NFL playoff preview: Biggest strengths, question marks for all 14 teams

The time has come at last. The regular season is over, and now, we can turn our attention to the playoffs and the march to Super Bowl LIX, which will take place at the Caesars Super Dome in New Orleans on Feb. 9. 

The journey to the Big Easy begins with a six-game slate on wild-card weekend. To get you prepped for the big games. FOX Sports NFL Reporters Greg Auman and Eric D. Williams take an in-depth look at the strengths, question marks and X-factors for all 14 playoff teams.

NFC

No. 1 seed: Detroit Lions (15-2)

Biggest strength: This is the highest-scoring offense in the NFL, averaging 33.2 points per game, up 6.1 from last season when offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was being courted for head coaching jobs. The higher the stakes, the better the Lions are: fourth in third-down conversions, fourth in red-zone success and second in goal-to-go conversions, getting touchdowns 89% of the time. Just look at the Pro Bowl presence on offense: quarterback Jared Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, tackle Penei Sewell and center Frank Ragnow were all selected on the original ballot. Gibbs is vastly underappreciated; he rushed for 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns with a stellar 5.6-yard average, catching another 52 passes with four more scores.

Biggest question mark: Injuries have decimated Detroit’s defense, with multiple starters lost to major injuries, from edges Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport to defensive tackle Alim McNeill and corner Carlton Davis. That put the Lions in high-scoring shootout late in the year, giving up 34 points to the 49ers and 31 to the Packers in close wins, and 48 in a loss to the Bills. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has done wonders to keep that side of the ball patched together well enough to win 15 games, but the defense will put pressure on the Detroit offense knowing it might take 35 points or more to win against elite offenses.

X-factor: Third-year receiver Jameson Williams has emerged as an elite deep threat. His average of 17.3 yards per catch is easily the NFL’s best among players with 50-plus catches. He’s had five plays of 50-plus yards this season, and only the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley has more. If St. Brown is the workhorse of the passing game, moving the chains consistently, Williams is the dangerous downfield threat opponents have to account for, and he’s still only 23 years old.

No. 2 seed: Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)

Biggest strength: The NFL’s No. 2 running attack, led by Pro Bowl back Saquon Barkley. The Eagles averaged 179 rushing yards per game, second-best in the league, and they average 4.91 yards per carry, fifth-best. Barkley topped 2,000 yards in 16 games, and his consistent dominance is why the Eagles led the NFL in time of possession at 32 minutes, 23 seconds per game. Only once in NFL history has a player rushed as many times as Barkley has this season and averaged more yards — Adrian Peterson in 2012. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has rushed for another 630 yards and 14 more scores. You know how the Eagles are going to attack you, and it’s still difficult to stop.

Biggest question mark: Running the ball so well has meant passing the ball much less. The Eagles rank 29th in passing yards per game, with the second-highest sack rate in the league. Top receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith missed three games each with injuries, but Jalen Hurts actually has the highest passer rating of his young career, and nearly his best yards per attempt. The question is if you can somehow contain Barkley on the ground, can the Eagles beat you through the air? So the challenge falls on Hurts to show he can still sling it downfield if he needs to.

X-factor: With new coordinator Vic Fangio and a revamped secondary, the Eagles have arguably the most improved defense in the NFL: No. 1 in total yards, No. 1 in passing yards and No. 2 in scoring defense, this after ranking 31st against the pass last season. Rookie corners Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean have been huge, and linebacker Zack Baun might be the free-agent bargain of the year, making the Pro Bowl in a breakout season with 150 tackles after totaling 88 in four years with the Saints.

No. 3 seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)

Biggest strength: Tampa Bay’s offense is hugely improved under first-year offensive coordinator Liam Coen, and its run game is the most improved in the league, going from 32nd last year to fourth in 2024. Some of that surge comes from an upgraded offensive line, including rookie center Graham Barton, but give credit to rookie running back Bucky Irving, a 1,000-yard rusher and the team’s best big-play run threat since Doug Martin a decade ago. Baker Mayfield has had a career year, with 41 touchdown passes and 4,500 yards, easily the best non-Tom Brady passing season in Tampa Bay history.

