NFL Power Rankings: Top 5 Defenses That Can't Stop a Nosebleed

These are the worst defenses in the league for the 2011 season. These teams have a lot of problems on the defensive side of the ball, and I don't see them changing anytime soon.

These five teams all rank near the bottom of every defensive stat, and with the exception of one team, all are below .500.

The old cliche defense wins championships always seem to hold true, especially in the NFL.

It doesn't matter how good your offense is when your defense can't stop anyone and get off the field. It puts too much pressure on the offense and rarely can an offense lead a team all the way to a Super Bowl victory.

This group of five has a lot of work to do.

Four of the five teams have losing records and the combined win/loss of the five for the season is 13-28.

The main reason for all five of these teams if/when they miss the playoffs is all due to the defense.

New England Patriots

It's rare you see the Patriots on a top five list that's bad, but let's face it this defense is horrid.

The Patriots are ranked dead last in overall defense in the league.

The Patriots are also the worst ranked team in the league against the pass in giving up 314 pass yards per game.

The other stat they rank last in is yards per game. The Patriots give up a dismal 416.2 yards per game.

They do rank in the top ten against the run in giving up just over 100 yards per game, but that's because teams don't run much on them when they can pass at will.

The secondary is the main cause for the bad defense. Week in and week out the secondary can't stop anyone.

If the Patriots want to have any hope at a Super Bowl this season they better make sure the defense stops some teams. I honestly don't see that happening this late in the year.

Indianapolis Colts

This defense is one of the worst to ever step on the field in Indy.

After giving up a franchise record 62 points a few weeks ago against the New Orleans Saints, the Colts jumped up to the worst team in the league in points scored against. The Colts give up 31.4 points per game.

That's horrible since starting quarterback Peyton Manning isn't behind center to try and outscore the other team. The Colts only average 14.2 points per game on offense so they come in at a disadvantage before the game even starts.

The Patriots secondary may be bad, but the Colts I feel is much worse. Week in and week out all I see is wide open targets for the other team. Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey may be the worst corners in the league. They give over 10-yard cushions to the receiver on every play.

By having such weak coverage, teams average 260 yards per game in the air, which ranks 24th in the league.

The defense has done a better job in stopping the run in some games, but look awful in others. They currently rank 31st in run defense.

The yards per game ranks 31st, which is only better than the Patriots, in giving up 406.1 per game.

The Colts defense needs a ton of work, and I don't see them fixing it until the coaches and some players are let go.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams have been trying to rebuild this defense the last few years, but it's not working.

The Rams rank 23rd in team defense in the league.

They give up 26.4 points per game which ranks 29th and give up 375.9 yards per game, which ranks 23rd as well. Don't read to much into those stats because they were worse coming into last weeks game against the Cardinals. The Cards were horrible so the improvement wasn't due to the Rams success.

The worst part of their defense is stopping the run. The Rams give up 153.6 yards per game, which ranks last in the league. Teams know each week they win against the Rams by setting up their run game.

Like the previous two teams, the Colts and Patriots, by being bad in either the pass or rush category the other is better due to teams trying to hammer away at the teams weakness.

The Rams pass defense is ranked higher due to the rush defense being so bad. They rank 12th in the league and give up 222.2 pass yards per game.

The Rams like the Colts have been without their franchise quarterback, and haven't mustered much on offense.

Due to that fact, the Rams are one of the worst teams in the league.

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos have struggled to stop teams all season.

Like two of the previous three teams, they've had problems at quarterback and the offense.

The Broncos rank 31st in points against which is only better than the Colts. They give up 28 points per game.

The Broncos don't struggle against both the passing attack or the ground game. The defensive unit gives up 258 pass yards per game while giving up 115.5 yards per game on the ground. That equates out to 373.5 yards per game which ranks 22nd in the league.

Unlike the previous three the Broncos have some pieces that can turn this defense around. A few more drafts, and the Broncos should have this side of the ball fixed.

Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders have found a way to make this list in playing horribly bad on the defensive side of the ball in the last two games. They lost to the bottom feeders of the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos at home the last two games.

That has actually dropped Oakland down with those two in a horrible division. They can thank their defense for this.

The Broncos have struggled to score all year and the Raiders gave up 38 points to them yesterday.

The Raiders defense gives up 27 points per game, ranking them 30th in the league. The 386.5 total yards given up a game ranks 27th.

Their biggest struggle though is stopping the run. They give up 139.6 yards per game on the ground and rank 29th in the league.

The pass defense isn't much better though. Teams average 246.9 yards per game in the air on this defense. That ranks 20th in the league.

Luckily for this Raiders team, they are in a horrible division and if the defense can stop some teams they have a legit shot at winning the AFC West and making the playoffs. If not they will be an utter disappointment.