Predicting the Meanest, Nastiest Defenses in the NFL for Next Season

As teams such as the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers have shown this season having a fearsome and formidable defense can go a long way towards propelling a team in the NFL deep into the postseason.

They say that "defense wins championships", so let's take a look ahead at the 2012 campaign, with a focus on what could be some of the best defenses in the National Football League next season.

Baltimore Ravens

No team in recent years has been more synonymous with defense than the Baltimore Ravens, who have ranked in the top three in the National Football League in total defense three of the past four seasons.

Stars such as linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed aren't getting any younger, but with other stalwarts such as defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and defensive end Terrell Suggs, the Ravens will remain one of the gold standards of the NFL defensively.

Houston Texans

Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips did a phenomenal job in his first season with the Houston Texans, taking a unit that ranked 30th in the NFL in 2010 and turning them into the league's second ranked defense in 2011.

Phillips' attacking 3-4 was one of the main causes of the Texans first ever AFC South championship, and with young stars like defensive end J.J. Watt and linebacker Brian Cushing, there's little reason to predict a drop-off next year.

Pittsburgh Steelers

For decades the Pittsburgh Steelers have been known as a defensive team, from Jack Ham and the Steel Curtain of the 1970s to linebacker James Harrison and the zone blitz of today.

The Steelers defense is getting a bit long in the tooth and some pieces will need to be added, but given the ruthless efficiency of the Pittsburgh front office in filling holes in recent years there's no reason to think that "Blitzburgh" won't be alive and well in 2012.

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are headed back to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1997, thanks in large part to their defense, which tied for the most takeaways in the NFL in 2011 and allowed the fewest points in the NFC.

Led by standout linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVarro Bowman and with a burgeoning superstar in sackmaster Aldon Smith, the 49ers just might be the best the National Football League will have to offer defensively in 2012.

New York Giants

The New York Giants boast one of the most fearsome defensive fronts in the National Football League, with defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck spearheading a defense that was third in the league in sacks in 2011.

The Giants were ravaged by injuries at linebacker and in the secondary this year, and if they can get healthy and add a piece or two in the draft and free agency the New York defense has the makings of a dominant unit next season.

Green Bay Packers

While the Green Bay Packers ranked dead last defensively in the National Football League in total defense in 2011, they fared much better in some even more important categories, leading the league in takeaways while allowing a very respectable 22.4 points per game given their prolific offense.

The Packers need to improve their pass rush, as they ranked a moribund 27th in the NFL in sacks this season, but assuming they do that Dom Capers zone blitz 3-4 could easily wreak havoc in the NFL once again in 2012.

Philadelphia Eagles

No team in the NFL was more disappointing in 2011 than the Philadelphia Eagles, including defensively, where although they finished eighth in total defense and second in sacks, they were inconsistent and prone to getting gashed up the middle.

Numerous reports have linked former St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo to the defensive coordinator position in Philly, and should they land the aggressive coach and upgrade at the linebacker position the Eagles may be poised to rejoin the NFL's elite defensive units.