Strengths and Weaknesses of NFL's Remaining Playoff Teams

It was quite the Wild Card Weekend in the NFL.

We saw the first playoff shutout since 2005, just the 18th one-point game in league postseason history and a set of circumstances on Saturday night in Cincinnati that had some football fans cringing.

That being said, we are down to eight teams chasing Super Bowl 50. All posted at least 10 regular-season wins, and all have had (or continue to have) their positive moments. Of course, none of these clubs is perfect, and we are here to highlight not only their good points but their shortcomings as well.

Looking for predictions? It’s a bit too early. But we will help you make up your mind when it comes to the league’s final four for 2015.

Note: Win-loss records include this year’s postseason.

Kansas City Chiefs (12-5)

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Strengths

Any doubters of the Kansas City Chiefs defense got a wake-up call on Saturday night in Houston.

While the Texans offense was far from imposing this season, Kansas City's offensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s aggressive unit made Houston quarterback Brian Hoyer look inept in a 30-0 victory. It was the first postseason shutout in the league since 2005.

It’s almost hard to believe that this was a club that allowed 125 points in its first four games this season. Since then, the Chiefs have surrendered only 162 points in 13 total contests—a mere 12.5 points per game.

Add in the fact that this is a defense that totaled 47 sacks and forced 29 turnovers (up from 14 takeaways in 2014) during the regular season, and it’s easy to see why the Chiefs are where they are these days.

Weaknesses

Kansas City put up 30 points on Saturday at Houston, but its offense scored just two touchdowns. Only five clubs in the NFL gained fewer total yards than Kansas City, a team that ranked 30th in the league in passing offense this season.

Still, this was a club that totaled 30 or more points in six of its last 10 contests, including Saturday’s win. But there have been occasions when this offense has bogged down. The running game ranks sixth in the league, and quarterback Alex Smith finished second on the team with 498 yards on the ground.

Even with the Patriots hurting these days, it’s not hard to envision the Chiefs falling behind in Foxborough next weekend. And it will be interesting to see how (Kansas City Coach) Reid and Co. respond if that is the case.

New England Patriots (12-4)

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Strengths

Even with a depleted roster and the likes of wide receivers Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman, tight end Rob Gronkowski and running backs Dion Lewis and LeGarrette Blount missing time this season, you can never count out a club led by one of the most successful postseason quarterbacks in league history.

Tom Brady has taken a beating this season, sacked 38 times in 2015, but he also owns a 21-8 record in the postseason as a starter and has thrown for more yards and more scores than any player in playoff history. The combination of the 16-year veteran and head coach Bill Belichick is a tough one to stop this time of year—hence six Super Bowl appearances in the previous 14 years.

You can’t do it all by yourself, but let’s not forget that only the Carolina Panthers (500) and Arizona Cardinals (489) scored more points this season than the Pats (465), even with all of their shortcomings. Combine Brady’s savvy with an underappreciated defense, and New England won at least 12 games for the sixth straight season.

Weaknesses

Health has been this team’s biggest concern throughout the year, and it remains to be seen who we will be on the field on Saturday for Bill Belichick’s squad.

Be it the inability or refusal to mount a ground attack, only two teams in the NFL gained fewer yards running this season than the Patriots. Injuries and the inconsistent play of the offensive line have been major factors. The team brought in veteran running back Steven Jackson in the final few weeks of the season to offset some of the losses.

The lack of balance, regardless of the reasons, has contributed in part to the New England's 2-4 finish following its 10-0 start. It should make for an interesting chess match against Kansas City’s formidable defense.

Green Bay Packers (11-6)

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Strengths

While lately we haven’t seen a lot of the Aaron Rodgers that won league MVP honors in both 2011 and 2014, the prolific signal-caller overcame a slow start on Sunday in Washington, and the Green Bay Packers totaled 35 points—their highest since Week 3.

