NFL Playoffs 2012: Ranking Every Playoff Defense

The old adage of "defense wins championships" may be fading out of relevance, but the teams with the best defenses in this year's tournament have as good a chance to hoist the Lombardi trophy as the offensive juggernauts. 

Here is a power ranking of every playoff team's defense (Cincinnati and Detroit are excluded, as they were eliminated). 

New England Patriots

Not only are the Pats one of the worst defenses in the playoffs, there are probably 31 other defenses I would take over them. 

Their fortunes have only turned for the worse after losing Andre Carter a few weeks back, but they are also getting guys like Patrick Chung back in the mix. This defense gives up a ton of yards to bad teams, but they at least tend to tighten up in the red zone and make timely turnovers. 

However, they need better play from guys like Vince Wilfork if they have a chance of surviving an "off" day by their offense. 

Green Bay Packers

What has gone under the radar in what has been a spectacular season for the Packer offense is how much this defense has diminished. What was one of the best units of 2010 is only slightly better than the Patriots. 

They are not getting the same production from guys like B.J. Raji and Charlie Peprah. Charles Woodson has given up a ton of big plays. Most of all, they clearly miss Cullen Jenkins. 

Should the Packers and Patriots meet in the playoffs, it will almost certainly be the highest-scoring Super Bowl in history. 

New Orleans Saints

They have improved as of late, but they are still not a unit you can lean on to eek out a win. They still give up a lot of big plays, and good running teams can have their way with them on the ground. 

However, they usually play well enough to win and create timely turnovers, as evidenced in Saturday's Wild Card Game against the Lions. 

Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta has been one of the better defenses in the league all year. However, when they go against a top offense like the Saints, they are usually not up to the task. 

This unit has a lot of solid players like Babineaux, Lofton, Grimes and DeCoud, but it only has one dominant player: John Abraham. This unit relies heavily on Abraham, who is a bit of a streaky player himself, to create a pass rush. The success of this unit goes with the play of Abraham. 

The Falcons will probably use Abraham in more snaps in playoff games, which may elevate this unit. 

New York Giants

This unit is not quite the unit from 2007 that carried their team to a Super Bowl win, but they are a much-improved group that was considered one of the worst in football just a month ago. 

We all know about the year Jason Pierre-Paul is having, but the real reason for the Giants' resurgence on defense is the revival of Justin Tuck. Tuck has been a shadow of his former dominant self all season because of nagging injuries, and he is finally getting healthy. Umenyiora is also returning back to the lineup, giving the Giants the best pass-rushing rotation of ends in football.

The key will be whether the secondary can improve with the help of a revitalized pass rush. 

Denver Broncos

The Broncos have relied on their defense all season long, which is a much-improved unit from 2010 with Miller and Dumervil in the lineup. 

It appears, however, that we have seen the best of the Broncos defense. 

Von Miller is having a tough time getting off blocks with his wrapped hand and is hitting a bit of a rookie wall. As a result, their mediocre secondary is getting exposed. 

With the ineptitude of their offense, this defense cannot afford to be anything but spectacular, which does not seem likely.

Baltimore Ravens

As good of a season Terrell Suggs has had, I feel like the rest of this unit has been a bit overrated and has under-performed. Ed Reed has given up a ton of big plays and is a shadow of his former self. Haloti Ngata has had better seasons, and Ray Lewis has not been the same since his injury. 

Most importantly, this unit has yet to face an elite offense all season. Which is obviously not their fault, but I am curious to see how they stack up against a team like the Patriots. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

This defense is having a bit of a "down" season for their ridiculously high standards, especially against the run, but they are still a top unit. 

The biggest reason I put them ahead of the Ravens is because they will be starting Lamarr Woodley and James Harrison at the same time for the first time since Week 4. They have also proven that they can slow down elite offenses when they beat the Patriots earlier in the season. 

Houston Texans

This unit is the biggest reason why the Texans find themselves in the divisional round. Their pass rush is severely underrated and had a good game against the Bengals despite a sup-par performance from Jonathan Joseph. 

The Texans are assumed to be counted out because of their quarterback situation, but never count out a team that features the best combination of running game and defense in all of football.

San Francisco 49ers

Not only are the 49ers the best playoff defense, they also have been the best defense in football all season long. 

This unit features the best front seven in football and the second-best defender in the game (behind Darrelle Revis) in Justin Smith. They are getting spectacular play from guys like Navarro Bowmann, Carlos Rogers and Ray McDonald. 

If there is a team that has a chance of knocking off the Packers or Saints, it's the 49ers, all because of their spectacular defense.