Biggest potential Achilles' heel for each NFL team

The Cardinals offense has been completely unproductive this season. While they've started to address that issue by firing offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, the personnel still has its issues, particularly on the offensive line. Arizona quarterbacks have been sacked more than eight percent of the time (ninth worst), and running game is averaging a league-worst 3.4 yards per carry despite the presence of former Pro Bowl running back David Johnson. The jury is still out on rookie quarterback Josh Rosen, but it all starts up front for this offense.

Atlanta lost Keanu Neal and Deion Jones at the start of the season, two injuries they've struggled to overcome. The play of the defensive line and linebackers, in particular, have been a major issue that has to be addressed after this season. The Falcons defense has allowed 4.8 yards per rush and has the fifth worst sack rate. Former star pass rusher Vic Beasley has been in a downward spiral over the last two seasons after recording 15.5 sacks in 2016, and the team has also clearly missed Dontari Poe, who left in free agency.

Alex Collins has scored six times on the ground, but the running back is also averaging just 3.7 yards per carry. That doesn't get it done for an offense that is far from elite at quarterback. The Ravens have just 3.6 yards per carry overall, ranking second worst in the league.

It's been a revolving door at quarterback for the Bills this season. Nathan Peterman somehow won the job but was removed in Week 1 after a truly embarrassing performance. As a result, raw rookie Josh Allen was thrust into the lineup sooner than the Bills hoped, but he suffered an elbow injury that forced him to the sideline. Veteran backup Derek Anderson got some work before suffering a concussion and giving way to Peterman again. The Bills rank last in points and have a pitiful 4.7 yards per pass through seven games. Allen will be back, but it will be a while before Buffalo knows if he's the answer.

Carolina's defense is having another solid year, ranking 12th with 22.5 points allowed per game. One of their biggest issues so far has been getting to the quarterback, with 21 sacks and a 6.6 percent sack rate, ranking only 19th in the league. Mario Addison is the only player on the team with more than two sacks, and Julius Peppers has been particularly disappointing. In the NFC South, a division known for its quarterbacks, the Panthers need more production.

The Bears lead the NFC North through nine weeks, a feat that they should be proud of. The offense has made real progress under new head coach Matt Nagy, but now there are major questions up front after Kyle Long suffered yet another season-ending injury. The play of the offensive line was already just in the middle of the pack, allowing sacks on 6.1 percent of dropbacks and ranking 12th in yards per rush.

The Bengals had a lot of turnover in their secondary during the offseason, and it's really shown this season. The team has allowed the third most points per game (29.6) because teams are passing on them at will. They've allowed a league-worst 319.4 passing yards per game, and have also had a few injuries in the secondary. With the draft capital the team has used in the secondary with three former first-round picks and 2018 second-round pick Jessie Bates manning the third level, their performance needs to be better.

Only so much can be expected of a team that went 1-31 over the last two seasons, but the 2-5-1 start clearly wasn't good enough. Predictably, the team fired Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley, and will now be looking at a new head coach this offseason. That's a major setback for a young squad, particularly one that is employing a rookie quarterback in Baker Mayfield. Given the results, it was obviously a mistake for the team to not address head coach before this season.

Dak Prescott had a tremendous rookie season in 2016, but that's in the past. The Cowboys offensive line is just fraction as good as it was two years ago, and Prescott needs to adjust. Instead, Dallas has allowed the highest sack percentage in the league with Prescott holding the ball too long, and the team has just 6.3 yards per pass attempt. Some of the struggles are on his supporting cast, particularly the lack of receivers until the team acquired Amari Cooper, but Prescott simply needs to play better. For the first time since his emergence, some fans are wondering if Dak is the right guy to lead the team.

Denver hasn't been able to find stability at quarterback since Peyton Manning retired. First-round pick Paxton Lynch was a massive bust, and Trevor Siemian was overmatched as the starter. The team thought they found a solution with Case Keenum this year, but he's thrown 11 picks in nine games, and the team has averaged only 6.8 yards per rush. The running game looks great with breakout years from rookies Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman, but the Broncos need to figure out quarterback to compete again in the AFC West.

