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 5. We’ve provided analysis for every team that played in Week 5 and have matchup analysis previewing some games in Week 6 for teams. On Tuesday, we’ll release our Week 6 fantasy defense rankings and NFL stats on the best and worst run and pass defenses in the NFL this season.
Nik Bonitto is unstoppable. The Denver Broncos edge rusher led the team in quarterback hits (three), sacks (2.5), and tackles for loss (two) on Sunday as he continues his Defensive Player of the Year campaign. While Denver’s defense surrendered 302 total yards to the Eagles’ offense, what stands out is how the Broncos performed in critical situations. They held the Eagles to an 18.2 percent third-down conversion rate and allowed just 45 yards on the final five drives. Denver will likely put on another defensive clinic in Week 6 against Justin Fields and the Jets.
It takes elite talent to have any real success against this Cleveland Browns defense. Lamar Jackson and Justin Jefferson have demonstrated that this season. While Cleveland is allowing 24.6 points per game this season, the Browns’ defense has surrendered just 247.8 total yards with 14 sacks. This unit gets a well-deserved week of rest before Myles Garrett and company will have a chance to tee off against a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers in Week 7. Given Pittsburgh doesn’t have an elite skill player, we feel fairly confident Cleveland can keep them under 23 points.
Too easy for the Houston Texans defense. With C.J. Stroud giving this unit a big lead to protect early, Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. just had to pin their ears back and wreak havoc in the Ravens’ backfield against Cooper Rush. It went exactly as expected. Baltimore finished with just 207 total yards, with a majority of that (71 yards) coming on one drive when it was already a 34-3 game. Houston boasts one of the best NFL defenses in 2025, and there are now signs that this offense could be league average, which also helps on this side of the ball. For the time being, Houston can enjoy the Week 6 bye.
The numbers speak for themselves regarding this Jacksonville Jaguars defense. Heading into Week 5, Jacksonville ranks fifth in scoring defense (18 points per game) and red-zone defense (44.4 percent touchdown rate), while ranking 11th in yards per drive allowed (28.1) and first in takeaways (13). Since the Chiefs don’t have much of a run game to speak of, nor do they have...
