One potential fatal flaw for every team in 2025 NFL playoffs

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Perfection is a myth that blinds from the truth that flawlessness doesn’t exist in any facet of reality. Perfection is a drummed-up stereotype to pied-piper the planet into striving for unrealistic ideals. Better to embrace imperfection in its rudimentary form than go mad chasing an unattainable idealism.

The 2025 NFL season shines as a beacon of imperfection. The most wide-open campaign in memory offers no shoo-in, no obvious candidate to romp to a Lombardi party. One week, a team seems poised to swipe the throne, the next, it has tumbled out of the running for a home playoff game.

The NFL is rigged to curtail perfection. Its rugged, austere reality drags down even the best laid plans. Through injuries or an unlucky bounce of an oblong pigskin, hopes can be dashed in the whisper of a moment.

In the face of such gloom, however, lies opportunity. Opportunity for a seemingly rubbish bunch to scrap their way to the mountain top. Opportunity to overcome defects, push shortcomings aside and win the moment. An imperfect team will stand on a stage in Santa Clara in February, basking in overcoming not only their opponents but also their own flaws.

From the No. 1 seeds to the final qualifiers, every team in this year’s playoff race enters with a potential fatal flaw that could keep it from advancing in the tournament.

The entire Broncos offense has been an inconsistent jumble of fits and starts. It’s like a jerky roller coaster that you’re never sure will make it to that first peak. It’s gotten to the point where home fans were booing in Week 18 when Denver’s offense couldn’t bury Chargers backups. When        Bo Nix        gets rolling, the second-year quarterback can make things happen, as evidenced by furious comebacks this season. However, against playoff-caliber opponents, that’s not a recipe to stay in the tourney long. Drops and penalties have been an issue for the Broncos offense — Nix had 313 yards lost to drops this season, fifth-most in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats. The bigger concern to me is the drop-off in the running game following        J.K. Dobbins        ‘ injury. The veteran running back went down in Week 10 with a ligament tear in his foot. He still leads the Broncos in rushing by 232 yards (772 to 540 for        RJ Harvey        ). Sans Dobbins, Denver’s run game has screeched to a halt. In the first 10 weeks, Broncos running backs generated a -0.07 EPA per carry, 14th in the NFL, and 0.9 rush yards over expected per carry, tied for fourth-best. Since Week 10, those figures have plummeted to -0.14 EPA/C, tied for 25th, and -0.7 RYOE/C, 31st. Harvey has splashed some big plays and been stellar in the red zone, but Denver needs more down to down to keep Nix out of long-distance situations for the Broncos to thrive against playoff defenses.

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