10 Best Red-Zone Teams in the NFL and What Makes Them Great

Nothing is more upsetting for a fan than watching their team drive down to their opponents' 20-yard line only to kick a field goal.

The failure to score a touchdown from so close is a huge momentum booster for the other team.

Red-zone scoring is one of the key factors in a team's success throughout the season.

Of course there are a few outliers like in most things, but for the most part the teams on this list have a winning record and are headed for the playoffs. 

There's some obvious teams on the list, along with some shocking omissions and head scratchers.

10. Chicago Bears

The Bears have scored 13 touchdowns on 24 red-zone appearances, giving them a scoring percentage of 54.2 percent.

Matt Forte has been an absolute beast this season, accounting for more than 50 percent of his team's offensive yardage.

However, he has always struggled to produce in short-yardage situations. This past offseason, the Bears brought in Marion Barber to help remedy the situation.

Barber has accounted for four rushing touchdowns and Jay Cutler has done a great job of spreading the ball around to his nondescript group of receivers.

Forte is the man that gets them in position and Cutler's powerful arm does the rest. 

9. Oakland Raiders

The Raiders are definitely more of a big-play offense, picking up their yardage in chunks.

Their speedy group of receivers and the thunder-and-lightning ground attack of Darren McFadden and Michael Bush make for a challenging offense to stop.

Oakland has made it to the red zone 26 times, scoring 15 touchdowns and six field goals.

Bush and McFadden key the team's attack with their unique running styles.

8. Arizona Cardinals

This is easily the biggest shocker of the list. How has this team been so successful in the red zone and only managed a 3-6 record?

A healthy Beanie Wells is the key cog in this team's offensive attack. He leads the team with seven touchdowns, followed by Larry Fitzgerald with five and Early Doucet with four.

Like the Raiders, the Cardinals have visited the red zone 26 times with 15 trips to the painted area. They've just had much more success in the field-goal department.

7. New York Giants

The Giants have been the beneficiary of an improved Eli Manning, who is on pace for his best touchdown to interception ratio.

Manning has thrown 17 touchdowns so far this year, spreading them around evenly to a receiver and tight end corps in a state of flux.

The team's ground game hasn't been as successful as in past years, but their backfield has managed to contribute their fair share of touchdowns.

Manning threw an incredibly bad 25 interceptions last season, but with things under control this season he has gone from game manager to the leader of the offense.

6. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have been a bit of an enigma this season, like most teams, but when they get into the red zone they are deadly.

Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Turner are all excellent weapons for a red-zone assault. When they feed the ball to Turner, he becomes a juggernaut when he can smell the end zone.

Gonzalez and White are two big, strong pass catchers that are tough for anyone to cover by themselves.

5. Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills have been a bit of a surprise this year, with Fred Jackson easily being the driving force.

Jackson has an amazing 13 touchdowns to this point, putting him on pace for 23 on the season. .

Buffalo has kept opposing defenses on their toes by getting Jackson the ball both through the air and on the ground.

Ryan Fitzpatrick's ability to get the ball to some of his big receivers has also been key to the offense's success, but ultimately without Jackson this team is dead in the water.

4. New York Jets

The Jets have scored 18 touchdowns on 29 red-zone appearances for a 62.1 percent success rate.

It's tough to say exactly what keeps this offense going. The addition of Plaxico Burress has been a major help in some games, while in other games someone else has had to step up.

No one player stands out offensively on this team, which may be why they have been so difficult to stop. Defenses have no clue who to key on, leaving every players with the opportunity to make a play.

3. Green Bay Packers

Boy, that Aaron Rodgers sure is good, huh? The Packers have 23 touchdowns on 37 red-zone visits and there's no question who the key to their success is. 

It's a testament to the team's scoring ability that they score touchdowns on more than 62 percent of their high volume of red-zone visits.

While Green Bay has shown great success in the red zone, they can score from anywhere on the field. 

They have proven to be capable of scoring on anyone and the man in the picture is who you can thank.

2. New England Patriots

Tom Brady has managed to lead an even more potent attack than the Packers, in part because their defense is so awful that they have to keep scoring.

Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski have been the main passing targets that Brady has found in the end zone, accounting for 19 of 23 touchdown receptions.

The Pats have become a lot like their longtime rivals in Indianapolis, in that they are just about completely reliant on their quarterback to win.

As long as teams don't keep Welker under wraps, this offense is unstoppable.

1. Tennessee Titans

Yes, surprisingly, the Titans are the NFL's most proficient red-zone offense. The addition of Matt Hasselbeck has shifted the team's offense into the modern age.

The Titans have scored a touchdown on 71.4 percent of their red-zone visits. Their success should be taken with a grain of salt however, as they have only managed to make 21 visits to their opponents' 20-yard line.

Despite Chris Johnson being nonexistent for most of the season, Hasselbeck has keyed the offensive attack, spreading the ball to any passing option that finds themselves open.