With de Jong out, a lengthy lay-off for Colo, or Janmaat, and that'll be that. We'll ship umpteen goals and score hardly any. He'll scrape a few draws, maybe fluke a win, but it'll keep getting more toxic. If de Jong is out for four months, Pardew'll be gone before he's back.
Genuinely wouldn't wish a lengthy injury lay-off on any player, but if ever I was to, now would be the time.