Matt Patricia is a former defensive coordinator, but he hasn't helped the defense in his first season as head coach. While the team is tops in the league in sack percentage, they've allowed 26.2 points per game and a ton of yards per play. The 7.7 yards per pass allowed clearly falls on the secondary, which has really struggled beyond Darius Slay.

Week 9 was an absolute bloodbath for the Packers defense with several significant injuries. It was especially frustrating considering that the unit has made progress lately under new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. The team lost Kevin King and Kentrell Brice, and were already thin after trading HaHa Clinton-Dix.

Houston has tried to fix their offensive line issues over the last few seasons, to no avail. This year they've allowed the sixth worst sack percentage, and Texans running backs are averaging sub-4.0 yards per carry. Deshaun Watson has taken some vicious shots in the first half of the season, and it's almost a wonder that he's lasted on the field to this point.

There's reason to be excited in Indy again, particularly on offense. Andrew Luck is finally regaining his form, and the return of Marlon Mack from injury has sparked the offense. Even the defense is looking better, as rookie linebacker Darius Leonard is arguably Defensive Rookie of the Year in the first half of the year. The pass rush has still struggled, however, with 21 total sacks and a middle-of-the-pack 6.8 percent sack rate. It's progress, but this team is clearly missing a premier pass rusher like they had during the Tony Dungy years.

Blake Bortles earned a contract extension after his excellent play during last year's playoffs, but the Jaguars also made it a deal they could get out of after one year. With five losses in their last six games, Bortles has really regressed this year as the team asks more of him due to injuries to Marqise Lee and Leonard Fournette. Bortles has nearly as many interceptions (eight) as touchdowns (10), which isn't a good sign for a conservatively built offensive scheme.

The Chiefs are off to a spectacular 8-1 start, with the top offense in the league led by first-year starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes. However, the defense has broken its fair share, giving up massive yardage. The run defense has been especially bad, even after signing Anthony Hitchens to a huge contract to replace Derrick Johnson in the offseason. The Chiefs have allowed a league-worst 5.2 yards per rush, and the combo of Hitchens and Reggie Ragland have been unable to fix a run defense that was also poor last year.

It boggles the mind how the Chargers have special teams issues every year and still can't fix them. LA released kicker Caleb Sturgis after struggling in Week 9, and they rank dead last in net punt average with only 37.3 net yards per punt.

The linebacker spot looked like the Rams weakest link on paper entering the year, and that's played out during the regular season. The defense has allowed a poor 4.7 yards per rush and was beat up by the Saints running backs in Week 9. Beyond Mark Barron, the linebackers have been a serious problem in LA that could cost them in the playoffs.

The quarterback play in Miami has been sub-par between Ryan Tannehill and backup Brock Osweiler. The combo has averaged only 212.7 yards per pass, and the Dolphins are scoring just over 20 points per game. Tannehill could return from a shoulder injury soon and has to show improvement to prevent the team from looking for a replacement next offseason.

Dalvin Cook really flashed in his rookie season before suffering a knee injury, and he's had more injuries this year. Standing in for him, Latavius Murray has averaged 4.5 yards per rush but has had only one huge performance -- a 155-yard game vs. Arizona. Cook shows potential, but the team can ill-afford to have him keep getting hurt. It's becoming a theme after he also fought through injuries in his final year at Florida State.

Last year running back was New England's deepest position, but injuries have plagued them at the spot this year. First Rex Burkhead was lost for the year, and then Sony Michel's knee issues flared up. The team has compensated by using kick returner and wideout Cordarrelle Patterson in the backfield, and he's done an admirable job. However, he hardly seems like a long-term solution. James White continues to do a great job in the receiving back role, but the team needs more consistency in the running game, averaging only 4.1 yards per carry.

