What could go wrong? Lions defense among the 6 most-flawed units in playoffs

Ben Arthur

NFL Reporter

With the 2024 regular season wrapped up, 14 NFL teams remain in contention for the Super Bowl.

Only one team will emerge unscathed, of course. The other 13 will most likely fall victim to their flaws.

FOX Sports has identified the most “questionable” units (offense, defense, special teams) of all of this year’s playoff teams, which could hold their respective teams back from a deep playoff run.

Here’s our top six:

Houston Texans offense

Offense is the reason why most expect Houston to be one-and-done in the playoffs.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud has struggled — a step back from his historic rookie season — but the surrounding circumstances have been unfavorable, too. The offensive line has been a liability in both the run and pass game. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s game management and playcalling have drawn scrutiny, raising questions about his future in Houston. On top of that, the Texans don’t have two of their top three receivers, with both Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell out for the season with torn ACLs.

The team ranked below average in most offensive metrics during the regular season — scoring (19th), total offense (22nd), total touchdowns (35), EPA per play (20th) and pressure rate allowed (28th), among them.

Pittsburgh Steelers offense

Quarterback Russell Wilson and Pittsburgh’s offense went into a downward spiral over the last month of the season, and it’s hard to see how that suddenly changes for the playoffs. The Steelers scored fewer than 20 points in each of their four straight losses to end the regular season, a span in which they had six turnovers. Wilson’s passer rating fell in each of those games too.

Outside of receiver George Pickens, the Steelers don’t have a true threat on the outside (their pass game struggled when Pickens was sidelined with a hamstring injury for three games in the regular season). Pittsburgh is 11th in rushing offense (127.4 rushing yards per game), but they’re not very efficient on the ground, tying for 20th in rushing yards per attempt and 25th in rushing EPA per play, per Next Gen Stats.

Detroit Lions defense

Injuries decimated Detroit’s defense during the regular season, hurting a team that was a Super Bowl favorite entering the season. Superstar edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, standout defensive tackle Alim McNeill and cornerback Carlton Davis are among the players who were ruled out for the regular season (though Hutchinson, who broke the fibula and tibia in his left leg in Week 6, has left the door ajar for a possible Super Bowl return, should Detroit get there).

While defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has done an impressive job with who he has available — the Lions held the Vikings to nine points in Week 18, helping Detroit secure the NFC North title and a first-round bye — the personnel deficiencies could be too much to overcome in the playoffs.

The Lions were forced to blitz a lot late in the year to generate pressure — their 37.1% blitz rate for the season overall was second in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats. Their pass defense suffered as a result. Detroit ranked 30th in total pass defense (244.0 passing yards allowed per game) in 2024.

Washington Commanders defense

Even with a defensive-minded coach in Dan Quinn at the helm, the Commanders were average to below average in most defensive metrics during the regular season. That includes points allowed (18th), third down (15th), red zone (22nd), EPA allowed per play (tied-17th) and pressure rate (17th).

Washington’s run defense has been particularly inconsistent. That can become especially problematic in the playoffs, where stopping the run is a premium. The Commanders allowed 162.3 rushing yards per game in the last three weeks of the regular season.

Buffalo Bills special teams

The Bills were one of just six teams in the NFL to allow a kickoff return touchdown in the regular season. They allowed 30.8 yards per kick return, fifth-worst in the league.

Buffalo also tied for 22nd in yards allowed per punt (48.0). For the season, the team ranked 28th in special teams DVOA, which compares play to league average, taking into account factors like situation and opponent quality, according to FTN Data.

Minnesota Vikings special teams

Minnesota ranked 20th in yards allowed per kickoff return (28.5) and 25th in yards allowed per punt (48.4) in 2024. And like the Bills, they had one of the NFL’s least effective special teams units overall, sitting at 27th in DVOA, per FTN.

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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