NFL Playoffs 2012: Each Team's Most Glaring Weakness Heading into the Postseason

With the 2012 NFL playoff picture now set in stone, what is every team's biggest flaw heading into the postseason?

No team is perfect. No matter how impressive of a regular season they had, every team has a weakness. With that being said, you're only as good as your weakness because opponents are inevitably going to try and exploit it.

Some teams have fewer flaws than others, however. The Baltimore Ravens are one of the most balanced teams in the NFL and teams undoubtedly struggle when trying to game-plan against them. 

The Denver Broncos, on the other hand, have a multitude of flaws that might prevent them from getting very far in the playoffs.

Here's a list of every playoff team's most glaring weakness.

New England Patriots: Pass Defense

You could argue that the lack of a consistent running game is the Patriots' biggest weakness, but that won't matter too much with Tom Brady behind center.

Let's face it, the Patriots pass defense is awful. This is no secret either, and the Patriots know this.

The secondary surrenders 293.9 yards per game, which is the second-worst in the NFL behind the Green Bay Packers. They have also allowed 8.0 yards per play—fourth-worst in the NFL—and given up 245 first downs through the air—second-worst in the NFL.

The 2007 Patriots defense would be disappointed.

The lack of a pass rush can't be attributed to this since the Patriots sacked the quarterback 40 times this season.

And aggressive secondary could be cause, however, since they intercepted the quarterback 23 times this season. That was second-most to only the Packers.

The Patriots need to shore up their pass defense if they have any hope of making it deep into the postseason. If the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card round, Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown are going to have a field day against the Patriots secondary.

Baltimore Ravens: Unreliable Quarterback

The Baltimore Ravens are simply the most well-rounded team heading into the postseason. Inconsistency against inferior teams could've been a weakness, but the Ravens will be playing evenly teams in the playoffs so that shouldn't be a problem.

One weakness they have, if any, is the quarterback play by Joe Flacco.

His 20/12 touchdown to interception ratio is only the fourth-worst of all the starting quarterbacks in the playoffs, topping only Ben Roethlisberger, Andy Dalton and T.J. Yates. His quarterback rating of 80.9 bested only T.J. Yates, Ben Roethlisberger and Tim Tebow (surprise, surprise).

What is most alarming is his completion percentage of only 57.6. That was the ninth-worst percentage of all the starting quarterbacks in the regular season.

The Ravens are in a fortunate situation, however. They don't need stellar quarterback play to win them games. Their recipe for success is centered around their stifling defense and potent running game behind Ray Rice and Ricky Williams.

But if the Ravens somehow manage to get behind, they'll be in trouble with Flacco leading the charge.

Green Bay Packers: Pass Defense

The Green Bay Packers pass defense is the team's biggest flaw, no doubt about it. They gave up a hair under 300 yards passing per game (299.8) which was the worst in the league.

Their run defense, on the other hand, isn't necessarily their biggest weakness, but it isn't a strength either. They allow opposing running backs to gain 4.7 yards per rush—seventh-worst in NFL—and allow teams to convert 25.1 percent of their third downs on the ground—fifth-worst in the NFL.

Their defense is quite similar to that of New England's, in that both are aggressive and force a lot of turnovers. The Packers picked off the quarterback 31 times, which was the most in the NFL by a large margin—second most had 23.

The Packers strategy is simple: out score their opponents and rely on the defense to make stops by forcing turnovers. With Aaron Rogers at quarterback, that won't be too difficult to execute.

San Francisco 49ers: Red-Zone Efficiency

The San Francisco 49ers have the best defense in the NFL. They rely on it, as well as their special teams, to win them games.

The offense is the weak link on the team, however, specifically their red-zone offense. To say that it's a weak link is quite an understatement as well.

When in the red zone the 49ers offense crossed the goal line only 40.74 percent of the time—third worst in the NFL. This is the major reason why David Akers was able to kick an NFL record 44 field goals during the regular season.

Whether it is the play-calling or the lack of talent at the skill positions, the 49ers need to fix this problem for the postseason. If playing offensive juggernauts like the Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints or Green Bay Packers in the playoffs, settling for field goals might not cut it.

Settling, or not taking risks, is part of the 49ers motto this season though. They prefer to play it safe and take the sure three points instead of risking a turnover in an attempt for seven. They believe in their defense enough to consider a field goal in the red zone a successful trip.

It'll be interesting to see if that strategy works in the playoffs.

Cincinnati Bengals: Youth

The Cincinnati Bengals are a very young and inexperienced team, especially on offense.

Besides offensive guard Bobbie Williams and guard Andrew Whitworth, the Bengals don't have a player over 30 years old starting on offense.

Although Andy Dalton is a rookie, he has played far beyond his years. He has the poise of a veteran quarterback in the pocket, which will be needed in the postseason when facing pass rushes like the Houston Texans and potentially the Baltimore Ravens.

Whether youth is a factor against the Houston Texans, who actually have less playoff experience than the Bengals, will be something to watch in the first round.

