Injuries were a big part of the Lions' 2010 season, but not all of them were of the season-ending variety. A number of guys on the team played through their injuries and only now are going to get surgery or the rest they need in order to be 100 percent healthy. For the last Who Powered Through post of season, I figured now would be a good time to give a pat on the back to the following players:

• RB Jahvid Best (toes)
• OG Stephen Peterman (foot)
• DT Ndamukong Suh (shoulder)
• LB DeAndre Levy (groin)
  
• S Louis Delmas (groin)

These guys fit the definition of powering through, as they all were banged up throughout the season. All NFL players are going to have bumps and bruises by the end of the year, but these five players are either going to be off their feet for eight weeks (Best), having surgery (Suh, Levy and Delmas) or potentially having surgery in the coming weeks (Peterman). They deserve recognition for overcoming their injuries enough to keep playing throughout the season despite obviously needing time off to heal. Kudos to you, gentlemen.

Today there is a double dose of bi-weekly posts devoted to Drew Stanton. The Sprint Game Ball went to Stanton for his performance against the Buccaneers, which included a great day statistically and him rising to the occasion when it counted most. This week's Who Powered Through post also focuses on Stanton, as he earned himself a Sprint Game Ball despite separating his left shoulder before halftime of Sunday's game.

Last year, Matthew Stafford separated his left shoulder against the Browns and returned on the very next play to throw the game-winning touchdown pass as time expired. Although the hit Stanton took wasn't nearly as vicious, he had to play an entire half of football and overtime after separating his left shoulder. The injury, as mentioned, happened shortly before halftime. He was noticeably in pain (no Dick Stockton, he wasn't favoring his hand like you thought) and went to the locker room early to get an injection, which allowed to him to play in the second half.

It's one thing to overcome an injury like this and simply play, but Stanton actually played well. He led the Lions down the field to tie the game at the end of regulation and then did the same thing again in overtime to set up Dave Rayner for a game-winning field goal. Not only did he play well, but he did it while injured, so kudos to Drew Stanton for powering through this past Sunday.

Lions running back Jahvid Best returned to practice on Thursday after taking a day off to rest his toe injury. Gosder Cherilus was absent, however. He is still recovering from a knee injury that he suffered on Thanksgiving. The injury limited him last week during practice, but he played against Chicago. Once again this week, it's expected he will play after being very limited in practice.

In other injury news, Shaun Hill, Matthew Stafford and Derrick Williams also did not practice. Best, Calvin Johnson, Cliff Avril, DeAndre Levy and Isaiah Ekejiuba were limited, whereas Nate Burleson fully participated (he is dealing with a hamstring injury).

For the Packers, Korey Hall and Cullen Jenkins missed practice and are out this week. Anthony Smith and Patrick Lee also missed practice, but their status for Sunday is to be determined. Chad Clifton, Ryan Pickett, Clay Mathews, Charles Woodson, Nick Collins and Atari Bigby were limited, whereas Donald Driver and Brett Swain both participated on Thursday.

Despite having turf toe injuries on both feet, Lions running back Jahvid Best was at practice on Tuesday, indicating that he will play on Thanksgiving against the Patriots. Best's problem with turf toes has hampered him throughout the season, especially this past Sunday against Dallas. Because the injuries limited him so much, the thinking was that he may just sit the Patriots game out to heal, but that doesn't appear to be the case considering he participated in Tuesday's practice.

Cliff Avril and Isaiah Ekejiuba also practiced on Tuesday. The two had been out recently, but it looks like they will play against New England. According to Tom Kowalski, it also appears that Kyle Vanden Bosch and Corey Williams will play against the Patriots despite not practicing on Tuesday. It would be great if they all were able to go, because the Lions will need to be close to full strength health-wise to have a shot at winning.

Tony Scheffler and Jason Hanson did not practice on Tuesday and are currently doubtful for Thursday's game.

The latest sponsor to partner with the SB Nation NFL blogs is Vicks. Their campaign, perhaps too fittingly for Lions fans, is focused around injury news, both from the past and the present. Some blogs are taking a look back at players who have powered through the pain, whereas others are focusing on current injuries and players that need to power through. Since injuries have been such a hot topic for the Lions, I decided to focus on players currently banged up for this week.

As we all know, Matthew Stafford and Jason Hanson are out for the foreseeable future. Both missed practice on Wednesday, as did Kevin Smith, Stephen Peterman, Cliff Avril, Corey Williams and Isaiah Ekejiuba. Smith is resting his knee like he did last week, so he should play on Sunday in Buffalo. The same goes for Corey Williams, who missed practice to rest. Peterman is dealing with a foot injury and Avril is dealing with a hip issue. Like last week, Ekejiuba is still recovering from a knee injury.

Three players who have powered through the pain so far this week are Shaun Hill, Chris Houston and C.C. Brown. Hill is still recovering from a broken left forearm, but he has been named this week's starter at quarterback. Houston actually dislocated his shoulder during the Jets game and briefly returned after having it popped back into place. He practiced on Wednesday and is expected to play on Sunday. Brown's status for Sunday isn't quite as certain, as he was limited during practice because of a knee injury, but he did take part in the individual drills.

It's still a bit early in the week to know who will end up powering through for the Lions, but I think it's safe to say Hill has an edge for being featured in future inclinations of this post. The fact that he has worked his way back from a broken arm in a matter of weeks to be the starter with Stafford down is remarkable, and I commend him for powering through. Hopefully on Sunday he not only powers through, but is also effective, because the Lions will need him to play well in order to end their lengthy road losing streak.