NFL Power Rankings: 3 Teams Losing Ground on Title Chase

It's hard enough to make the playoffs in the National Football League.

Winning the Super Bowl is another matter altogether.

You can't win the Super Bowl if you have glaring weaknesses, unless you have a defense as dominant as the Baltimore Ravens in 2000 when they won with Trent Dilfer at quarterback.

Here are three teams in contention who are losing ground on the title chase.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4)

I had worries about the Steelers before their Week 15 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers because I wondered if their offense would be good enough to carry them through the playoffs.

Week 15 exacerbated these worries.

The Steelers scored a grand total of three points in San Francisco, and although quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was banged up, those offensive concerns still remain.

The Steelers are averaging 20.4 points per game this season.

2. Baltimore Ravens (10-4)

After the Ravens' win over the 49ers in Week 12, it was easy to tab them as eventual AFC champions, which I did.

But this team is so hard to figure out.

All four of their losses have come against mediocre or poor teams. I can't tell if that inconsistency will come back to haunt them in the playoffs or if playing better teams in the playoffs will naturally boost their level of play.

Right now, I'm not that high on the Ravens anymore, because you can't just walk into the playoffs and expect to go on a great run.

But they have the talent on defense, and on offense, to make it to the Super Bowl.

1. Houston Texans (10-4)

Some may say that the Texans weren't title contenders anyway, but I disagree.

With this defense, and an offense led by quarterback Matt Schaub, the Texans were title contenders in my mind.

But Schaub is out after season-ending surgery, and the Texans head into the playoffs with rookie quarterback T.J. Yates under center.

I don't see that working out well for them.

Plus, they just got blown out by the Carolina Panthers.