NFL Power Rankings Week 10: Each Top Team's Biggest Weakness

They say that a beautiful thing is never perfect, and the same could be said of NFL teams. No matter how good a team may be, there is no such thing as perfection in the NFL.

Just ask the 2007 New England Patriots.

This year, there really aren't that many truly great teams in the NFL. In fact, we've seen a lot of sloppy play this season, which no doubt has something to do with the blasted lockout. 

Even the teams that are great (or close to being great) have their issues. Just for kicks, why don't we go ahead and discuss each one of them in turn?

New Orleans Saints (No. 5 overall)

You could put a number of teams in the No. 5 spot, but I chose the Saints because they have an elite head coach in Sean Payton and an elite quarterback in Drew Brees. They're good, and they have the potential to be even better.

Offensively, the Saints are as solid as any team in the league, and their defense is actually halfway decent for a change. You can point out various problem areas, but you would be nitpicking.

The Saints' biggest problem, I think, is that they are just plain inconsistent. One week they'll put an epic hurting on the Indianapolis Colts, and the next they'll lose to the St. Louis Rams.

This reeks of an overarching focus problem. The Saints are as stacked as any team, but they seem to get a little too comfortable in their own skin. If they don't knock that off, they could find themselves looking up at the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South before long.

"He's Pretty Good" Tweet:

Baltimore Ravens (No. 4 overall)

The Ravens were seconds away from being 5-3 on Sunday night, but a late touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to rookie Torrey Smith gave them a much-needed victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now that I have given Flacco credit for his late heroics, I can bash him without feeling like a heartless jerk.

The truth is that Flacco is the biggest weakness on a Ravens team that is otherwise quite flawless. The Ravens play great defense and they have one of the best running backs in the league in Ray Rice, but they just never know what they're going to get from Flacco on a weekly basis.

Most weeks, the Ravens simply need Flacco to just play mistake-free football. When they need him to do more, though, it seems like he rarely delivers. Sunday night's game-saving touchdown was an exception to the rule.

Flacco is definitely good enough to lead the Ravens to the playoffs. But the Super Bowl? That might be asking a lot.

"He May Be Right" Tweet:

New York Giants (No. 3 overall)

The Giants have definitely surpassed my expectations this season, and my guess is that they've surpassed yours, too. 

This is all thanks to Eli Manning, who has been brilliant. He's currently fifth in the NFL with a 98.8 QB rating, and he is having by far his best season as a pro.

Without Manning, the Giants are probably nothing. And that's their biggest problem.

As good as Manning is, the team around him is pretty mediocre. The Giants don't run the ball well, and their defense is not exactly formidable.

Because of this, Manning's lot in life is pretty much the exact opposite of Flacco's. The Ravens need him to merely hold the line, whereas the Giants need Manning to set the bar week in and week out.

"It's Funny Because It's True" Tweet:

San Francisco 49ers (No. 2 overall)

I'm not sure I heard correctly, but I remember hearing somewhere that the 49ers are 7-1 for the first time since the Washington administration.

Regardless, it's been a long time since the 49ers have been this good. And make no mistake, they are this good. Their 7-1 record is no fluke.

Defensively, the 49ers are arguably the best in the NFL. Offensively, however, they're kind of a one-trick pony.

I say this because the 49ers' offense basically consists of Frank Gore, Frank Gore and more Frank Gore, with an occasional pass to Vernon Davis.

This has worked out just fine, as Gore has rushed for 100 yards in five straight games. My concern is what will happen when Gore has a bad day.

You know it's going to happen. And when it does, we may be reminded just how unreliable Alex Smith is.

"Very True" Tweet:

Green Bay Packers (No. 1 overall)

What gripes can you possibly make about a team that is 8-0?

Admittedly, not many. The Packers have the best quarterback in the NFL, and that seems to be all they need. As long as they have Aaron Rodgers, they're pretty much set.

The downside to having Rodgers is that it means the Packers have to put up with a lot of pass-heavy offenses when they're on defense. Opponents are averaging just about 40 passing attempts per game against the Packers, and they haven't done a great job of limiting the damage. The Packers are currently 31st in the league in passing defense.

Though, to their credit, they also lead the league in interceptions with 16.

Still, you just know that the Packers' first loss is going to be in a shootout if and when it comes.

Heck, the San Diego Chargers damn near beat them in such a game on Sunday.

"That's Good, Right?" Tweet:

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	Chicago Bears	5-3
13	New York Jets	5-3
14	Buffalo Bills	5-3
15	Dallas Cowboys	4-4
16	San Diego Chargers	4-4
17	Oakland Raiders	4-4
18	Kansas City Chiefs	4-4
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4-4
20	Tennessee Titans	4-4
21	Philadelphia Eagles	3-5
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