FanHouse Calvin Lowry

Two days ago, the Broncos were 4-2, featured one of the best all-around offenses in the NFL, and were primed to take a two-game lead over the Chargers in the AFC West. All they needed to do was beat a reeling Patriots outfit. Instead, Denver got their ass handed to them, and that's putting it politely.

Yesterday, cornerback Champ Bailey suggested the Broncos' defense lacked a "sense of urgency," which is ironic since he'll be out for the next four to six weeks with a torn groin muscle. That he'll return in a month and a half is the good news coming out of Denver.

Champ's brother, linebacker Boss Bailey, is done for the season -- he needs knee surgery -- as is backup quarterback Patrick Ramsey, who briefly filled in for Jay Cutler on Monday night. Turns out, he was in there long enough to reinjure his right throwing elbow, which had bothered him since the preseason.

So now, in addition to no experienced backup behind Cutler, the Broncos' already atrocious defense just got worse:

The Titans secondary will be without their leader for the rest of the season. Chris Hope will miss the rest of the season with a spinal cord injury that might require surgery.

In the wake of the Kevin Everett injury earlier this season, obviously any time you read the words "spinal cord injury" the initial thought is that Hope's career might be over, but Titans coach Jeff Fisher seems very confident Hope will be back next year, even if he has to have surgery.

"After numerous studies and opinions, Chris Hope's season is over,'' Fisher said. "The doctors don't feel it is safe for him to finish the season. It is not a career-ending injury by any means. We are going to continue to evaluate it. He may heal up as a result of rest, and we have not ruled out surgery as a possibility.''

The Titans have some depth to fill in with as Calvin Lowry will slide over to start at free safety--he was starting at strong safety early in the season before being replaced by first-round pick Michael Griffin. But the bigger question will be whether the Titans can survive the loss of Hope's leadership. From the day he arrived as a free agent, Hope has been one of the most vocal leaders of what was a young secondary at the time. The Titans have some more veterans out there now, especially with the addition of Nick Harper, but Hope will be missed.