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Each wild-card loser's top offseason priority

Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The first round of the 2017 NFL playoffs is in the books.

While the victors each look onward, four more teams - the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Carolina Panthers - saw their 2017 campaigns end this weekend.

With that in mind, it's time to assess the No. 1 task on each losing team's offseason to-do list.

Chiefs - Find a legitimate No. 1 WR

The Chiefs drafted Tyreek Hill to be a solid kick returner, and everything else was supposed to be a bonus. But now two seasons into his career, Hill's at the top of Kansas City's wide receiver depth chart and is asked to provide a lot.

The second-year pro started off Saturday's matchup against Tennessee by dropping his first two targets. It was further evidence that the Chiefs need to upgrade their passing attack with rookie Patrick Mahomes reportedly expected to become the starting quarterback next season.

Related: Alex Smith isn't done yet, but his time in Kansas City is

Kansas City ran a short-pass offense for much of Alex Smith's tenure, but Mahomes' arm strength and gunslinger mentality will require more downfield threats than what the roster currently has to offer.

Rams - Support Gurley with another star

The Rams seemingly added a big-time receiving threat in Sammy Watkins last offseason, but things didn't quite pan out.

Watkins - who's set to be a free agent in March - finished fourth on the team in both catches and receiving yards despite missing only one game. The Rams are unlikely to offer him a lucrative long-term contract, so there's a good chance the former first-round pick will test free agency.

Meanwhile, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp proved to be productive pieces of the Rams' offense, largely because defenses usually had their eyes on Todd Gurley - and rightfully so. The third-year running back was an MVP candidate this season, but doing it all again will be a tough task, especially with defenses keying on him even more.

If it isn't Watkins, the Rams need to find someone else to support Gurley - by giving him more space to operate, and by taking advantage of their own opportunities while defenses are preoccupied with the talented runner. Pending free agents Terrelle Pryor, Marqise Lee, Allen Robinson, and Jarvis Landry could all be candidates for this role.

Bills - Make a clear decision on Taylor's future

Is Tyrod Taylor the Bills' quarterback or not? He was benched earlier this season while the team was in playoff position (in favor of a vastly underdeveloped rookie), and then led Buffalo to a wild-card spot, only to disappoint on Sunday in Jacksonville.

Taylor was far from the only passer to struggle against the Jaguars' stout defense this season, but a three-point output with two interceptions in the franchise's first playoff game since 1999 wasn't particularly inspiring.

The seventh-year pro is in a similar predicament to last year, as the Bills have until March 16 to keep him or ditch him before his $6-million roster bonus kicks in. For the Bills to properly build their franchise up or simply recruit free agents, all parties need to be clear about whether Taylor - or someone else - is the quarterback moving forward.

Panthers - De-age the pass rush

The top story this offseason surrounding the Panthers will undoubtedly be the sale of the franchise, but since that isn't being controlled by the front office, we're going to focus on improving the roster.

The Panthers' leading pass rushers in 2017 were 30-year-old Mario Addison and 37-year-old Julius Peppers, who both recorded 11 sacks. And the defense struggled to get pressure on Drew Brees throughout the loss Sunday, recording only one sack and regularly needing to rush more than four players - which barely helped.

In fact, Brees went 11-of-17 for 259 yards with two touchdowns and a 122.8 passer rating against the blitz on Sunday, according to Pro Football Focus.

Since 2010, the Panthers have selected only one edge-rushing player (Kony Ealy in 2014) in the first two rounds of the draft. Changing that trend needs to be a priority this offseason, and it wouldn't hurt to pursue 25-year-old Demarcus Lawrence or 24-year-old Aaron Lynch in free agency as well.

(Photos Courtesy: Getty Images)

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