Sportsnaut
Our weekly NFL defense rankings examine every unit across the league to determine the best defenses in the NFL. With the preseason wrapped up, let’s dive into our evaluations for the worst and best NFL defenses this season. We’ll update our NFL defense rankings, with analysis on all 32 teams, every Sunday night each week.
Our NFL defense rankings are updated as of Sunday, December 28. We’ve provided analysis on how all 32 defenses performed in Week 17. Stay tuned for after the regular season ends, when we rank the best defenses in the NFL playoffs and offer offseason evaluations for eliminated teams.
Read More: NFL Week 18 Power Rankings, Evaluating all 32 Teams after Week 17
The Houston Texans defense did exactly what everyone expected against the Chargers offensive line. Justin Herbert was sacked 5 times, took 8 quarterback hits and finished with just 201 net passing yards on nearly 40 dropbacks. Houston did have its issues stopping Herbert from running and Omarion Hampton caught 8 receptions, but the end result was still this Texans defense putting on an absolute clinic. This will be the best defense in the NFL playoffs.
Playing in the non-stop rain against Buffalo, the Philadelphia Eagles offense managed to allow just 331 total yards on 73 plays (4.5 yards per play) and 11 drives (30.1 yards per drive) with 1 takeaway. When the Bills did finally score the first time, it came on a short field and the second drive occurred after the Eagles defense spent a majority of the second half on the field. With Jalen Carter back, this great defense is now elite.
The Seattle Seahawks’ defense can be a nightmare to face, as the Panthers experienced in Week 17. Bryce Young had been performing quite well over the last month, but then he faced Seattle. Young finished with just 54 passing yards on 24 attempts, taking two sacks along with an interception and finishing with an abysmal 18.2 QBR. Mike Macdonald’s unit is also healthy, and if it secures the first-round bye, the team will have two weeks to rest and prepare for its opponent. This defense is undoubtedly good enough to win the Super Bowl.
The defensive masterpiece from the Minnesota Vikings—10 points allowed, 6 takeaways, and 5 sacks on 13 drives—is just the latest from the Minnesota Vikings. Closing out the season, the Vikings defense has allowed just 15 points and 244 total yards per game with a 4.2 yards-per-play average, while limiting quarterbacks to a 56.4 passer rating and a 56.2 percent completion rate. Absurd. We think Brian Flores deserves a second chance as a head coach, but with his civil suit against the NFL making that unlikely to happen, Minnesota will again have one of the NFL’s best defensive play-callers in 2026.
Two blown coverages allowed the Texans offense to put...