Biggest question mark: The pass defense has been decimated by injuries all season, and the Bucs could be without corner Jamel Dean and both starting safeties in Antoine Winfield and Jordan Whitehead. Tampa Bay has been much improved since its Week 11 bye, ranking among the league’s stingiest defenses, but that’s also come against lesser competition, with the Chargers as the only playoff team the Bucs have faced in the last seven games. They have only seven interceptions this year, the lowest total in franchise history, and Todd Bowles’ defense is predicated on pressure and takeaways.

X-factor: Second-year defensive lineman Calijah Kancey got a late start due to missing the first five games with a calf injury, but he’s come into his own in the last two months. In the past eight games, he has 6.5 sacks, which ties for the seventh-most in the NFL. Linemate Vita Vea is the one headed to the Pro Bowl, but Kancey has excelled as a three-technique and is arguably Tampa Bay’s best sack threat in the postseason.

No. 4 seed: Los Angeles Rams (10-7)

Biggest strength: The ability to win close games. The Chiefs are the NFL’s best there, 11-0 in one-score games, but the Rams have played more one-score games than anyone and are 8-5 in those games, and 7-2 since a slow first month. Los Angeles isn’t dominating on offense or defense but plays well with the game on the line. After a rough start, the Rams were 9-3, and seven of those wins were by a single score. They’ve shown they can win close at either end of the scoring spectrum, as they edged the Bills 44-42, and then won three games since without scoring even 20 points in any of them.

Biggest question mark: Can Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua stay healthy? Much of their early-season stumbling came with both top receivers out, and since Week 8, with both of them playing every week, they’re 8-3 with wins over the Vikings and Bills. The two present a unique challenge to opposing defenses when they’re both on the field, so the key is getting both of them to avoid injury and force opponents to decide who to leave in one-on-one matchups downfield.

X-factor: Nobody has counted on rookies all over the field more than the Rams, who have two Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates in a pair of defensive linemen from Florida State, Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. There are rookies in the secondary, rookies on the offensive line — at one point the Rams were carrying 18 on their 53-man roster. The question is whether the kids will be wide-eyed making their playoff debut or if they don’t blink and keep playing at a high level on the larger stage. 

No. 5 seed: Minnesota Vikings (14-3)

Biggest strength: Brian Flores’ defense led the NFL with 24 interceptions and tied for the league lead with 33 takeaways, finishing fifth in points allowed. Two free-agent signees, Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, both had double-digit sacks, and linebacker Blake Cashman is one of just three players with at least 100 tackles and four sacks. The Vikings are 14-0 when they hold opponents to fewer than 30 points, 0-3 when they don’t, which is a nice high bar to set.

Biggest question mark: As great as Sam Darnold has been — 35 touchdowns and 4,153 passing yards — he’s never taken a snap in a playoff game, so while he’s 27 and has 72 career starts, he’s a postseason novice. The Vikings have shown they can overcome his bad days, as they won both games where he had multiple interceptions this season. Darnold has plenty of incentive to play well, as the deeper a playoff run he can lead, the more likely the Vikings will pay to re-sign him rather than give the keys to J.J. McCarthy next season.

X-factor: Opponents will go out of their way to limit All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson, but that opens a window for second-year pro Jordan Addison, who has caught 19 touchdown passes in his first two seasons. In the past decade, the only players with more touchdown catches in their first two seasons were Odell Beckham Jr. (25) and Ja’Marr Chase (22). Addison has come on of late, with five touchdown catches in the past four games.

No. 6 seed: Washington Commanders (12-5) 

Biggest strength: Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has been electric in leading Washington into the playoffs. He’s a heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year and a big part of why the Commanders have a top-five offense in total yards and rushing yards. Rookie quarterbacks winning in the playoffs is a rare feat. It’s happened only twice in the past decade, but in each of the past two seasons, with San Francisco’s Brock Purdy in 2022 and Houston’s C.J. Stroud in 2023.

Biggest question mark: There are vulnerabilities in Washington’s defense, which is vastly improved from last year overall. But it’s still bottom-five against the run, ranking 30th in yards/carry allowed (4.85) and 28th in rushing yards allowed (136), which could be trouble facing the Bucs, and if the Commanders get the Eagles. Washington is 22nd in red-zone defense, giving up touchdowns 60% of the time, and as a team the Commanders have only seven interceptions, tied for fourth-lowest and among the worst for playoff teams.

