Albert Breer: every major contender has a fatal roster flaw

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/11/03/norv-turner-minnesota-vikings-nfl-playoff-contender-weakness-notes#

by Albert Breer

For the first time since I can remember, it seems like every major contender has what could wind up being a fatal roster flaw. So I decided to enlist a couple evaluators to give me their take on each of holes on the seven one-loss or two-loss teams. Here they are:

VIKINGS OFFENSIVE LINE
AFC executive: “They’re running out of bodies. At some point, you have to run the ball and protect the quarterback, so you can make those plays they need. When they start playing teams that are a reflection of them defensively, can they hold on?”

COWBOYS PASS RUSH
NFC scouting director: “As you can see, the last few years, they’ve been trying to figure that out, drafting defensive ends. And now with Randy Gregory being suspended, the one dumbass they had (Greg Hardy) gone, there’s no one that can get pressure. And Marinelli’s not a big blitz guy, and he has had to be more, so it’ll be interesting to see how that evolves.”

BRONCOS QUARTERBACKS
AFC executive: “At the end of the game, will the QB make plays in the critical moment, when you’re in a tight matchup or the playoffs? As the season goes on, everything gets tighter, more equal. Is he gonna be able to get the ball downfield? They can ride the defense, there’s no change there. But can the QB make the critical plays, and be productive enough if the run game is shut down? That’ll be a defining thing.”

SEAHAWKS OFFENSIVE LINE
NFC scouting director: “The last two years, that’s what killed them. Before, their calling card was being physical on both sides. They chose to go young, and missed on some picks and they’re trying to convert guys from defense, and they lose JR Sweezy, go through all that with (Russell) Okung, which to me that was the biggest loss… Now, you essentially have five guys learning each other. Offensive line is about continuity. If you have it, issues are workable. They don’t.”

PATRIOTS THIRD-DOWN DEFENSE
NFC scouting director: “What they have is a bunch of guys in the clubhouse who play sound, disciplined football. But they don’t have that guy, like they did with Chandler Jones or Jamie Collins, who offensive coaches worry about. (Chris) Long doesn’t have the same juice anymore, (Rob) Ninkovich is an effort guy. (Jabaal) Sheard is solid, probably the most explosive guy, which doesn’t say much for them. So they have to do more to get guys home.”

RAIDERS DEFENSE
AFC executive: “Goes back to the old adage that defense wins in the playoffs. The two best teams last year, the two teams in the Super Bowl, had the two best defenses. Their offense can outscore you, but you play those defenses in the playoffs. You have to stop someone, and that’ll be a problem. They have some players, but there are holes (at linebacker and corner) and inconsistency.”

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