NFL Power Rankings: Which playoff team has the best offense?
Playoff positions are nearly wrapped up, despite most teams having multiple games still to play. So, ahead of the playoffs, and using the NFL Network playoff standings, we have decided to power rank every playoff team’s offense.
The Broncos have probably the best defense in football which has carried them into a playoff position, however, their offense hasn’t had quite the same success. Per Fox Sports, they are 21st in yards per game and rank 23rd in EPA/Play, per SumerSports. Bo Nix has played well for a rookie QB with low expectations, but this isn’t a good unit.
We will acknowledge that many of the Texans’ struggles offensively have come due to injuries to important pass-catchers. Still, this hasn’t been the impressive unit we expected it to be ahead of the season. With Nico Collins back, there is a good chance Houston gets back on track before the playoffs start and could look much better than the 15th-best unit in the postseason.
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The Steelers, like the Broncos before, are a defense-first team whose offense is rarely good enough to win games single-handedly. Russell Wilson has played well since being named the starter, but there is a lack of elite talent at running back and among the receivers, making any consistent high-end production unlikely.
The Charger’s actually rank lower than the Steelers in EPA/Play, per SumerSports, but as we head into the playoffs, we trust Justin Herbert et al., more than Pittsburgh. Herbert doesn’t have gaudy stats on the season, but he consistently puts the ball where it needs to be and uses his legs well. The running game can also be impressive when it gets rolling.
The Vikings’ offense has incredibly high peaks, usually centered around Sam Darnold hitting Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison deep. So much of playoff football comes down to QB play, and as well as Darnold has played this year, we know he still has mistakes in him, which is why we’ve ranked them a little lower than perhaps you’d expect.
We know full well we are going to regret this when the Chiefs come alive in January and get to another Super Bowl, but right now, they are not an amazing offense. They’re not a bad one either, but when you get down to the top 14 teams in football, KC doesn’t look like an elite unit. Except for two things, Patrick Mahomes, and playoff-Travis Kelce, and that could make all the difference.
The Rams have been rocked with injuries all season, but now look healthy and ready to explode in the playoffs. They haven’t locked in their postseason berth yet, but we think they will off the back of Matt Stafford spamming throws to Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp and Kyren Williams being a nuisance in the run and pass games.
The Packers have scored 30+ points in four games in a row, which is exactly what we were hoping to see from them heading towards the playoffs. They possess an abundance of receiving talent, with Jordan Love willing to dish the ball to any of their pass-catchers on any given play. Josh Jacobs has been the icing on the cake for Green Bay this season.
The Bucs may possess the hottest offense in football after their absolute demolition of the Chargers last Sunday. Liam Cohen’s star is growing with each passing week as the young OC looks like a head coach in waiting. Baker Mayfield continues to impress in and out of structure, and Mike Evans is still Mike Evans. This is a scary team heading into January.
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There’s a good chance we have overrated the Commanders here based on early-season performances. In recent weeks, it has been more up-and-down, which isn’t a surprise for a first-year QB and a new coaching team. If everything goes well in the playoffs, this offense has been difficult to stop, hence why we have them so high.
The Eagles only having the fourth-best offense in the playoffs is a sign of how good the offenses above them are, more than an indictment on Philly themselves. Jalen Hurts put in perhaps his best performance of the season against Pittsburgh last Sunday, if we see more of that, they will be nearly impossible to stop. The combo of Saquon and this offensive line has been exactly what we expected, if not better.
Staggeringly, we don’t even have the Lions in our top two spots despite their offensive dominance all season long. Our reasoning is fairly simple: We don’t think Jared Goff is as good as the QBs on the teams above the Lions. The loss of David Montgomery will hurt Detroit, as he has been playing at a very high level.
Lamar Jackson won’t win the MVP award this season despite having a better year than in 2023, and he doesn’t deserve to either, despite being elite all season long. Derrick Henry in January sounds like a horrible proposition for opposing defenses to face, and there are numerous wide receivers at Baltimore’s disposal who can break a game open.
We’re not sure how anyone can watch Josh Allen play over the past couple of weeks and not think this is the best offense in football. Allen has been playing like a man-possessed, which has opened things up for James Cook in the running game to the point where we have no idea how you stop Buffalo at the moment. Could this be their year?
As ever, we have tried to use a mixture of season-long analysis, recent performances, and just some intuition on these power rankings, but we're sure not everyone agrees! If you don't, let us know your rankings in the comments!
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