X-factor: Nobody in the NFL is better at converting fourth downs than the Commanders — 20-for-23, or 87%. A big chunk of that is Daniels, who’s 8-for-8 passing on fourth down with seven conversions and has rushed nine times with eight conversions, so he’s 15-for-17 himself. Only Bears rookie Caleb Williams converted more first downs between passing and rushing this season. The Commanders are in the top five in conversions, so they’re confident enough to go for it more often than most teams as well.

No. 7 seed: Green Bay Packers (11-6)

Biggest strength: The addition of Josh Jacobs in free agency has upgraded the Packers’ run game. He has rushed for more yards (1,329) and touchdowns (15) than Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon totaled last year (1,269 and 4). As such, Green Bay jumped from 15th in rushing last year to fifth this year, easing the burden on Jordan Love, who’s thrown 15% fewer passes in 2024. The improvement in the run game also speaks well for the Packers’ offensive line, which has allowed the league’s third-lowest sack rate at 4.3%.

Biggest question mark: Corner Jaire Alexander just went on injured reserve. Green Bay is 6-1 with the two-time All-Pro on the field this season and 5-5 without him. Alexander was graded as the NFL’s No. 12 corner by Pro Football Focus this season, and the remaining corners are much lower: Carrington Valentine is 44th, Keisean Nixon is 58th and Eric Stokes is 71st. Green Bay gave up 10 touchdown passes in its four games against the Lions and Vikings, so that’s an area opponents will try to exploit even more in the playoffs.

X-factor: Can safety Xavier McKinney get back to his ballhawking ways? He had an interception in each of the first five games this season, then totaled just three in the last 12 games. The Packers have a solid defense in terms of takeaways — they forced 29 turnovers, third-most in the NFL — but McKinney was a big spark in that early on and less so down the stretch. The Packers are also third-best in turnover margin, so it’s something they’ll count on as an advantage, whether McKinney leads that charge or not.

AFC 

No. 1 seed: Kansas City Chiefs (15-2) 

Biggest strength: Everything with the Chiefs starts with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but head coach Andy Reid is a close second. One key reason the Chiefs have won an NFL-record 16 straight one-score games is Mahomes’ unique ability to execute down the stretch. He has a 98.3 career passer rating in the fourth quarter and overtime during the regular season. And that jumps to a 105.8 passer rating in the playoffs. With one of the most clutch quarterbacks in NFL history paired with a future Hall of Fame coach playing in frigid conditions in Kansas City, the Chiefs will be a difficult out as they chase an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl victory. 

Biggest question mark: Although the Chiefs went 15-2 this season, they haven’t been dominant, leading the NFL with 11 comeback victories. Can they keep winning close games? Also, the Chiefs will have a long layoff between games in the postseason, with their first game in the divisional round slated for Jan. 18 or Jan. 19. While older players like Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and Mahomes can use the extra rest, Reid will have to guard against his team developing rust and starting slowly. Then again, the Chiefs have won 10 straight home games, including playoffs, with their last loss coming on Christmas Day 2023 to the Raiders. 

X-factor: Mahomes rightly earns top billing here, but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has once again put together one of the best units in the league. The Chiefs allowed 19.2 points per game in 2024, fourth-best in the NFL. Since the start of the 2023 season, Kansas City has the No. 1 scoring and total defense in the league. Spagnuolo is the first coach in NFL history to win four Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator. For any team to beat the Chiefs in January, its offense must figure out how to consistently move the football against one of the best defensive minds in the game.

No. 2 seed: Buffalo Bills (13-4) 

Biggest strength: MVP front-runner Josh Allen leads one of the most explosive offenses in the league. Allen finished with 42 total touchdowns in 2024, joining Aaron Rodgers as the only players in NFL history with at least 40 total touchdowns in five NFL seasons. Buffalo’s offense is rolling heading into the postseason, averaging 38 points per game during the month of December. The Bills also created a balance on offense with running back James Cook, a Pro Bowl snub who finished with 1,009 yards and tied for a league high with 16 rushing touchdowns. With WR1 Stefon Diggs moving on, Khalil Shakir picked up the slack. He leads Buffalo with 76 receptions for 821 receiving yards. The Bills finished with a league-high eight players with multiple touchdowns in 2024. 

