The Seattle Seahawks may very well be looking like odd-on Super Bowl favorites through three preseason games, but it’s important to realize how meaningless these games are and just how much things can change over the course of an entire season. In reality, all the top Super Bowl contenders have flaws right now. This is what the NFL meant to happen when it instituted the salary cap some two decades ago.
I have decided to take the top-seven teams in my preseason power rankings and look at one major concern for each team heading into the regular season. From NaVorro Bowman’s injury in San Francisco to Trent Richardson’s lack of production in Indianapolis, here are what some of the top teams in the NFL should be most concerned about right now.
Seattle Seahawks: Offensive Line
Courtesy of Mynorthwest.com: Wilson doesn’t have the build to hold up against continual battering.
Russell Wilson is among the best quarterbacks in the NFL in terms of escaping pressure in the pocket. He does a tremendous job rolling out, especially to his right, and finding open receivers. In reality, Wilson seems to thrive under those conditions.
With that said, Seattle needs to do a better job in pass protection if it expects what has been a successful preseason on offense to continue into the regular season. There are holes and question marks all over the Seahawks offensive line at this point. Can newly signed veteran Eric Winston earn the starting right tackle position? That’s a big question mark heading into the season, because rookie second-round pick Justin Britt obviously isn’t ready to start in the NFL. Seattle also has a question mark at right guard where J.R. Sweezy appears to be slotted in to start. These concerns don’t even include Russell Okung, who has been injury plagued over the past couple seasons, at left tackle.
Denver Broncos: Linebacker Play
Courtesy of Chat Sports: The loss of Trevathan for the first month will hurt Denver early on.
Von Miller is obviously the star of this group, but there isn’t a whole heck of a lot behind him. Surprising youngster Danny Trevathan suffered a fractured left tibia in practice earlier this month and isn’t expected back until early October (via The Denver Post). With Trevathan out, Brandon Marshall and Jamar Chaney are expected to compete for the starting weak-side linebacker spot to begin the season.
In addition to this, Nate Irving is expected to take on the starting middle linebacker job after starting just four games in his first three NFL seasons. While reports from camp have been positive, we have no idea how he will respond in a starting role during the regular year. As to where the Broncos have done a tremendous job adding talent on defense, they could have some major issues at linebacker, at least early in the season.
San Francisco 49ers: Replacing NaVorro Bowman
Courtesy of ESPN: Bowman is one of the best overall players in the NFL.
The All-Pro linebacker is expected to miss the first half of the season after completely shredding his knee in the NFC Championship game this past January. Understanding full well the severity of said injury, San Francisco selected former Wisconsin All-American Chris Borland in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft.
The smallish linebacker, who won’t awe people with his physical skillset, has been given a strong opportunity to earn the starting gig in the 49ers first two preseason games. He has played in a total of 86 snaps with mixed results this preseason. Competing with Borland for the starting job will be veteran Michael Wilhoite, who filled in for Patrick Willis at times last season. He’s currently the odds-on favorite to win the job. With that said, neither of these options are anywhere near the player Bowman has been in San Francisco over the past three seasons. With a tough early-season schedule, this could hurt the 49ers big time early on.
New England Patriots: Receiving Options
Courtesy of the Boston Herald: Brady needs more consistency from Thompkins, among others.
Gone are the days of Randy Moss and Wes Welker dominating opposing secondaries. Instead, the Patriots are going to have to rely on a bunch of unproven youngsters to get the job done. Veteran Danny Amendola simply cannot stay on the field on a consistent basis, while Julian Edelman (a poor man’s Wes Welker), is nothing more than a solid possession guy at this point. The likes of Kenbrell Thompkins, Aaron Dobson and even Brandon LaFell will have to step up in order for the Patriots to be able to spread defenses out wide.
You also have to factor into account Rob Gronkowski’s injury history and the fact that he still hasn’t suited up for a preseason game through three weeks. While New England expects him to be ready Week 1, we simply have no idea whether the ultra-talented tight end will be able to stay healthy over the course of an entire season. Without outside receiving options and facing the possibility of Gronkowski going down, the Patriots passing game could potentially end up below-average in 2014.
Green Bay Packers: Offensive Line
Courtesy of JSOnline: David Bakhtiari needs to become an above-average left tackle in 2014.
The simple fact that Derek Sherrod stands a good chance of making the Packers roster as a swing tackle/guard should tell us all we need to know about this unit. Green Bay’s inability to protect Aaron Rodgers cost them a chance at a Super Bowl last season. And this could very well be the case in 2014. David Bakhtiari was decent as a rookie last season, but it remains to be seen whether he can hold up as a left tackle over the course of an entire season. The former fourth-round pick from Colorado was below-average in pass protection and horrendous in run blocking last year. He needs to improve in both aspects of the game this year.
Another second-year player, JC Tretter has played extremely well this preseason and seems to be an upgrade over Evan Dietrich-Smith at center. In addition to that, Josh Sitton is a decent starting left guard in the NFL. The real question marks here are the aforementioned Bakhtiari at left tackle and the health of Bryan Bulaga at right tackle.
Philadelphia Eagles: Pass Defense
Courtesy of Zimbio: Philadelphia’s secondary is among the worst of all contending teams.
Outside of Brandon Boykin, who is one of the top-10 cornerbacks in the NFL, Philadelphia’s secondary is a hot mess. With Boykin still playing in the slot, it appears that Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams will once again start on the outside. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the two combined for a -4.2 grade in pass coverage last season. That’s going to be a major issue going up against the likes of Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson and Victor Cruz in the NFC East.
But in really it is the safety play that should worry fans in Philadelphia. The Eagles did sign former New Orleans Saints first-round pick Malcolm Jenkins to take over the starting free safety job, but he was among the worst cover safeties in the entire NFL last season. At strong safety, the Eagles are going to have to rely on under-performing former second-round pick Nate Allen, who has been a complete disaster since joining the team back in 2010. If Allen should falter, youngster Earl Wolff may end up becoming a better option. As it is, the Eagles secondary is among the 10 worst in the entire NFL at this point.
Indianapolis Colts: Balance on Offense
Courtesy of USA Today: Richardson needs to step up in Indianapolis.
As we have indicated multiple times in the past, Indianapolis simply doesn’t have the balance on offense to succeed in the playoffs. Andrew Luck accounted for three quarters of its total yardage and touchdowns a season ago, which simply isn’t sustainable moving forward. General manager Ryan Grigson understood the need to find a running back for Luck, but he struck out big time in the Trent Richardson deal last September. Reports out of Indianapolis now indicate that Richardson hasn’t progressed a great deal this summer after a horrendous first year with the team.
If Richardson isn’t the answer, the Colts will have to turn to injury-plagued veteran Ahmad Bradshaw to provide that balance. When on the field, Bradshaw can be a solid option in the running game. The issue with this is that he’s missed 19 games over the past three years. Third-year running back Vick Ballard, who would have likely had an important role in the Colts offense, is out for the season after suffering a knee injury early in training camp. In any event, someone needs to step up for Luck and Co. If not, the Colts will be in trouble come playoff time.
Photo: USA Today