NFL Power Rankings: Assessing the Weaknesses of the NFL's Top 10 Teams

No matter how good one team may be, flaws are relevant. And for opponents, exploiting those flaws are always part of the game plan.

That being said, here is an assessment of every Top 10 team's weakness.

Green Bay Packers (7-0)

Pass defense all the way. The Packers rank No. 31 against the pass, but what's saving them is a sick passing offense as well as a great pass rush.

However, don't be surprised if the Packers fall in the postseason because of their weak pass defense, because if you live by the sword (passing offense), you die by the sword (passing defense). It can only be weak for so long without really hurting them.

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)

The Steelers aren't great at any one area, but they're just really good at everything. However, there is one area of weakness—pass protection. Ben Roethlisberger has been sacked 25 times in just eight games, so it's obvious getting pressure on him is possible.

That's how the Houston Texans defeated Pittsburgh, so expect defenses to really bring the heat, because their overall offense moves the ball just enough to help out their always-fantastic defense.

Baltimore Ravens (5-2)

Baltimore lacks offensive versatility. RB Ray Rice is a stud, but as a whole the Ravens only average 107 yards per game, ranking them No. 19. And their pass offense isn't that great, other than sending rookie WR Torrey Smith deep.

Joe Flacco has been greatly exposed the past few weeks, and unless he becomes more of a passing threat, all defenses will do is stack the box to stop Rice and play a single high safety over the top of the man coverage to help double team Smith on deep routes.

San Francisco 49ers (6-1)

Frisco is simply lacking any kind of threatening pass offense. QB Alex Smith is solely being told to manage games while RB Frank Gore dominates. If you stop Gore, you stop San Fran.

They've also been hit by a couple of injuries in the receiving core, so even if Alex Smith becomes a threat, the receivers aren't much of one. Health is a concern, but being ranked No. 31 in pass offense pretty much sums it up.

New England Patriots (5-2)

Almost exactly like the Green Bay Packers to a tee. New England needs a pass defense to help complement their pass offense. But, their actual biggest weakness is the lack of a pass rush.

Although the Packers only have 17 sacks to the Pats' 15, Green Bay still forces pressure almost every down, which is a stat that doesn't show up. New England can barely force QB hits and bad passes, which is going to make an already-weak pass defense even worse.

New York Giants (5-2)

It's all in the trenches with the Giants. The offensive line is getting old, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to have an effective ground game. Currently New York ranks No. 30 in rushing offense despite having Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, as well as the No. 4 ranked passing offense.

Defensively they're just underachieving, despite having dealt with some injuries. The rush defense ranks No. 28, and they allow 130 yards on the ground per game. The Giants won't win too much with their upcoming schedule unless they can get better at controlling the line.

Houston Texans (5-3)

Right now Houston's weakness, straight up, is injuries. Not having WR Andre Johnson has slowed their passing attack; however, they still can run the ball effectively enough to keep the pass offense alive.

Defensively, they lost LB Mario Williams but still rank in the top 10 against both the pass and rush. So with the injuries a concern, then depth becomes an issue especially when the postseason gets closer.

Buffalo Bills (5-2)

It's their defense, period. Buffalo may have one of the league's best offenses, but they lack defensively against the rush and pass. One big area that they really need to improve is forcing more punts.

We saw almost this exact same thing happen with the Bengals a few years ago when they had a defense that relied heavily on forcing turnovers. Buffalo is excellent at forcing turnovers, but they have also allowed over 21 points in a five-game stretch.

Shutting out Washington was important, but it's the Redskins, so let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Detroit Lions (6-2)

The Lions are lacking in the rush offense and defense. Much of that can be attributed to the injuries of RB Mikel Leshoure and DT Nick Fairley, but nonetheless, allowing almost 140 rush yards per game while gaining just 95 on the ground is going to bite them late in the season.

When Detroit goes on the road in bad conditions, they're not going to be able to run the ball effectively, and therefore, defenses will just blanket their pass offense. The Lions will make the postseason, but they won't go far unless they can step it up within that five-yard radius on the line.

New Orleans Saints (5-3)

New Orleans is great everywhere except rush defense. There, they rank No. 24 and allow almost 125 yards per game. But another issue is their ability to play on the road.

Sure, they have road wins in Carolina and Jacksonville, but so do Minnesota/Green Bay (Carolina) and Cincinnati (Jacksonville). All three of the Saints' losses have come on the road, and more proof of their road woes can be traced back to the 2010 Wild Card round where they choked in Seattle and 2006 where the Bears destroyed them in Chicago for the NFC title.

Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (LW = Last Week's Rank)

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0) (LW 1)	17. San Diego Chargers (4-3) (LW 13)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) (LW 6)	18. Oakland Raiders (4-3) (LW 17)
3. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) (LW 5)	19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) (LW 18)
4. San Francisco 49ers (6-1) (LW 4)	20. Dallas Cowboys (3-4) (LW 15)
5. New England Patriots (5-2) (LW 2)	21. Tennessee Titans (4-3) (LW 21)
6. New York Giants (5-2) (LW 7)	22. Minnesota Vikings (2-6) (LW 28)
7. Houston Texans (5-3) (LW 8)	23. Carolina Panthers (2-6) (LW 22)
8. Buffalo Bills (5-2) (LW 9)	24. Cleveland Browns (3-4) (LW 24)
9. Detroit Lions (6-2) (LW 10)	25. Washington Redskins (3-4) (LW 25)
10. New Orleans Saints (5-3) (LW 3)	26. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) (LW 26)
11. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) (LW 14)	27. St. Louis Rams (1-6) (LW 30)
12. Chicago Bears (4-3) (LW 11)	28. Seattle Seahawks (2-5) (LW 27)
13. New York Jets (4-3) (LW 12)	29. Arizona Cardinals (1-6) (LW 29)
14. Atlanta Falcons (4-3) (LW 16)	30. Denver Broncos (2-5) (LW 23)
15. Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) (LW 19)	31. Indianapolis Colts (0-8) (LW 31)
16. Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) (LW 20)	32. Miami Dolphins (0-7) (LW 32)

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