Five NFL Teams Most Difficult to Gameplan Against

In the NFL, some teams present lineups that simply cannot be addressed by merely choosing the right game plan. Whether it's a combo of wide receivers that can't be reliably covered or a defense that can throw the kitchen sink at you on any given down, these teams cause opposing coaches to tremble in fear when they are trying to form a gameplan during the week.

Some of these teams have all-world athletes that can't be matched, others have mad-scientist coaches who can think outside of the box and still others have both. Click through the slideshow for the five toughest NFL teams to gameplan against. 

New Orleans Saints

The Saints are an absolute nightmare to plan for on both sides of the ball. On offense, you have a QB with the accuracy of a trained sniper that can also pull the ball down and run when the opportunity presents itself. Drew Brees has been a top-tier QB for years now, but what makes him even more deadly is the embarrassment of riches he has to target.

Drew's newest toy is Jimmy Graham, a hyper-athletic ex-basketball player turned tight end. Graham is only in his second season, but he has proven himself to be as difficult as they come for opposing defenses to handle.

On defense, Gregg Williams loves to blitz more than he loves to breathe. Williams will send five, six or seven blitzers without thinking twice, and he will send them from every possible position on the field. Opposing offensive coordinators have to make doubly sure that their quarterback and offensive lineman, as well as the running backs and tight ends, are all on the same page in pass protection.  

The Saints probably present the greatest gameplan challenges in the league, as they do it on both sides of the ball as well as anyone.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are difficult to plan for primarily because of their quarterback. Aaron Rodgers can kill you in every way possible. When he throws, he can hit almost anyone, as nine different Packers have caught touch downs this season.

When the pass isn't there, Rodgers is one of the most mobile and athletic quarterbacks in the NFL, and especially mobile when throwing the ball. Rodgers loves to get outside of the pocket and put even more pressure on opposing secondaries, and he throws on the run as well as anyone.

The Packers offense is incredibly versatile, and that makes them extremely tough to gameplan against.

San Francisco 49ers

There are two main players on the 49ers that make gameplans incredibly tough to come by. On defense, Patrick Willis is a monster. No amount of pregame strategy makes it any easier to block Patrick Willis. At his best, it is simply impossible to stop him from being in the middle of almost every play around the line of scrimmage.

On defense, they have a similar force of nature in Frank Gore. Gore is the kind of running back where even when you know he's getting the ball, it's still a massive feat to stop him. He's strong and fast, and Coach Harbaugh loves to lean on him when they need tough yards. 

The 49ers aren't terribly exotic, but they have Gore and Willis, who seem to have a habit of taking your gameplan and tossing it in the shredder. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

On paper, it's not terribly complicated to see how a team should approach beating the Steelers. Take advantage of the offensive line and Big Ben holding the ball too long to make big plays with your defense, and play it safe on offense.

Easier said than done, unless you're Baltimore this season. Big Ben is as tough to bring down as maybe any quarterback in the history of the game. He can shed prospective tacklers in the backfield and keep his eyes down field the entire time, just waiting for a receiver to come open.

On defense, the Steelers still bring that nasty, aggressive streak that has been the trademark of that franchise for years and years. All the strategy in the world won't keep Polamalu from making plays no one else can make at the safety position, nor will it keep homicidal maniac James Harrison from laying the wood to any player he can reach. The Steelers are all about brute force, and that makes them a tough team to gameplan for.

New England Patriots

The Patriots offense receives an honorable mention here. While their defense practically doesn't even require a game plan, their offense is almost unstoppable when Tom Brady gets in a groove.

Is there a tougher receiving duo in the league to cover than Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski? And now that Aaron Hernandez is getting back to being healthy, he's a pretty awesome third option when Brady drops back to pass.   

The only gameplan that will reliably slow the Patriots offense is the one that Pittsburgh put on them: press man coverage and a strong pass rush. However, the teams with the personnel that can pull that off are few and far between.