Breaking Down the Biggest Weakness for NFL's Top Contenders

For as mighty as we believe the Super Bowl champion is every year, they didn't capture the Lombardi Trophy without overcoming some glaring weaknesses. 

Every team has them. 

From the New York Giants to the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers to formidable upstarts like the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions, everyone has their issues. 

Some more than others, and they certainly come at varying degrees at each position. 

We often refer to these clubs as the NFL's elite, but they aren't perfect.

Let's examine their biggest weaknesses.  

New York Giants: Running Game

Sure, the Giants thunder and lightning duo of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw were fantastic during the team's second somewhat surprising run at the title, but during the regular season, they were anything but fantastic. 

New York finished dead last in the NFL with averages of 89.2 rushing yards per game and a 3.5 yards per carry in 2011. 

Gone is Jacobs, but the G-Men drafted Virginia Tech runner David Wilson in the first round of the draft this year to add more explosion to the position. 

Wilson has the burst and flat-line speed to be a home run hitter in the NFL, but there's no telling how fast he'll transition to the speed of the professional game. He'll no longer be able to simply outrun every defender around the corner. 

With Hakeem Nicks banged up and teams fully aware of Victor Cruz, the Giants running backs have to take pressure off quarterback Eli Manning and the team's receiving corps. 

Can Bradshaw become a mentor to Wilson and take on feature back duties? 

New York has the players, there's just some uncertainty in the backfield heading into 2012. 

Green Bay Packers: Pass Rush

Many will look at the 300 yards the Packers allowed through the air in 2011 and will think I'm deranged for not listing the team's secondary as its biggest weakness. 

While Green Bay's defensive backfield deserves blame for what was a poor regular-season performance and a cataclysmic showing in the stunning defeat in the postseason at the hands of the eventual champion Giants, the club's pass rush is truly at the root of the problem. 

After accumulating 47 sacks in 2010, 13.5 of which came from Clay Matthews, the Pack experienced a drastic decline in the amount of pressure they applied to opposing quarterbacks. 

They finished the 2011 season with a mere 29 signal-caller takedowns, and Matthews, who was doubled-teamed more often than ever before, only registered six sacks. 

If first-round pick Nick Perry can become a complementary edge rusher to Matthews and B.J. Raji can bounce back from a rather disappointing season last year, the Packers' defense will be back to championship form. 

Detroit Lions: Secondary

The Lions have the offense to win a Super Bowl. 

There, I said it. 

Matthew Stafford quietly threw for 5,000 yards last season, and Calvin Johnson was, without question, the best receiver in the game. 

Sorry, Cris Carter. 

The rest of the offense complements Stafford and Johnson's talents well, especially tight end Brandon Pettigrew and slot receiver Titus Young. 

The defensive line is solid, even if it's slightly overrated. 

But the secondary needs vast improvement. 

It allowed only 240 yards through the air on average during the regular season, but we were all reminded of their weakness during the opening round loss in the playoffs to the New Orleans Saints. 

Sure, Drew Brees is an otherworldly magician inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, but the Lions did allow 45 points and an unheard of 626 yards of total offense, including 459 through the air. 

They'll be without Eric Wright in 2012, who left for Tampa Bay in free agency, but if Detroit is going to score fast and score often in the foreseeable future, they'll need to have a more respectable defensive backfield. 

Chris Houston and Aaron Berry need to step up, and Louis Delmas needs to emerge as an elite NFL safety. 

San Francisco 49ers: Quarterback

In 2011, Alex Smith played in all 16 games for only the second time as a professional, and he unequivocally had the best season of his career. 

He threw 17 touchdowns to only five interceptions and had a 90.7 QB rating. 

With the rest of the team rock solid—the offensive line, the running game and especially the defense, Smith is almost San Francisco's weakness by default. 

Yes, the crop of receivers he had to throw the football to were suspect, but with A.J. Jenkins, Mario Manningham and Randy Moss in the mix, the pressure will be square on the shoulder pads of a guy who's career-high for passing yards in a season is barely above 3,100. 

Smith can be a great quarterback under head coach Jim Harbaugh; we'll just have to wait to see if he can take the next step as a signal-caller or if he'll impede an otherwise supremely talented 49ers club. 

New England Patriots: Secondary

The Patriots secondary gets this distinction by default, thanks to the well-oiled machine that is a Tom Brady-led offense. 

New England remarkably held opponents to a respectable 21.4 points per game while allowing 294 yards through the air and an 86.1 QB rating average during the regular season. 

How'd they do it? 

Well, they were fortunate to intercept 23 passes, and their run defense allowed a decent 117.1 yards per game on the ground. 

Kyle Arrington and Devin McCourty aren't horrible, ineffective cornerbacks, they just need ample time to learn the nuances of playing their position, and most importantly, need to be comfortable playing more aggressive at the line with the thought that they'll be protected deep by roaming safeties. 

That's where the real problem lies with the Patriots defensive backfield. 

Patrick Chung, who's known for his hard hits and attacking style more than anything else, played in only eight games in 2011 due to injury and James Ihedigbo was nothing more than a stop-gap option. 

Many perceived Bill Belichick's selection of Illinois safety Tavon Wilson in the second round as a reach, but that's certainly a position than needs an upgrade. 

Baltimore Ravens: Defensive Line

When you think Baltimore Ravens you think defense, but that defense took a catastrophic hit when Terrell Suggs tore his Achilles this offseason. 

Even if Suggs can return by the end of the year, chances are he'll be considerably slowed by what is usually a devastating injury. 

Add in the fact that Jarret Johnson and Corey Redding are gone and that the team must rely on rookie Courtney Upshaw and second-year player Pernell McPhee, and you'll realize the defensive line is a glaring weakness for Baltimore. 

Sergio Kindle, the team's first-round pick in 2010, is still recovering from a skull fracture and has yet to play a down in the NFL, so there's no telling how much he'll be able to contribute in 2012, if at all. 

Houston Texans: Wide Receiver

Earlier today, I ran a column about J.J. Watt's recent comments that the Texans "don't really have any weaknesses."

The statement seems a bit over the top, but I gave Watt a pass because he did begin it with "we don't really," and actually, he's right. 

The Houston Texans are one of the more sound groups in the league from a personnel standpoint. 

However, I did outline one area that's distinctly more weak than others in Houston—the receiving contingent. 

Andre Johnson's an absolute beast when he's healthy, but he mustered only 20 games over the last two years, including seven in 2011 when he set career-lows in receptions (33) and receiving yards (492).

DeVier Posey was drafted to be his complement, and while the wideout from Ohio State is talented, he was suspended for 10 games last year. 

Chances are, it'll take a while to get acclimated to the professional game.

Kevin Walter is a decent slot option, but he strikes no fear in defenses.