NFL Power Rankings: Top Teams Most Vulnerable to Miss the Postseason

John RozumMay 9, 2012

We saw it happen to the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears in 2011, and that was a top team from the previous season missing out on the following postseason.

In 2010, the Jets and Bears both lost in the conference championship game while the Eagles fell in the Wild Card Round. All three missed the 2011 NFL playoffs and finished a disappointing 8-8.

Looking ahead to the 2012 season and we see contenders from last season that have enough vulnerabilities to miss this year's playoffs. It happens with each new season, and here are some current top teams that better be on the lookout this fall.

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New York Giants

Week 17 of the 2011 season was Round 1 of the postseason for the Giants. Fortunately for Big Blue, they got the win over Dallas and rolled through to a second Super Bowl win under Tom Coughlin.

Interestingly enough, the Giants managed to do this with the NFL's worst running game and No. 29 ranked pass defense. Helped by a stellar passing attack, pass rush and underachieving division, New York won it all after going 9-7.

As for 2012, that kind of inconsistent production across the board will cost the Giants. For one, every opponent will bring their A-game, and the Giants lost two big contributors in Mario Manningham and Brandon Jacobs.

The Giants also have health issues at tight end and the defense remains susceptible to the intermediate passing game. Eli Manning's passing game won't be as prolific as last season without a healthy running game, and the schedule will expose Big Blue's rush defense.

Having to face the entire AFC North and NFC South in addition to the Packers and 49ers, opponents will slam the Giants between the tackles and keep Manning off the field. Expect defenses to double-team Victor Cruz and/or Hakeem Nicks each week as well and for New York to establish a ground game.

Green Bay Packers

Considering that the Green Bay Packers fielded a defense that ranked No. 32 against the pass, No. 32 overall and No. 27 in allowing 4.7 yards per rush, it's no surprise the cheese also recorded just 29 sacks on the year.

Green Bay also allowed an average of 22.4 points per game and failed to meet its postseason expectation. With all that said, it's going to take longer than one season for the Packers' defense to rebound.

Now, the good news is that Titletown did address the defense by using its first six draft picks to help out Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson. Nonetheless, that's six rookies that will be expected to make a big impact on the league's worst defense against a rough schedule.

The Packers plays the entire AFC South and NFC West, which are two drastically improved divisions. There's no doubt that Aaron Rodgers will lead the offense to consistent scoring possessions, but the question is whether the defense can step up.

Running teams like Houston, Jacksonville and San Francisco will remain balanced against the Packers' defense, thus setting up play-action and keeping their offense off the field. Include those teams possessing elite defenses and that's three potential losses right there.

Green Bay's rookies must make a strong immediate impact; otherwise the Packers will be the one getting outscored in 2012.

Baltimore Ravens

During the 2011-12 NFL playoffs, the Baltimore Ravens were exposed different ways. For starters, the rush defense was proven vulnerable between the tackles and when isolating Terrell Suggs on the outside.

This in turn, allowed opponents to setup play-action and spread the field. Houston gained 132 rushing yards with Arian Foster and the Patriots collected 96. Facing numerous strong running teams in 2012, Baltimore will be challenged early and often in the trenches.

One other exposed area was the pass protection. Despite only getting sacked 33 times in the regular season, Joe Flacco was eight times in two playoff games and hit an additional five times. That pressure from the Texans and Pats then limited the production of Ray Rice who gained only 127 rushing yards (no touchdowns) between both games.

Baltimore's 2012 schedule outside of the rigorous AFC North pits them against stout pass-rushing teams like the entire NFC East, Denver and Houston. Flacco will be under much duress throughout the season and opponents will stack the box to shut down Rice.

Therefore, Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin need career years by stretching defenses to limit any kind of aggressiveness from opposing front sevens. If their outside presence doesn't force a defense on its heels early, the Ravens will struggle to move the ball at a balanced pace to control the game tempo.

2012 NFL Power Rankings

1. San Francisco 49ers

2. New England Patriots

3. New York Giants

4. Houston Texans

5. Green Bay Packers

6. Philadelphia Eagles

7. Baltimore Ravens

8. Denver Broncos

9. Pittsburgh Steelers

10. Atlanta Falcons

11. Detroit Lions