Every Super Bowl Contender's Fatal Flaw

As we enter the penultimate weekend of the 2025 NFL regular season, 17 teams remain realistically alive with odds of 5 percent or better to make the playoffs. 

When you're in the dance, anything can happen. However, there are no flawless teams this NFL campaign. 

Here is each contending squad's top vulnerability on the verge of the playoffs.

AFC East

AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

James Cook

New England Patriots (12-3): Red-zone defense 

The Patriots are clinging to the AFC East lead despite a lack of experience on both sides of the ball. That's been particularly revealing the last couple weeks against the Bills and Ravens, where they've surrendered seven touchdowns on nine red-zone possessions. Statistically, they have the worst red-zone D in the league this season.

Buffalo Bills (11-4): Run defense 

The Bills have survived the last two weeks, but they have cut it close thanks in part to the fact that they surrendered 406 rushing yards in those contests. They've given up a league-high 24 rushing touchdowns and an AFC-high 5.4 yards per carry. 

AFC North

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Aaron Rodgers

Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6): Lack of explosive plays

While the offense has found a groove of late, the Steelers still have a fairly clear offensive ceiling with 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers and a scarcity of weapons. Only six offenses have gained 20-plus yards on fewer plays than Pittsburgh. DK Metcalf's suspension doesn't help. 

Baltimore Ravens (7-8): Defensive lapses

Only the Bengals have allowed more 20-plus-yard plays than the Ravens. Combine that with horrendous red-zone offense, a 1-6 record against teams that are .500 or better and well-documented struggles at quarterback, and it's no surprise Baltimore is likely to miss the playoffs entirely. 

AFC South

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Trevor Lawrence

Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4): Sloppiness

The Jaguars may be one of the hottest teams in football, but only the Titans have been penalized more, they lead the league in dropped passes and only two quarterbacks have committed more turnover-worthy plays than Trevor Lawrence. 

Houston Texans (10-5): Lack of explosive plays

According to Sharp Football Analysis, Houston's 19th-ranked scoring offense has an explosive pay rate of just 5.1 percent, which ranks ahead of just seven units. And among 40 quarterbacks with at least 25 deep passing attempts, C.J. Stroud ranks dead-last with a 50.0 passer rating on those throws. 

AFC West

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Justin Herbert

Denver Broncos (13-3): Sloppiness

It's eerie how closely the Broncos resemble the Jaguars. Entering Week 17, they led the NFL in yards penalized, ranked second in dropped passes, and Bo Nix was tied with Lawrence for third in the league in terms of turnover-worthy plays.

Los Angeles Chargers (11-4): The offensive line

The injury-plagued unit ranks 30th in pass-blocking efficiency at Pro Football Focus, which is a big reason why quarterback Justin Herbert has been the most pressured signal-caller in the NFL.

NFC East

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Jalen Hurts

Philadelphia Eagles (10-5): Jalen Hurts 

Hurts was the Super Bowl MVP last year, so we're not condemning him or the recovering Eagles. That said, he ranks just 20th in QBR and has the 12th-highest bad-throw rate in the league. The 27-year-old has played well of late, but he committed five turnovers in a brutal prime-time loss earlier this month. 

NFC North

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Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears (11-4): Caleb Williams

An argument could be made for a sometimes-leaky run defense if Williams can stay hot, but the sophomore No. 1 overall pick has to remain the biggest wild card associated with this blossoming team. His 57.8 completion rate ranks ahead of only J.J. McCarthy among qualified passers, and only Michael Penix Jr. has a higher bad-throw rate. 

Green Bay Packers (9-5-1): Jordan Love

The loss of Micah Parsons is a factor, but Love's lack of consistency and big-game reputation weighs more heavily, as does the fact that the quarterback—who is currently dealing with a concussion—has proved to be injury-prone. 

NFC South

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

Kyle Pitts

Carolina Panthers (8-7): Third-down defense

In the last two weeks, the Panthers have allowed first downs on 56 percent of their opponents' third-down attempts. Only the Raiders and Cowboys have been worse on third down, even though a pass rush that owns the league's worst pressure rate has finally shown some life.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8): Red-zone defense

The Buccaneers have surrendered touchdowns in 14 of their last 17 defensive red-zone situations, which is a big reason why they've given up 28.4 points per game while going 1-6 since their Week 9 bye.

NFC West

AP Photo/Ben VanHouten

Sam Darnold

Seattle Seahawks (12-3): Turnovers

Seattle has 26 turnovers this year. Only one other team (Minnesota) has more than 22. It's even more concerning that seven of those have come in their two matchups with the potential playoff opponent, the Los Angeles Rams.

San Francisco 49ers (11-4): Nonexistent pass rush

San Francisco is riding a five-game winning streak despite registering just six sacks during that stretch. They have just 18 sacks on the year, while no other defense in the NFL has fewer than 25. Injuries have decimated this group. 

Los Angeles Rams (11-4): A lack of receiver depth

It's probably a good sign for the Rams that this was the toughest one to identify. The pass defense has occasional issues and that Week 16 loss to Seattle was a killer, but this is a complete team...when Davante Adams is healthy. Right now, he isn't—and that could be a major problem for a team with no other established options beyond Adams and Puka Nacua in the receiving corps.