NFL

Assessing the Biggest Weakness of Each of 2018's NFL Playoff Teams

The Houston Texans have struggled to keep Deshaun Watson upright this year, which could hurt them if they advance in the playoffs. Which other weaknesses could slow down this year's playoff teams?

By this point in the season, we're generally acquainted with the strength of each of the teams remaining in the NFL playoffs.

The Indianapolis Colts never let Andrew Luck hit the turf. The Chicago Bears prevent opposing quarterbacks from getting comfortable in the pocket. The Kansas City Chiefs revoke the will to live from opposing defensive backs.

Because these teams have been successful, we've gotten to see what they do best. It's what allowed them to make it this far.

But what about their biggest weaknesses?

With the competition getting ratcheted up this weekend, each of these teams is finally going to get some resistance to executing its plan. If an opposing coach knows where that team struggles and can exploit it, it could lead to a premature start to the offseason.

Today, we're going to run through each playoff team's shortcoming and discuss what impact that may have on their pursuit of Super Bowl LIII. In order to identify those weaknesses, we'll be leaning heavily on numberFire's Net Expected Points (NEP), the metric we use to track the efficiency of both teams and players. NEP shows the expected points added or subtracted on each play throughout the season, quantifying the massive difference between a three-yard completion on 3rd and 2 and a three-yard completion on 3rd and 4.

Strengths are what got teams to this point. Weaknesses will be what leads to their dismissal. Which weakness stands out for each playoff team? Let's check it out, starting in the AFC.