Whatever adjustments head coach Mike McCarthy made worked. And if the Packers offense can show the kind of balance that it did in the 35-18 win over the Redskins, it will enable the team to keep a shaky defense off the field.

Yes, Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews lead a unit that tied for seventh in the league with 43 sacks. But this is also a club that ranked 21st in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing 119.1 yards per game on the ground.

Weaknesses

When you drop six of your final 10 games after a 6-0 start, there’s plenty of blame to go around. Green Bay’s offensive line has failed in a big way as of late, but thanks to another change at left tackle (J.C. Tretter) against the Redskins, the team regained its offensive swagger in Washington on Sunday.

Still, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Rodgers was sacked a combined 13 times in the season-ending losses to the Cardinals and Vikings. Eight of those sacks came in a 38-8 loss at Arizona, where Rodgers and his teammates are headed this Saturday night. Green Bay needs to build on what we saw from the second quarter on against the ‘Skins.

Arizona Cardinals (13-3)

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Strengths

One year ago, the Arizona Cardinals finished 11-5 with three different starting quarterbacks. And when it came to the playoffs, the club gained an NFL-record-low 78 total yards in a 27-16 wild-card loss at Carolina.

This season, Carson Palmer has been available for all 16 games, and the results were a franchise-record 13 regular-season victories. He finished the season with 4,671 yards through the air and threw a personal-high and franchise-record 35 touchdown passes, with just 11 interceptions.

“He’s a bit of a recluse,” said teammate Larry Fitzgerald to Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic recently. “He’s a very family-oriented guy. His family is the most important thing to him. For him to let you in, there has to be some trust developed. He’s not going to receive you with open arms. You have to be trusted.”

Head coach Bruce Arians certainly trusts Palmer, who is in control of the league’s top-ranked offense and a team that ranked second in the NFL in scoring with 489 points.

Weaknesses

How much should we read into the Cardinals’ 36-6 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the regular-season finale? Arians’ club was thoroughly dominated in every phase, and while some like to point out that the Cards sat a lot of their regulars in the second half, Seattle owned a 30-6 lead after 30 minutes of play. Arizona’s defense gave up 354 yards by game’s end, 244 in the first half.

Was the absence of playmaking safety Tyrann Mathieu that much of a factor against the Seahawks? We will know this week if the Green Bay Packers offense has similar success on Saturday evening.

For now, and it’s only one game, we have to raise a little bit of a red flag when it comes to the defense despite the fact that it allowed the fifth-fewest yards in the league this season.

Seattle Seahawks (11-6)

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Strengths

Is luck a team strength?

Face it, the Seattle Seahawks got a major break Sunday when Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal in the closing seconds of what proved to be a 10-9 win.

But let’s not bury the fact that Seattle head coach Pete Carroll’s team did not allow a touchdown in the game. In winning seven of their last eight overall games, the Seahawks have limited six of those opponents to 13 points or less.

Quarterback Russell Wilson had thrown 24 touchdown passes and just one interception in his previous seven games entering Sunday’s frigid contest at Minnesota, so you can add him to the list of Seattle’s strengths.

Weaknesses

While the pass protection for the Seahawks has been a subject of discussion, it should be noted that Wilson was sacked twice on Sunday at Minnesota and has been dropped only 16 times in his last 10 outings. The fourth-year pro was sacked 31 times in the team’s first seven contests before the men up front slowly but surely got their act together.

Still, four of those 16 drops in the last 10 games came in a 23-17 home loss to the St. Louis Rams in Week 16. And keep in mind that the Carolina Panthers ranked sixth in the NFL with 44 sacks this season.

Carolina Panthers (15-1)

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Strengths

Where to begin? Is it simply a matter of this being Cam Newton’s team and Cam Newton’s year?

The Carolina Panthers scored a league-high 500 points, and led by their fifth-year signal-caller, the team won its first 14 games and set a franchise record with 15 victories. Newton got better as the season wore on, and he finished with 35 touchdown passes and 10 more scores on the ground. Tight end Greg Olsen was Newton’s target of choice, while only the Buffalo Bills ran for more yards as a team in 2015.