Biggest question mark: Buffalo’s defense struggled against playoff teams. The Bills were 2-3 against teams that have reached the playoffs, allowing 108 more yards per game against playoff teams vs. non-playoff teams. Buffalo’s defense also allowed 33 points a contest vs. playoff teams, the fourth-most all time by a playoff team. The only teams in 2024 to allow more points per game vs. current playoff teams were the Patriots, Titans and Bengals — and they’re all on vacation already. The Bills must get more consistent play from the defense to make a deep playoff run. 

X-factor: Allen has had his best season in avoiding turnovers with just eight giveaways. As a team, the Bills have a league-best plus-24 turnover margin — the best turnover differential by any NFL team since 2012. Buffalo finished tied for the fewest giveaways (8) in any season since 1990. If Allen and the Bills can continue to take care of the football in the postseason, it bolsters their chances of reaching the Super Bowl for the first time since 1994.

No. 3 seed: Baltimore Ravens (12-5) 

Biggest strength: Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson had his best season statistically as a pro in 2024, and a lot of that had to do with the addition of bruising runner Derrick Henry. Jackson finished with 915 rushing yards, eclipsing Mike Vick as the leading rushing quarterback in NFL history. Henry, one of the best free-agent additions this offseason, totaled 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns in his first season with the Ravens, earning a Pro Bowl nod. As a team, the Ravens led the league by averaging 187.6 yards per game. The Ravens’ ability to play the game on their terms by running the football will go a long way to determining how far they advance in the postseason. 

Biggest question mark: One of the best kickers in NFL history, Justin Tucker had his worst season as a pro in 2024. Tucker made a career-low 74.1% of his field goals, including just 6-of-11 (54.5%) from beyond 50 yards. Throughout his 13-year career, Tucker has made 82% of his field goals during the postseason. Can he get back to his more consistent ways, or will the only remaining member of Baltimore’s last Super Bowl winner prove a liability for this postseason? 

X-factor: Baltimore struggled defensively for the first half of the season but appears to have turned things around heading into the playoffs. The Ravens allowed 295 passing yards per game and 22 passing touchdowns through the first 10 weeks of the regular season, both last in the NFL. However, Baltimore is tops in points allowed per game (16.3) and total yards allowed per game (267.0) since Week 11. Defensively, the Ravens have allowed a league-best 171.2 passing yard and just four touchdowns since Week 11. Can the defense keep up this level of performance in the postseason? 

No. 4 seed: Houston Texans (10-7) 

Biggest strength: Led by defensive guru DeMeco Ryans, it’s no surprise the Texans own one of the best defenses in the league. Houston finished the season among the top-10 units in yards allowed per game (315.0) and only allowed 11 rushing touchdowns all season, tied for fifth in the league. The Texans held opposing quarterbacks to an 83.7 passer rating, third-best in the league and the best for Houston since 2014. The Texans also finished tied for fourth in sacks with 49. 

Biggest question mark: Quarterback C.J. Stroud experienced a sophomore slump after winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. He averaged 44 fewer passing yards in 2024 and threw 12 interceptions after finishing with just five as a rookie. Of course, the Ohio State product was sacked 52 times in 16 games after being sacked just 38 times his rookie year. Because of Stroud’s inconsistent play and Houston’s inability to consistently protect him up front, the Texans are struggling to score points. They averaged 21.8 points per game in 2024, and just 17 points per game over the final five games of the regular season.

X-factor: With Stroud struggling to move the ball through the air, the Texans will have to rely on free-agent addition Joe Mixon and the run game. Mixon led the Texans with 1,016 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns and 1,325 scrimmage yards. His four seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards since 2018 is tied for second-most over that time. Mixon missed three games due to an ankle injury in the first half of the season, so his staying healthy in the postseason will be critical for Houston’s success.