Houston Texans: Quarterback Play

Before quarterback Matt Schaub went down for the season with a foot injury, the Houston Texans could've been considered the most well-rounded team in the NFL. Their defense has vastly improved from last season, and has actually turned into a strength rather than a weakness.

But the loss of Schaub has given the team a glaring hole that might compromise their run in the postseason. T.J. Yates has done an admirable job filling in for Schaub, but it has forced the offense to become one-dimensional and rely on running back Arian Foster to be the workhorse. Yates has thrown only three touchdowns during his six games at quarterback.

Foster is certainly capable of being the focal point on offense, but the offense just hasn't been the same the last few games. The Texans lost their last three games to inferior opponents—Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans—and their offensive struggles were a big part of that losing streak. They only managed to score an average of 17 points during that three game span.

Their defense is going to keep the Texans in games, but don't expect Yates to lead any heroic comebacks if they happen to get down early.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Inability to Force Turnovers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a team built for the postseason. They have a stout running attack and an elite quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger—especially in big games—and one of the most tenacious defenses in the NFL.

One knock on their defense is their inability to force turnovers. They have forced a league-low 14 turnovers this season, which is very uncharacteristic of the Steelers. They forced the third-most last season with 35.

They are also -8 in the turnover margin since the offense has turned the ball over 22 times this season.

The defense hasn't needed to force turnovers this year, however, since they allow only 271.8 total yards per game—least in the NFL. But if the time comes when the Steelers need the ball back late in the game, their inability to force turnovers might come back to haunt them.

Denver Broncos: Passing Offense

I don't even know where to start with the Denver Broncos.

I will start with the positive since they do have the best rushing attack in the NFL, led by Willis McGahee and Tim Tebow. The duo rushed for a combined 1,859 yards during the season, which is a major reason why the team won eight games this year.

However, the rushing attack is basically the only strength of this offense due to Tebow and his inability to sustain a consistent passing game. They had the 31st-worst passing attack in the NFL, topping on the Jacksonville Jaguars and rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

The offense used to rely on Tebow not turning the ball over, but that has been a problem as of late. They have turned the ball over nine times during the last three games, which will certainly be a problem if it continues in the playoffs.

Detroit Lions: Lack of Running Game

The Detroit Lions do not have an adequate rushing attack to complement their explosive passing attack, and that could be a problem in the playoffs.

The Lions only have two 100-yard rushing performances this season—Jahvid Best rushed for 163 yards against the Chicago Bears and Kevin Smith ran for 140 yards against the Carolina Panthers—and their leading rusher on the season had only 390 yards (Best).

Their 95.2 rushing yards per game was low enough to rank them 29th in the NFL. Yes, losing Best for the season did hurt their running game. But let's face it, Best was more of a receiving threat than anything else.

A passing attack working on all cylinders can take you far in the playoffs, which is exactly what the Lions have right now, but we'll see how far it takes them this postseason. 

New Orleans Saints: Pass Defense

The lack of pass defense is a reoccurring theme for teams in the postseason, and it's no different for the New Orleans Saints.

We all know about the Saints' high-octane offense, but the defense, especially in the secondary, has had some lapses this season. They have allowed 14 plays of over 40 yards this season, which is the most in the NFL.

The secondary has also surrendered 259.8 yards per game through the air, which is the third-most in the league. But unlike the Patriots or the Packers, who pick the ball off on a consistent basis, the Saints have only intercepted the quarterback nine times this year, which is the third-fewest in the NFL.

With defensive backs like Jabari Greer, Roman Harper and Tracy Porter, I expected more from the Saints secondary this season.

Atlanta Falcons: Pass Defense

The Atlanta Falcons are another team that doesn't have any glaring weaknesses on either side of the ball. They have depth at virtually every position on the field, including one of the most balanced offenses in the NFL.

Even though there are playmakers in the secondary like Dunta Robinson and Brent Grimes, the secondary is a little suspect. They have been torched through the air this season a few times—Aaron Rogers threw for 296 yards and Brees with a combined 629 in two games—but those are arguably the two best quarterbacks in the NFL.

The secondary is the Achilles heel of the Falcons solely because they don't have very many holes elsewhere.

New York Giants: Lack of Running Game

With a backfield consisting of both Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, it wouldn't make much sense to say that the New York Giants' biggest weakness is the running game.

As a matter of fact, the Giants rushing attack is their biggest weakness due to their league-worst 89.2 yards per game. Even though Jacobs and Bradshaw have combined for 1,230 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, their 3.8 and 3.9 yards per carry average respectively isn't anything to write home about.

Since the Giants are a pass-happy team—they have the fifth-most passing yards in the NFL—Eli Manning could be the reason for the Giants' struggles in the running game. The Giants ran the ball only 411 times in 2011.  It's just the 3.5 yards per rush that scares you because it's the lowest average in the NFL.

If the Giants are going to make it far this postseason, they need to get some production out of Bradshaw and Jacobs on the ground.