Biggest Flaw with Top Super Bowl Contenders Right Now: Issues for Top 8 Teams

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Biggest Flaw with Top Super Bowl Contenders Right Now: Issues for Top 8 Teams

Matt Johnson · Sportsnaut

Sun, Nov 23, 2025 ·

7 min read

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The 2025 NFL season feels more wide-open than ever, creating a deep field of Super Bowl contenders who will feel confident about their ability to win the Lombardi Trophy. However, the depth of quality teams this season also means that each of them has a glaring flaw or two.

With each of the league's top clubs having played 10-plus games, there are plenty of NFL stats to highlight the weaknesses that each of the Super Bowl contenders have right now. So, let's take a look at the biggest flaw for each of them right now.

Indianapolis Colts : Playing from Behind

Super Bowl contenders — Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

There's no doubt that Daniel Jones is having a breakout season, and he's played a key role in the Indianapolis Colts establishing themselves as one of the best teams in the NFL this season. With that said, we've witnessed Jones fall back down to earth a bit as of late, highlighting the concerns surrounding Indianapolis if this team falls behind in a playoff game.

In his last two games before the Week 11 bye, Jones put up just a 2-4 TD-INT rate with 3 fumbles lost and had a 76.5 QB rating with a 6.1 adjusted yards gained per attempt. He's ranked just 13th in Completion Rate over Expectation (0) and 23rd in Adjusted EPA per Play (-0.033) since Week 9. If the Colts are put in an early hole come playoff time, which is plausible with a defense that can be exploited over the middle of the field and struggles to generate consistent pressure (31% ESPN pass-rush win rate , 30th in NFL), Indianapolis will be in trouble.

Seattle Seahawks : Ineffectiveness Running the Football

A majority of the focus from the Seattle Seahawks' loss in Week 11 to the Los Angeles Rams centered on Sam Darnold 's 4 interceptions. That was certainly a big problem, but it hasn't been this team's biggest season-long flaw. Los Angeles dared Seattle to run the football against light boxes. The Seahawks averaged just 3.9 yards per carry with a well below-average 36.1 percent Rushing Success Rate .

It's been a recurring problem all season for Seattle. The Seahawks entered Week 12 ranked 26th in Rush EPA (-0.132) and 24th in Success Rate (38.9 percent). As a team, the Seahawks have finished under a 4.0 yards-per-carry average in six of 10 games this season. Come playoff times, opponents can take what the Rams did and deploy it with confidence because the Seahawks haven't proven they can even run versus light boxes.

Buffalo Bills : Woeful Run Defense

Super Bowl contenders, Buffalo Bills — Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The inability of the Buffalo Bills' receivers to create separation and provide quick targets for Josh Allen came under consideration. An even bigger issue, in our view, is that Buffalo is fielding one of the league's worst run defenses. When the NFL Playoffs roll around, opponents are going to run at will on the Bills defense and thus keep Josh Allen on the sideline.

Through 11 games this season, Buffalo has allowed five different opponents to rush for 189-plus yards, and each of them averaged 5.2-plus yards per carry in those contests. Buffalo is surrendering the second-highest yards-per-carry average (5.3) in the NFL and the third-highest Rush EPA (0.078) to opponents. So, opponents can limit how much time the Bills offense spends on the field and would be perfectly positioned to defend an early lead. Buffalo's weak receiving corps would then make things even worse for it in comeback mode.

Los Angeles Rams: Cornerbacks

Boasting one of the NFL's most dominant defensive lines masks a lot. Entering Week 12, the Rams have allowed the fifth-lowest passer rating (83.4), the sixth-lowest yards per attempt (6.6) and the second-lowest Dropback EPA (-0.078) in the NFL. When quarterbacks are given time to throw, though, there are vulnerabilities in the Rams' secondary. That was evident against the Eagles (169 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns by A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith , 49ers (10 receptions and 142 yards for Kendrick Bourne ) and the Seahawks (9-105 for Jaxon Smith-Njigba ). Tampa Bay ( Chris Godwin , Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka when healthy), Philadelphia (Brown and Smith), the Detroit Lions ( Amon-Ra St. Brown ) and even the Seahawks could exploit that.

Denver Broncos : Bo Nix

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has a 94.7 QB rating in the fourth quarter this season and an 11-1 TD-INT ratio with a 99.6 QB rating when the team is trailing. He's been instrumental in many of the team's fourth-quarter comebacks this year. However, there has also been plenty of bad football from the second-year quarterback that might ultimately keep Denver from reaching the Super Bowl.

For instance, per PFF, he has the fifth-lowest passer rating (54.0) and the second-worst yards per attempt (4.4) among qualified quarterbacks when pressured. Against the blitz, he ranks just 17th in completion rate (60.7 percent) and 18th in Big-Time Throw rate (2.6 percent). That could be a huge issue against teams like the Texans , Steelers (48 percent pass-rush win rate), and Chargers . He also won't have running back J.K. Dobbins to take some weight off his shoulders, as Denver has an ineffective rushing attack. We'd also note that Nix ranks 18th in On-Target rate (75.9 percent) with the seventh-highest Bad Throw rate (18.4 percent) in the NFL.

Philadelphia Eagles : Offensive Volatility

There isn't a singular problem with the Eagles offense, so we're not going to finger-point to one single player or offensive play-caller. Heading into Week 12, Jalen Hurts only ranked 16th in passer rating on short throws (0-9 yards). He has also been a bit of a slow starter this season, with more than twice as many sacks taken (seven) as touchdown passes (three) in the first quarter of games. Hurts, of course, isn't the only one to blame.

A.J. Brown ranks 48th in yards per route run (1.65) after ranking second (3.16) in that category last season. Meanwhile, an injury-ravaged Eagles offensive line has fallen from being top-seven in ESPN pass block and run-block win rate in 2025 to being outside the top 10 this season, and it has surrendered the second-highest rush stuff rate (22.6 percent) in the NFL. Throw Saquon Barkley 's regression and poor play-calling into the mix, and you have an Eagles offense that has failed to score 20 points in three of its last six games. A predictable offense with a pedestrian offensive line and Hurts' limitations could waste a phenomenal defense in the playoffs

Detroit Lions: Interior Offensive Line

There was some concern coming into the season about the interior of the Detroit Lions offensive line. Frank Ragnow 's retirement meant there would be two new starters, with Graham Glasgow taking over at center and Tate Ratledge starting at right guard. Through 10 games, the worries about the interior line haven't gone away. In fact, it's even more of an issue since left guard Christian Mahogany landed on injured reserve. Detroit came into Week 12 with a 33.9 percent pressure rate allowed to opponents when not blitzing, which ranked 21st in the NFL. It's led to Goff facing more interior pressure this season, and the impact of the offensive line's issues were pretty evident versus Philadelphia (14-for-37 and 6.9 ypa). Come playoff time, Detroit's weakness could be exposed against the likes of the Seahawks, Rams, and Eagles.

New England Patriots : Vulnerable Secondary

When the New England Patriots signed cornerback Carlton Davis this offseason, it initially seemed like the secondary would be one of the team's greatest strengths. That hasn't been the case, and we've seen quite a few breakdowns—and the numbers back it up. Davis has surrendered a 105.2 QB rating and four touchdowns in coverage this season. As for Gonzalez, his play has been pretty up-and-down against No. 1 receivers. It's not an issue that a playoff opponent like Buffalo can necessarily exploit well, but there are quite a few other potential playoff matchups where the Patriots' corners could be a concern.

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