Noob Question - Leopard 2 vs Abrams Survivability

I'm new here, so sorry if this has been asked before, but I cannot find a good answer.

I have not gotten to top tier yet, I have the US and German tech trees both to around 7.0 - 8.0 BR. I have really enjoyed both nations. I would like to choose one of them to focus on getting to top tier with.

Why is the Lepord 2A7 (and A5/A6 too?) considered to have so much better Armor/Survivability compared to the Abrams tanks?

I have heard about the Abrams turet ring issues and drivers port weakspot, but isn't the whole upper front plate on the Lepord 2 a giant weakspot?

The Abrams turret ring may be bad, but surely that is not as bad as the whole upper front plate being a weakspot right? Am I missing something here?

Any explanation to help me understand this would be greatly appreciated!