No. 5 seed: Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) 

Biggest strength: With basically the same personnel, new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter completely changed the fortunes of L.A.’s defense. The Chargers held opponents to a league-low 17.6 points per game and finished No. 1 in the NFL at 44.74% in red zone defense. The Los Angeles defense also played well early in games: The Bolts allowed seven or fewer points in the first half of 12 games this season, the most by any team in a single season since 2018. 

Biggest question mark: Can Justin Herbert finally get a postseason win? The No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 draft has yet to win a playoff game, although he hasn’t had many opportunities. Herbert’s lone chance came after the 2022 season, when the Chargers led the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-0 in the second quarter but lost 31-30. This time, Herbert has a playoff-experienced head coach with Jim Harbaugh leading the Bolts. And even though Los Angeles plays on the road, the Chargers will not have to deal with inclement weather in the first round, facing the Texans indoors at NRG Stadium. 

X-factor: J.K. Dobbins finished with a career-high 905 rushing yards in his first season with the Chargers, serving as a catalyst for an offense directed by OC Greg Roman that wants to run the football. The Bolts averaged 45 more rushing yards a contest when Dobbins was on the field during the regular season. He missed four games this season with a sprained knee, and the Chargers were 8-4 with Dobbins on the field and 2-2 with him on the sideline.

No. 6 seed: Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) 

Biggest strength: The Steelers have limped into the postseason with a four-game losing streak, but they are still a team led by a stingy defense. Edge rusher T.J. Watt finished with a team-high 11.5 sacks, but did not have a sack or a quarterback hit in his last three regular-season games. Cornerback Donte Jackson leads the Steelers in interceptions with five. Pittsburgh finished tied for tops in the NFL with 33 takeaways on the year. Head coach Mike Tomlin has not won a playoff game since the 2016 season, and for the Steelers to break that streak, the defense must play well. 

Biggest question mark: Will Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh offense show up? The Steelers averaged just 14.3 points during the team’s four-game losing streak. Pittsburgh had averaged 28.4 points a game in Wilson’s first seven starts of the year, going 6-1, but he had just four passing touchdowns during his last four games. During his first seven starts, he totaled 12 touchdown passes and three interceptions, averaging 8.4 yards per attempt over that stretch, compared to 5.7 yards per attempt over the last four games. Mr. Unlimited must get back to creating explosive plays.

X-factor: For Wilson to get back to creating chunk plays down the field, he needs deep threat George Pickens to reemerge as a consistent playmaker. Per Next Gen Stats, Pickens finished second in the league on deep passes, with 15 receptions for 515 receiving yards. He totaled 13 receptions of at least 30 yards. However, Pickens has been slowed by a lingering hamstring issue that forced him to miss three games. He has just four receptions for 50 yards and two drops in two games since his return from the injury. For Pittsburgh to be more dangerous on offense, they need Pickens healthy and at his best during the playoffs.

No. 7 seed: Denver Broncos (10-7) 

Biggest strength: DC Vance Joseph has put together one of the top defenses in the NFL. The Broncos led the league in sacks with 63, the most in their history. Nik Bonitto led Denver with 13.5 sacks after totaling 9.5 in his first two seasons in the league. Defensive tackle Zach Allen leads the NFL with 40 quarterback hits and had a career-high 8.5 sacks in 2024. Denver also has one of the top cover corners in the league in Patrick Surtain, who leads the Broncos in interceptions (4) and pass breakups (11). 

Biggest question mark: It’s Denver’s first time in the playoffs since the 2015 Super Bowl season. The eight-season playoff drought following a Super Bowl win is the longest in NFL history. So though head coach Sean Payton has a title on his résumé, how will his team with little postseason experience respond on the road facing Buffalo in a tough environment? 

X-factor: Rookie quarterback Bo Nix’s impressive play has him in the conversation for Offensive Rookie of the Year. With 29 touchdown passes, Nix topped Washington’s Jayden Daniels (25) for the most TD passes by a rookie this season. Nix also became just the fourth rookie in the common draft era to have at least 10 wins after being selected outside the first five quarterbacks in his draft class, joining Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson and Kyle Orton. Nix has a strong arm, is accurate and can make plays with his feet, as evidenced by his 430 rushing yards in 2024. But he must take care of the football in the postseason. Six of his 12 interceptions came in his last five games after just two interceptions from Week 3 to Week 12.

Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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