Offense always gets the most love and coverage in the NFL. We all know it. Just look at the way quarterbacks are protected and how games are called, putting defenders at a constant disadvantage.
But I’m here to say that defenses deserve more respect, especially in a season when sloppy offensive play has been prevalent. And as we’re inching closer to the playoffs, you know the old adage: Defense wins championships.
So, every week moving forward, I’ll rank all 32 NFL defenses, splitting them up into six tiers: Elite, Bet the Under, Competitive, Mediocre, Hanging by a Thread and … an opponent’s Get-Right Game.
Here’s my first defensive ranking:
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Los Angeles Rams
Seattle Seahawks
Green Bay Packers
The Broncos and Texans are neck and neck for the top spot. Denver gets the edge for now, as it gave up just seven points and 188 net yards in a win over Las Vegas — handling business against an inferior offense, which isn’t always a cakewalk in the NFL. Before allowing just 11 net yards in the fourth quarter of its Week 10 win over the Jaguars, Houston gave up 29 points in three quarters to Jacksonville’s inconsistent offense.
In Seattle, Mike Macdonald’s defense has allowed 20 or fewer points in eight of its nine games. And defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s unit in Green Bay seems to be getting better by the week. It’s coming off a game in which it gave up just 10 points to the defending Super Bowl-champion Eagles.
Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto is a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. He leads the NFL in QB pressures (51) and ranks third with 9.5 sacks despite limited pass rushes. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
New England Patriots
Baltimore Ravens
Kansas City Chiefs
Philadelphia Eagles
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
After a disastrous start to the season, Baltimore is back to playing the kind of defense we’ve grown accustomed to over the years. Getting healthier has helped, of course. The Ravens still struggle to get after the quarterback, but they’ve allowed fewer than 20 points in four straight games, the last three of which have been wins.
In Philadelphia, Vic Fangio’s defense finally has the pass-rush juice it lacked. Deadline acquisition Jaelan Phillips was dominant in his Eagles debut Monday night — two quarterback hits, six pressures, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery. Philly also has linebacker Nolan Smith back from a triceps injury and added edge rusher Brandon Graham, who came out of retirement.
Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Chargers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
Buffalo Bills
San Francisco 49ers
Minnesota Vikings
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Colts have the league’s ninth-best scoring defense and just added two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner in a blockbuster deadline deal. On the downside, they’ll be without star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who’s on injured reserve with a neck injury, for at least the next three games. The three-time Pro Bowler is Indianapolis’ defensive leader and arguably the team’s best player not named Jonathan Taylor.
The addition of Sauce Gardner (center) strengthens a Colts defense that could help the team make a deep postseason run. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
After having the worst defense in football last season, the Panthers retooled the unit in the offseason and now rank 12th in scoring defense. Carolina has allowed fewer than 17 points in three of its past four games — including just 13 to the Packers in Week 9.
The Bills, who sit 11th in points allowed, get a big knock for giving up 30 points to a bad Dolphins team on Sunday.
New Orleans Saints
Chicago Bears
Arizona Cardinals
Jacksonville Jaguars
When the Bears aren’t forcing turnovers — they lead the NFL with 20 takeaways — their defense struggles to get off the field. Chicago held the Giants to 20 points in Week 10, but gave up 72 combined in the two games prior to that.
The Jaguars had an inexcusable showing on Sunday, blowing a 19-point lead and allowing 26 points in the fourth quarter en route to a loss to the Davis Mills-led Texans. Jacksonville has one of the worst pass rushes in football with just 12 sacks on the year, tied for the fewest in the NFL.
Las Vegas Raiders
Miami Dolphins
New York Jets
New York Giants
Everything has gone wrong for the Dolphins this year, but they’re still fighting for Mike McDaniel. They kept Josh Allen and the Bills to a season-low 13 points on Sunday — a week after giving up four passing touchdowns to Lamar Jackson.
Despite trading star linebacker Jaelan Phillips at the deadline, the Dolphins showed some life by holding Josh Allen and the Bills to a season-low 13 points in a Week 10 upset. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Washington Commanders
Tennessee Titans
Dallas Cowboys
Cincinnati Bengals
The Commanders’ defense is regressing by the week. Washington has given up at least 38 points in three of its past four games, including 44 to the Lions in Week 10. So it’s not that surprising that head coach Dan Quinn, a former longtime defensive coordinator, is taking over playcalling duties.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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