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, November 23. We’ve provided evaluations on NFL defenses for all 32 teams coming out of Week 12. Stay tuned on Tuesday for our Week 13 fantasy defense rankings. For now, you can find some analysis previewing the matchups for next week.
The Houston Texans needed a defensive masterpiece on Thursday Night Football to beat the Bills, and this unit delivered. With the eight-sack performance, the Texans defense now has six times as many sacks recorded (12) as it does passing touchdowns allowed (2) in the last three games. In that three-week stretch, quarterbacks have averaged just 157.7 passing yards per game with a 70.9 QB rating and 5.0 yards per attempt. As long as Houston can slow down Jonathan Taylor in Week 13, it will create all kinds of havoc that rattles Daniel Jones.
In three games without All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the Denver Broncos defense held opponents to 184.7 passing yards per game, with a 4.9 yards-per-attempt average and just a 68.8 QB rating. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year is trending toward a Week 13 return, along with linebacker Alex Singleton. Best of all, Denver gets all that talent back ahead of matchups against two of the league’s worst offenses (Commanders and Raiders). The numbers this unit puts up in the next two games will be incredible.
The Seattle Seahawks defense didn’t deliver quite as masterful of a performance as we expected in Week 12 against the Titans. Now, we’ll first acknowledge that special teams is responsible for 7 of the 24 points allowed and another score came in garbage time of a 30-17 game. Tennessee still only managed just a 35.3 percent third-down conversion rate and a 4.4 yards-per-play average, but it did put up 37 yards per drive. Again, Seattle is judged at an incredibly high standard as one of the league’s best defenses by far. Set to face J.J. McCarthy in Week 13, five-plus sacks with multiple interceptions and fewer than 14 points allowed is doable.
Entering a Sunday Night Football matchup versus Baker Mayfield, this Los Angeles Rams defense has limited opponents to a 73.7 QB rating in the last five games. Los Angeles has also held up pretty well versus the run, surrendering just 107.8 rushing yards per game with 2 total rushing touchdowns. Tampa Bay’s offensive line is much healthier than it was earlier in the season, but the Rams front seven should still win this matchup.
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