Ranking the 5 Best Red-Zone Offenses in the NFL

Speaking of the Packers, the defending champs are clicking on all cylinders and ready for a deep postseason run to defend their championship.

Green Bay, by virtue of beating the Chicago Bears on Christmas night, has secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC. For that reason, there most likely won’t be offensive fireworks this Sunday at Lambeau Field when Matt Flynn welcomes the Lions.

Don’t let that fool you. The amount of weapons on this team speaks volumes about how much control MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers has in this playbook. He’s able to audible and change out of formations however he sees fit.

No one analyzes an NFL defense quite like Rodgers is right now.

Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton’s Panthers are always a danger to score. Their only problem is preventing the other team from taking similar actions against them.

What makes the Carolina offense so versatile is Newton’s ability to tuck and run with quarterback power plays. The running backs—DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart—suffer because their red zone touches diminish, but whatever it takes to score is what the Panthers have to be willing to do in a division that features the Saints and Falcons.

Imagine if somehow the Panthers can find a complimentary receiver to the aging Steve Smith for next season. That would open up the playbook that much more.

Detroit Lions

It’s been talked about for years. Imagine what the Detroit Lions are capable of when Matthew Stafford plays an entire season.

It took a couple years, but he finally has. And now the Lions are playoff-bound for the first time in more than a decade.

What makes this offense so elite is the passing attack. With weapons like receiver Calvin Johnson and tight end Brandon Pettigrew, the Lions have the big-play capability teams need in order to score in the league.

Don’t expect the Lions to rush the ball too much in the red zone. If there’s a chance to throw a fade or tight end curl, gamble all your chips on a “PASS.”

New England Patriots

The surgeon of safeties himself, Tom “Terrific” Brady.

What makes great quarterbacks great is their ability to utilize the most of what’s around them. Good passers make everyone else better. That’s Tom Brady in a nutshell.

Other than the few years the Patriots had Randy Moss, what vertical threat has Brady had? Deion Branch? Reche Caldwell? Troy Brown?

Brady has developed players like Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski to be the best they can be, and in return New England had outscored their opponents by 18 more touchdowns.

If there’s a will, there’s a way for Brady and Co.

New Orleans Saints

The NFL’s all-time leading passer for a single season is no longer Dan Marino. He was outdone by New Orleans’ Drew Brees Monday night when the Saints beat up on the Atlanta Falcons.

This offense is just dangerous from top to bottom. The running game is respectable enough to force defenses to pay attention, but the aerial attack is what gets the job done.

Throwing the ball is Brees’ bread and butter in this offense. He has a plethora of receivers on the outside (Robert Meachem, Lance Moore, Devry Henderson and Marques Colston). Combine that with the emergence of tight end Jimmy Graham and the Saints can hurt you in any number of ways.

If there’s one team in the NFC that can keep up with the Packers, it’s the Saints.

Green Bay Packers

Speaking of the Packers, the defending champs are clicking on all cylinders and ready for a deep postseason run to defend their championship.

Green Bay, by virtue of beating the Chicago Bears on Christmas night, has secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC. For that reason, there most likely won’t be offensive fireworks this Sunday at Lambeau Field when Matt Flynn welcomes the Lions.

Don’t let that fool you. The amount of weapons on this team speaks volumes about how much control MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers has in this playbook. He’s able to audible and change out of formations however he sees fit.

No one analyzes an NFL defense quite like Rodgers is right now.

Brett Lyons is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand or from official interview materials. 

Follow Brett Lyons on Twitter @BrettLyons670.