NFL Power Rankings: All 32 Defenses

There are a lot of people who will argue that the belief defenses win championships is archaic.  When you see people like Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady slinging the ball in Super Bowls, you can understand why people believe a good offense is now more important.

Well defenses may not win you a championship, but a bad one can almost guarantee you won't have the chance to ever play for one.  There is certainly no coincidence that many of the best teams in the NFL feature some of the best defenses in the league.

Of course, there are a few cases where teams that have a good defense are struggling and a team like the Packers are winning despite a defense that often looks like a leaky boat.

Before we take a look at this list, it should be noted that a statistic many analysts and networks such as ESPN pay a lot of attention to is yards given up.  In fact that's how ESPN often ranks defenses.  To me, while it's a state worth talking about, I believe it's more important to look at how many points a team gives up, how many turnovers they force and how often they pressure a quarterback. 

With that said, let's take a look at the NFL defensive power rankings.

32) Indianapolis Colts

For years, people have said the Colts defense is built around holding a lead.  That belief certainly seems true considering they give up a league-worst 29.8 points per game.  The only thing that can be said is they still occasionally get to the quarterback and are one of the better teams in recovering fumbles.

31) Minnesota Vikings

The good news is the Vikings are fourth in the league in sacks.  The problem is they're 31st in points allowed per game.  For a team that prides themselves on a good defense, this year has been an outright disaster.  No rookie quarterback will do well when their defense can't help them out through the tough times.

30) Oakland Raiders

They give up a lot of points, can't stop the run and don't get to the quarterback often.  Oakland is benefiting from a pretty bad division to stay afloat.  If they were in the AFC North for example, their record would likely be in the neighborhood of 4-8. 

29) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Could this be the biggest disappointment on this list?  For a team that everyone applauded on draft day for their defensive acquisitions, they have by far one of the worst D's in the NFL. 

They're third worst in points given up per game, can't get to the quarterback and don't force turnovers.  Come to think of it, what do they do right?

28) Buffalo Bills

The Bills are a team that gets a lot of turnovers, but whenever they don't get takeaways, they surrender points.  Buffalo isn't known as a team that forces a lot of punts. 

They're far and away the worst team in the league in getting sacks and they've had a tremendous knack to fold in the most important moments of a game. 

Yes, losing Fred Jackson ended the hopes of a playoff run.  But giving up over 100 points in a three-game stretch during the middle of the season was really the death blow for Buffalo. 

27) Carolina Panthers

On the one hand, it's encouraging that the defense is improving from the disastrous 2010 season the whole team experienced. 

They're marginally good at sacking the quarterback and creating turnovers, but you can't get past the fact they're the fourth worst defense in the league in terms of giving up points.  They've also given up nearly 4,400 yards of offense, which is over 360 per game.

26) Philadelphia Eagles

The numbers for this defense has been improving in recent weeks, but it doesn't excuse the fact that the D has been responsible for giving up five fourth quarter leads this year. 

They give up points, and like any team that struggles, gives up big plays at the most inopportune times.  They also have created the third fewest turnovers in the NFC and their giveaway/takeaway ratio is tied for worst in the league.  

Considering this defense wanted to be a top-flight unit, they deserve to be this low.

25) St. Louis Rams

The good news for the Rams is they get to the quarterback.  They lead the NFL with 43 sacks.  They also don't give up a lot of yards in the pass game.  The problem is the Rams forgot about the running game as they have the worst rush defense in the league. 

They also surrender a ton of points and don't create enough turnovers.  Like the entire team, the defense has underwhelmed this year. 

24) New York Giants

Considering how injury riddled they are on defense, you can make an excuse for how poor the team is playing on that side of the ball.  On the other hand, their defensive line is supposed to be one of the best in football and it simply isn't getting the job done with 33 sacks. 

For most teams that's a good number but with all the injuries to their secondary, the defensive front needs to be one of the two or three best. 

Like other teams on this list, they fail at the most important times, as witnessed when Aaron Rodgers marched down the field in less than a minute last Sunday.

23) San Diego Chargers

Another big disappointment.  The Chargers are one of the 10 worst teams in terms of giving up points, they can't stop the run and are only average at getting pressure on the quarterback. 

Frankly, the defense epitomizes the team.  They have flashes of brilliance but then seemingly disappear at other times. 

22) Detroit Lions

For how ferocious NFL analysts made the Lions' defensive front to be, there sure doesn't seem to be a lot of roar lately.  They only rank 11th in sacks, give up the ninth most points in the league and don't force fumbles. 

