NFL Playoff Picture: Why Green Bay Is Only the 3rd Best Team in NFC

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers' passing attack is stellar. That is as much apparent as anything in the NFL, but no other aspect of the Packers' team would rank anywhere close to that adjective.

As injuries have taken their tolls and the issues on defense have persisted through the year, it is clear, the Packers are not a complete team. I am willing to bet, if and when they meet either the San Francisco 49ers or New Orleans Saints, their postseason run will end.

Why? 

There are a few reasons:

Run Offense

Of the three elite NFC teams, the Packers are the only one whose rushing offense has been bested by their opponents this year. It hasn't been by a small margin either. Take a look at these numbers:

Green Bay Opponent Rushing Yards: 1,716 on 371 attempts

Green Bay Rushing Yards: 1,477 on 368 attempts

To put that in perspective, it really further clarifies their inability to establish anything substantial on the ground. The Packers have had the lead in most of their games this year, which would lead you to believe that they would be in run mode while their opponents air it out to close the gap. Even with that, the Packers are still blasted in the run game.

As you can see, it's not about attempts, as the Packers have only run it three times less than their opponents. They don't have dependable backs, this is more of less because they don't have a commitment to success in the run game.

In contrast, the Niners have the most drastic edge in run offense to run defense in the NFL. They absolutely stuff the run and they excel at their own ground game. The Saints are widely viewed as the same type of pass dependent offense as the Packers, but that isn't true. Take a look at the Niners' and Saints' rushing stats:

New Orleans Opponent Rushing Yards: 1,574 yards on 327 attempts

New Orleans Rushing Yards: 1,919 yards on 396 attempts

San Francisco Opponent Rushing Yards: 1,127 yards on 329 attempts

San Francisco Rushing Yards: 1,928 yards on 461 attempts

These numbers aren't just about talent and focus, they are also about depth. Especially in the case of the Saints. New Orleans has four capable backs, even though rookie Mark Ingram missed Monday Night's game with a bad toe. All four (Ingram, Darren Sproles, Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas) offer a different style and look for the defense. This only augments the record-setting passing game the Saints have.

As for San Francisco, they are the epitome of a ball-control offense. Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter are capable of carrying the load, and have been durable all year. They pound it and stuff you. The Packers defense has been predicated on causing turnovers, and they've been good at it, as they are rank second in the NFL in the plus/minus category for turnovers with plus-22. That is great, but the 49ers are first with a plus-26 total.

Passing Game:

In the passing game, as great as Green Bay has been, their poor pass defense makes them only slightly better through the air than their opponents: 4,455 yards to 4,294. The Niners have given up more passing yards than they have thrown for, but the San Francisco is not a passing team. This is Green Bay's bread and butter, as you would expect would be the case for the Saints. Yet, the Saints best their opponent's passing totals by over 900 yards.

In the end, it boils down to wins and losses, and the Packers have the best record in the NFL. In fact, they beat the Saints head to head in a thrilling season opener. The Saints had a chance to tie but were snuffed at the goal line. That was a different Saints team, but it was the same Packers team.

New Orleans' rushing attack and defense has improved since then, while the Packers are still struggling in the same areas. The Niners are a grind it out team, very similar to the Chiefs squad that defeated the Packers, and they are battle-tested in close, playoff atmosphere-like games.

In the playoffs, precision offenses still take a backseat to teams who have an ability to run the ball and get stops on defense. The Packers haven't shown the ability to do either. They are a good team, anyone that says differently is delusional. But they have several holes that both the Saints and 49ers can, and will expose.