, or fan should ever wish for an ...

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