NFL Power Rankings: 5 Playoff Contenders with Serious Issues to Address

It's hard to believe that we're going to be at Week 10 as soon as tonight's game between the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles is in the books. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were celebrating the end of the lockout.

Concerning the here and now, the playoffs are going to be here before we know it. There are a couple of teams out there that look like locks for the postseason, but most of the NFL's would-be playoff teams still have plenty of work to do.

In particular, there are five contenders that I think have serious issues that need to be addressed. If they are not, they could find themselves on the outside looking in come playoff time.

Kansas City Chiefs (No. 19 overall)

When you get blown out by the Miami Dolphins in your own backyard, you clearly have issues.

Of course, this is something that we've known about the Chiefs all year. It just so happens their shortcomings were kept under wraps thanks to their four-game winning streak.

What we know about the Chiefs at this point is that they are pretty much incapable of dominating any phase of the game. They have a bend-but-don't-break defense and an offense that lives and dies by the run. 

The worst case scenario for the Chiefs is one that we saw unfold on Sunday. Their defense broke, and they pretty much had to abandon their running game in order to mount a comeback. That failed, and things got worse and worse as the game went along.

I've been saying for weeks that the Chiefs are a team that needs everything to fall in place in order to win. If things don't fall in place, they are very easily beaten.

Oakland Raiders (No. 18 overall)

When it comes to the Raiders, all the hype is focused on Carson Palmer and his ability (or lack thereof) to lead the Raiders to the playoffs.

But the focus should be on Oakland's defense, which is not good. The Raiders are allowing 27 points per game, and they rank in the lower third of the league against both the run and the pass. On Sunday, we saw the Denver Broncos rush for 299 yards against the Raiders, which is pretty alarming seeing as how the Broncos didn't come into the game with much of a rushing attack.

My concern is that this is a personnel problem more than anything else, which essentially means that there's not much room for improvement. If the Raiders are to win games and make the playoffs, they need Palmer to play well and they need Darren McFadden to get healthy. These things will give their offense the firepower it needs to compensate for the defense.

If the Raiders don't make the playoffs, rest assured it will be because of their defense.

San Diego Chargers (No. 17 overall)

You have to hand it to the Chargers for putting up a fight against the Green Bay Packers. They damn near beat them. 

And they would have if Philip Rivers hadn't thrown two pick-sixes in the first quarter. Those ended up making a huge difference, as they put the Chargers in a 21-7 hole that they had to climb out of.

It's no secret that this was nothing new for Rivers. He leads the league in interceptions with 14, which is one more than he had all of last season. He hasn't been himself all season, and the Chargers have suffered as a result.

If Rivers turns it around, the Chargers should turn it around. The question is whether or not Rivers can turn it around.

Chicago Bears (No. 14 overall)

I'm going to have to take back everything I have to say about the Bears if they beat the Eagles tonight. But for the time being, I have some gripes I want to get out in the open.

First of all, I will give the Bears credit for being better than people think they are. They're only 4-3, but their three losses came against three very good teams, and two of them were on the road. That's not inexcusable.

What worries me about the Bears is that they rely on Matt Forte way too much. He's the team's leading rusher and the team's leading receiver. Without him, the Bears would be nothing.

So if Forte struggles, the Bears are pretty much doomed. They no longer have the kind of defense that can keep games close, so they need Forte to rack up yards and help them put points on the board.

If Forte is unable to do that, the Bears are pretty much doomed.

New England Patriots (No. 7 overall)

We've known all along that the Patriots are far from being a perfect team, but I don't think any of us expected to have to worry about their offense at any point this season.

But right now, you do have to worry about New England's O. The Pats have scored 20 or fewer points in three straight games, losing the last two. 

As Tom Brady goes, so goes the Pats offense, and Brady has been just okay in his last three games. He's thrown six touchdown passes, but has also thrown four interceptions. On Sunday against the Giants, he completed just 57.1 percent of his passes, which is not very Brady-like.

Because the Pats have a leaky defense, they need Brady to be flawless. In order to shape up, either he needs to get better, or the rest of the team needs to step up and help him out.

For once, it seems like Brady just can't shoulder the load all by himself.

Zachary D. Rymer's Week 10 Power Rankings

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