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, October 12. We’ve provided analysis on how every defense performed in Week 5, with updates coming on teams that played on Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football. Check back on Tuesday for our Week 7 fantasy defense rankings and stats on the worst and best NFL defenses right now.
Another Sunday with a defensive clinic courtesy of the Denver Broncos. Justin Fields averaged just 2.6 yards per attempt on Sunday morning, finishing with -10 net passing yards on a day when New York mustered just 1.4 yards per play and went 2-for-15 on third down. Over the last three games, Denver’s opponents have gone just 6-for-37 on third-down attempts (16.2 percent) and are averaging just 181 total yards per game. The Broncos’ defense is going to wreak some havoc on Jaxson Dart in Week 7.
Heading into the bye, the Houston Texans defense limited its last three opponents to a 51.2 percent completion rate, 153.7 passing yards per game, 5.4 ypa and a 42.8 passer rating. Unsurprisingly, an edge rushing duo of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. also spearheaded a unit that had the third-best ESPN pass-rush win rate (47 percent) in the NFL. There’s so much talent at edge rusher and cornerback, making Houston’s defense the perfect test for Sam Darnold and Co. in Week 7. It’s a must-see game.
Brian Flores is going to make life very difficult in Week 7 for an Eagles offense that is already struggling. The Minnesota Vikings are top-10 in ESPN pass-rush win rate (45 percent), run-stop win rate (31 percent), and pressure rate (30.2 percent) even with Andrew Van Ginkel sidelined. The one edge Philadelphia has is its receiving duo against the Vikings’ cornerbacks, but the issues Jalen Hurts and Co. are having could lead to the Eagles’ offensive woes continuing versus one of the best NFL defenses in 2025.
Entering Sunday Night Football, this Detroit Lions defense has allowed just a 61.8 percent completion rate, 211.3 passing yards per game, and an 80.7 QB rating to opponents in the last four games. One big reason for that is Detroit’s pass rush, which has 16 sacks in that four-week span. Kansas City’s tackles can absolutely be exploited and it’ll be crucial for the Lions to win those battles in the trenches quickly given all their injuries at cornerback right now.
The Seattle Seahawks defense took away what Jacksonville does best, limiting it to 59 rushing yards and a 3.1 yards-per-carry average...
