2017 NFL playoffs contender kryptonite...

[purplefaithful]

Minnesota Vikings (99.9 percent)Playoff kryptonite: The kicking game
I'm truly sorry, Vikings fans. I don't want to dredge up old wounds by bringing up kickers like Gary Anderson and Blair Walsh, but with the Vikings executing in all facets of the game right now, their biggest concern is what happens on special teams. Minnesota was 19th in special teams DVOA heading into Week 13, but most of its success has come via solid punting work. Kicker Kai Forbath has been 2.6 points below expectation on field goals and extra points, which is 21st in the NFL, and just 54 percent of Forbath's kickoffs have resulted in touchbacks, which is 21st among regular kickers.
No team has the ability to control whether a team is likely to hit or miss field goals against it, so it's probably more realistic to worry about places where Forbath is likely to encounter wind or weather issues. I'd be nervous about the 30-year-old kicking on the road against the Eagles and Seahawks. The Rams, meanwhile, have been a league-best 8.8 points above average on kick returns, with Pharoh Cooper averaging 28.7 yards per attempt and producing one of the league's three kick return scores this season.


http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21690...p-14-teams

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Philadelphia Eagles (99.9 percent)Playoff kryptonite: Offensive tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai
This exercise is virtually futile for the Eagles, who are the most balanced team in football and don't appear to have an obvious weakness. They rank in the top eight in both passing and rushing offense and defense DVOA and are 10th on special teams. They're fourth in DVOA at defending short passes and long passes. They run efficiently and generate big plays. They rarely turn over the ball, and they force plenty of giveaways.
To be fair, Vaitai has looked better in this second season as a regular filling in for a missing star on the Philadelphia offensive line. Vaitai was posting up at right tackle for the suspended Lane Johnson in 2016; this season, he's lining up at left tackle for the injured Jason Peters.
On Sunday night, though, we saw what might happen when Vaitai goes up against upper-echelon pass-rushers. Seahawks end Frank Clark beat Vaitai for two sacks, and MVP candidate Carson Wentz spent much of his night running away from pressure on his blind side.
Plenty of teams will place their star pass-rusher on the left side of the field and go after what is generally a weaker pass-protector at right tackle, but Vaitai could encounter a few stars as the Eagles push toward the Super Bowl. Clark could come in for another appearance, but I'd be particularly concerned about someone else. Everson Griffen has been an absolute terror for the Vikings this season, and 11 of his 12 sacks have come as a right defensive end against an opposing left tackle. The Vikings also can rotate Danielle Hunter and Brian Robison into the lineup when Griffen takes a play off, which means no breaks for Vaitai. The Eagles will give him help, but against dominant pass-rushers like Griffen, help might not be enough.

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New Orleans Saints (97.6 percent)Playoff kryptonite: Downfield pass defense
The Saints have turned around their defense in remarkable ways this season, and the focus has rightly shined on their young secondary. Second-year corner Ken Crawley and rookies Marshon Lattimore and Marcus Williams have become mainstays in the starting lineup, while 2016 second-round pick Vonn Bell has filled in as a nickelback. The elder statesman of the unit is 27-year-old Kenny Vaccaro.
When things go well, the secondary looks and plays fast. The problem with a young secondary -- even one that has looked as good as the Saints' has this season -- is that lapses can lead to big plays downfield. Indeed, New Orleans has been victimized by downfield passing attacks. The Saints have the league's second-best DVOA against short passes but are 28th against deeper throws. On passes traveling 16 or more yards in the air, the New Orleans secondary is allowing a 42.7 percent completion percentage and a passer rating of 104.0, the latter of which is 23rd in the league.
Coordinator Dennis Allen would probably like to avoid seeing teams that routinely chuck it downfield in the postseason if possible. That includes the Eagles, with Carson Wentz & Co. averaging 9.9 air yards per throw this season, which is third-most in the league. Russell Wilson is averaging 9.1 air yards per pass for the Seahawks, which also could give the Saints fits. The Saints have allowed plenty of big plays against the run as well -- they have given up 10 runs of 25 yards or more, which is two more than any other team.

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Los Angeles Rams (95.8 percent)Playoff kryptonite: Fumbles
The Rams have done a lot of things right since hiring Sean McVay, but if there's one problem with their offense in 2017, it has been coughing up the football. Los Angeles has fumbled 19 times, tying it with the Browns and Colts for the sixth-most fumbles in the league. And while most teams atop the fumble charts are seeing an inexperienced or frazzled quarterback fumbling away the ball, the Rams have had problems with their skill-position talent holding onto the rock. There are 26 players in the league with three fumbles or more this season, and the Rams hold three of them with Todd Gurley (five), Tavon Austin (four) and Pharoh Cooper (three).
The Jaguars lead the league in forced fumbles with 22, but if the Rams get to a point at which they're playing Jacksonville in the playoffs, I doubt they'll be upset with the matchup. Closer to home, the Rams might be concerned with the Saintsand Seahawks, each of whom rank in the top 10 with 17 forced fumbles.

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