The defense, like the Lions, are moving on the right track, but they're still a few steps away from becoming the dominant defense many claimed it was earlier in the season.

21) New Orleans Saints

This seems to be the same script the Saints have followed for several years now.  Have an incredibly dominant offense to overcome a suspect defense.  The Saints aren't horrid at giving up points, but they don't pressure a lot of quarterbacks and don't force enough turnovers. 

That last problem might be what stops New Orleans from getting back to the Super Bowl.

20) Denver Broncos

As much as people talk about Tim Tebow bringing greatness to the Broncos, you really have to look at the defense too.  A group that was an absolute mess earlier in the season, they've become much more stingy as of late. 

Still, they have given up nearly 4,400 yards of offense and only have 16 turnovers, so they still can't get ranked too high on this list.  If any team here has the potential to move up though, the Broncos would be it considering they're tied for 5th in the league in sacks. 

19) New England Patriots

The good news if your a Patriots fan is the team is playing better defense lately.  The fact that they've played some of the worst teams in the league though certainly has helped. 

Their points-per-game average isn't that bad, but considering they're still far and away giving up the most pass yards in the NFL is quite alarming.  The one thing that might save them though, is aside from Ben Roethlisberger, there may not be another elite quarterback in the AFC playoffs this year. 

The problem though is there almost certainly will be one coming out of the NFC.

18) Arizona Cardinals

Who would have thought the two best teams in terms of sacks would come from the NFC West? The Cards rank second in the league in this category, and as a whole, the team is playing better defense. 

Still, they give up over 22 points per game which isn't exactly setting the world on fire.  They also don't force enough turnovers.  The Cardinals defense pretty much shows what the team is.  It has some flash, but in the end, they're pretty average.

17) Green Bay Packers

The Packers offense could quite possibly go down as the best unit in NFL history when all is said and done. To consider the Packers defense could manage to derail this offense says something about how bad this unit looks at times. 

Green Bay's D has some highlights here or there, but for a team that is 12-0, they give up a whole lot of yards and points.  The saving grace is they lead the league with 23 interceptions. 

The Packers will likely go 16-0 this year, but if they run into a team that can neutralize Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay could go down as the first team to go undefeated in the regular season, but not play in a Super Bowl.

16) New York Jets

For all of the talk about the Jets socking their opponents in the mouth, their defense is quite average.  They don't give up a ton of points, they manage to pressure the quarterback at times and they do force some turnovers. 

But they do nothing exceptionally well in fact they rank in the bottom half for sacking the quarterback.  If this team wants to have any Super Bowl aspirations, their entire defense needs to take it to the next level.

If not, not only will they not play in the Super Bowl, they may not play much football until next summer. 

15) Kansas City Chiefs

The defense in Kansas City has no flashy names, nor does anything in spectacular fashion.  It was also a unit that gave up an embarrassing 109 points in their first three games. 

But since then, the Chiefs defense has played very well and if you took those three games away, would probably be a top 10 unit.  They surrendered just 16 points in the past two weeks to the Steelers and Bears. 

When healthy next year, expect the Chiefs defense to be one of the tops in the NFL.

14) Washington Redskins

If only the Redskins had a competent offense, their defense would likely be even better.  Most of their stats are in the middle of the pack and they have a good mix of young talent such as Brian Orakpo and veteran leadership by guys like London Fletcher. 

Still, the defense may be good, but doesn't do enough to bail the team out of games, hence their 4-8 record. 

13) Seattle Seahawks

For much of the year, the Seahawks offense has looked so bad that their solid defense has gone overlooked.  They are one of the league leaders in sacks, don't give up a ton of points and have forced 23 turnovers this year. 

This unit still isn't as good as the Super Bowl competing teams of five or six years ago, but the defense has helped keep the team in a lot of games this year. 

12) Atlanta Falcons

Another year, another good but unspectacular defense in Atlanta.  The defense doesn't give up a lot of yards and is 10th best in points against, but they've only forced 17 turnovers. 

That number isn't bad, but the Falcons have Super Bowl aspirations and they do have issues.  While they're one of the best at stopping the run, they're 21st against the pass and don't pressure the quarterback enough. 

Considering they'll almost certainly have to play Green Bay and/or New Orleans if they make the playoffs, their pass defense issues could be their undoing for a second straight year.

11) Cleveland Browns

For how bad the Browns look on offense, their defense is actually quite good....in one area at least.  The Browns are the best team in football in terms of pass yards against.  In a league where throwing the ball is the preferred kind of offense, the ability to stop the pass should very well lead to contention. 