The Saints defense took a huge step forward last year but have regressed this year. They knee the pass rush was an issue they needed to address in the offseason and did so by trading up for first-round pick Marcus Davenport, but he's currently sidelined. The team is getting very little pass rush, with the sixth worst sack rate in the league, and also averaging 8.5 yards per pass (second worst) with several players struggling in the secondary.

The finger has been pointed at Eli Manning for the Giants offensive struggles this season, and he's certainly part of the problem. However, the issues go much deeper. The offensive line play has been horrendous again this year with free agent signing Note Solder struggling at left tackle and several moving parts on the right side of the line. Manning has been sacked on nearly nine percent of dropbacks, an unacceptable rate for a team that is routinely playing from behind.

The media hype would have led us to believe that Sam Darnold was the second coming of Joe Namath early in the year, but the results have told a different story. The Jets rank dead last in completion percentage and have averaged just 6.2 yards per pass. Darnold has a league-worst 14 interceptions in nine games and has completed less than 50 percent of his passes in four games. Perhaps the team should have started Josh McCown again this year and worked Darnold into the lineup more slowly.

Oakland's terrible pass rush is one of many issues for the 1-7 squad. After trading Khalil Mack in the preseason, the Raiders have a pitiful 2.9 percent sack rate and have allowed 8.9 yards per pass, both the worst marks in the league. The Raiders have built up draft capital and have three first-round picks next year, including possibly the top pick in the draft with the way they've played so far. They can't afford to miss on those picks in a very deep class for pass rushers.

Last year the Eagles acquired Jay Ajayi in a trade, but a knee injury ended his season early this year. Since then, the team has gone through a merry-go-round of backs led by Wendell Smallwood and are averaging just 4.1 yards per rush. With a quality offensive line, the team should be doing much better, and the lack of a running game has really hurt the offense overall.

The Steelers have made due at running back despite the absence of Le'Veon Bell. Where they haven't been up to par is the secondary. Cornerback Artie Burns has been heavily criticized for his poor play, and rookie first-round pick Terrell Edmunds is still figuring things out in nickel packages. The secondary has made progress in recent weeks, but it's still an area that could cost them in the playoffs vs. offensive juggernauts like the Chiefs and Patriots.

The 49ers turned to their third starting quarterback of the year in Week 9 due to injuries to Jimmy Garoppolo and C.J. Beathard. Nick Mullens was terrific, albeit against a struggling Raiders defense. The bigger issue here could be long term. The 49ers gave Garoppolo a mammoth extension, but he's out for the year with a torn ACL and wasn't performing great before the injury, completing less than 60 percent of his passes and throwing three picks in three games.  While he went 5-0 as a starter late last season, Garoppolo as struggled with interceptions then.

It should come as no surprise that the Seahawks defense has struggled in some areas after losing so many key players in the offseason. Linebacker was a major issue at the start of the year due to injuries, and the front four have really had trouble against the run, allowing 4.8 yards per carry. Seattle sees some promise with their young players, but they've been getting bludgeoned up front at times.

The Bucs have a lot of problems, like you'd expect from a 3-5 squad. Jameis Winston's struggles have been the loudest, but the issues are now bigger on of the defensive side of the ball. Injuries to the secondary have been a big problem, losing Chris Conte and Vernon Hargreaves, but the back of the defense was a problem even before those injuries. After addressing the pass rush last offseason, the Bucs will need to turn to the secondary after this year, which is allowing a 73.9 percent completion rate and 8.4 yards per pass.

The Titans offensive line has done a complete 180 this year. They were fast becoming one of the better lines in the league before 2018, but have allowed the second worst sack rate this year while averaging only 3.9 yards per carry on the ground. Part of the struggles are on Marcus Mariota for holding the ball too long, but the line's regression this year is undeniable.

The offensive line situation for Washington is dire heading into Week 10. The team lost both starting guards last week and have already been without Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams. It's a recipe for disaster given the team's lack of big-play offensive talent. Alex Smith doesn't exactly excite fans, but his conservative play is a blessing given the team's current issues up front.