The Carolina defense also deserves some attention here.

Only five teams in the NFL allowed fewer total yards, and this is a star-studded unit featuring Pro Bowlers in defensive tackle Kawann Short, linebackers Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly and cornerback Josh Norman. Add in unsung safety Kurt Coleman (team-high seven interceptions), and this was a team that stumbled just once this season.

Weaknesses

When you are 15-1 and on a run that has seen Carolina head coach Ron Rivera’s club win 20 of its last 22 contests (including the 2014 playoffs) dating back to Week 14 of last season, it may be hard to find weaknesses.

Still, are we to be concerned with the fact that the Panthers, who allowed a mere 19.3 points per game this season, saw the New Orleans Saints (38) and New York Giants (35) put a combined 73 points on the board, albeit in games the Panthers managed to win?

Carolina’s pass defense looked less than imposing against Drew Brees and Eli Manning in those contests. Could the Panthers be susceptible to the hot hand of Seattle’s Russell Wilson this weekend?

Pittsburgh Steelers (11-6)

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Strengths

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ passing attack is one of the most feared in the league. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has All-Pro wideout Antonio Brown, who tied for the league lead with 136 catches this season, good for 1,834 yards and 10 scores. He had seven catches for 119 yards in Saturday’s 18-16 win at Cincinnati.

Add wide receivers Markus Wheaton, Martavis Bryant and Darrius Heyward-Bey and veteran tight end Heath Miller, and it is little wonder that only two teams in the league gained more passing yards this season.

But how effective will Roethlisberger be on Sunday at Denver?

Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole has the latest on Big Ben’s shoulder injury, which he suffered when he was sacked by Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict Saturday. And we’re still waiting for an update on the status of Brown, who, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, is in concussion protocol after getting hit by Burfict late in the fourth quarter.

Weaknesses

Only the Denver Broncos (52) and New England Patriots (49) totaled more sacks than the Steelers (48) this season. But only two teams in the league gave up more passing yards than head coach Mike Tomlin’s club, whose erratic defensive unit allowed 35 offensive touchdowns—29 through the air.

On Saturday at Cincinnati, Pittsburgh sacked Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron three times and forced four turnovers. Two weeks earlier at Baltimore, this same unit totaled zero takeaways and sacked Ravens quarterback Ryan Mallett just once in a 20-17 setback. It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster ride for defensive coordinator Keith Butler’s unit in 2015.

Denver Broncos (12-4)

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Strengths

You could make a great case for Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips for NFL Assistant Coach of the Year. The team’s defense is downright fearsome, and except for a rough second half in a 34-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15, it has stifled its opponents all year.

This season, the Broncos allowed just 18.5 points per game and surrendered only 29 offensive touchdowns while totaling an NFL-high 52 sacks. Denver forced a modest 27 turnovers but did return five of those opponent miscues for touchdowns.

It’s a unit loaded with the likes of outside linebackers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware and cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris, all named to the Pro Bowl. And it’s a group that could pave the way for another Super Bowl run.

Weaknesses

If there’s been one thing that has consistently tripped up this team this year, win or lose, it’s been a ground game that at times looked like it could carry the load and on other occasions was a nonfactor.

Of course, the return of veteran quarterback Peyton Manning to the lineup is a critical element. And for those expecting the league’s all-time leader in touchdown passes and passing yards to come in and throw the ball on nearly every play, keep in mind that in his relief appearance against the Chargers in Week 17, Manning threw for only 69 yards while the Broncos ran for a season-high 210 yards.

It took Denver some time to get its act together on the offensive line, and head coach Gary Kubiak’s club will be facing a Pittsburgh defense ranked fifth in the league in rushing defense. It figures to be a very interesting battle in the trenches.

Unless otherwise noted, all player and team statistics come from Pro Football Reference and ESPN.com.