But they're one of the worst teams at stopping the run, and have only forced 13 turnovers.  Still, for a 4-8 team, a defense that is eighth best at points given up is not bad at all.

10) Jacksonville Jaguars

It seems like a bit of a theme developing here where you have good defenses getting sabotaged by a bad offense.  Five of the last six picks here have that issue. 

The Jags give up the fifth fewest yards and seventh fewest points in the league, though they don't hit the quarterback enough.  If the Jaguars had a functioning offense, this defense is good enough to play against playoff-caliber competition.

9) Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have been a pleasant surprise this year, and much of that credit goes to their defense which is sixth best at yards against. 

The problem is through this tough schedule of playing the cream of the crop of the AFC North, they've seen that their unit is not up to par with the Steelers or Ravens.  They've slipped to 14th in points against and are 10th in the AFC in forcing turnovers. 

The Bengals have an emerging defense but it will take time to get up to the level of the AFC North's best.

8) Tennessee Titans

The Titans are a team that gives up a lot of yards (18th in the league), but doesn't give up a lot of points (sixth).  They've forced 20 turnovers, but they're one of the worst teams in the NFL in getting to the quarterback, making it clear they haven't replaced Jason Babin who left for the "Dream Team" Eagles. 

Still, the Titans are 7-5 despite their MVP-caliber running back Chris Johnson looking like a backup for much of the year and Kenny Britt missing most of the season.  Their defense is a big reason for their relative success. 

7) Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins defense deserves better than the team's 4-8 record.  They're in the middle of the road in yards allowed, but they're one of the best at points against, which means they often bend but don't break. 

They're also fifth best with 35 sacks.  The biggest problem is they're also one of the worst teams in football in terms of forcing turnovers. 

6) Dallas Cowboys

A big reason for the success of the Cowboys this year has been thanks to the turnaround of this defense which struggled mightily last year. 

They are tied for 10th in points against, are fourth in forcing turnovers and they don't give up a ton of yards.   They are also getting to the quarterback with 35 sacks.  Surprisingly though, it's an area that can still be improved upon, considering DeMarcus Ware himself had 20 sacks in 2008.

Their ability to get to the quarterback could be very important if they get to the playoffs.

5) Chicago Bears

Chicago's defense reminds me of a car you love, and have managed to keep it running for over 200,000 miles.  You take good care of it, keep it clean and despite its age, it keeps on running.  One of these years though, the engine is going to go, but you keep on going until it crashes. 

The Bears defense is aging and the time is coming where the entire unit will have to be rebuilt.  But not yet.  Their pass defense is a concern, but they are league leaders in turnovers, and points against. 

Before Jay Cutler got hurt, the defense (and team) had the look of a team that could pose a threat to Green Bay in the playoffs.  The offense has gone by the wayside, but if the defense can keep going, they may yet get into the postseason.

4) Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh defense is similar to what I said of Chicago.  They're getting old but are still  dominant.  They give up the fewest yards in football, are fourth in points against but are only average at getting to the QB with 27 sacks. 

The biggest issue is they don't force turnovers.  That could be a problem if they play a team like the Pats in the playoffs. 

3) Baltimore Ravens

Just like you see in the AFC North, the Ravens defense is neck and neck with their hated rival.  Yet again, this is another defense that's getting old, yet still finds the fountain of youth. 

Led by Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Ed Reed, the Raven defense has helped Baltimore to a 9-3 record.  They rank first in the league with 41 sacks and they've forced 23 turnovers and are third in yards and points against. 

Also, unlike a lot of other teams on this list, the Ravens defense comes through in the biggest spots as Baltimore has two wins against the Steelers as well as wins over the 49ers and Jets. 

2) Houston Texans

Talk about a turnaround.  For years now, the Texans defense has kept this team from getting into the playoffs.  Now with injuries to Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson, it's keeping the 9-3 AFC South leaders afloat. 

They do it all.  Houston is the best in the AFC in forcing turnovers, they don't give up a lot of yards and only give up 15.8 points per game.  This is a very good defense that's good enough to get Houston to a Super Bowl. 

The problem is, they're having to rely on T.J. Yates channeling Tom Brady of 10 years ago.

1) San Francisco 49ers

This was the defense that former coach Mike Singletary envisioned having when he was calling the plays.  What more can you say about this team? 

They're one of the best at sacking the quarterback, have forced the most turnovers in the NFL, have given up the fourth fewest yards and only give up 13.8 points per game; tops in the NFL. 

They do give up a lot of yards through the air but it doesn't translate into points.  The vaunted defense and strong running game in San Francisco could pose an interesting challenge to the Packers if the two teams should meet in the postseason.