The impressive DT was a consensus All-Big Ten First-Team selection in 2022 after putting up 48 tackles and a forced fumble. Although the Colts were one of the better defenses in 2021, they have taken a step back sans their former defensive coordinator. Entering the 2022 NFL season, we projected and ranked the top defenses in the NFL according to offseason personnel movements and overall finishes from 2021. 2nd in Sacks 4th in Defensive 3rd Down % 10th Interceptions 11th in Forced Fumbles Recovered Dallas' struggling offense managed three pass plays of at least that length. But when the players say they still need to get better, slowing the run is their biggest must. Anthony has made appearances on SiriusXM, amongst other publications. The Titans win ugly, but they win football games. The defensive line was gassed after dominating all year and the Eagles RPO took full advantage. -- Josh Weinfuss, Defensive efficiency: 29.6 If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, please call 1-800-GAMBLER. PFF Pass rush: 73.8-11th While the Packers ended last season ranked 14th in points allowed, they are conceding the seventh most this year. The biggest issue on defense is getting gouged on the ground, again. That has helped stabilize the Vikings pass defense. What will define Eric Bieniemy's success. The Eagles have a new defensive coordinator in Jonathan Gannon and added several key pieces during a quietly efficient offseason. Another year in Aaron Glenns system with additions to the secondary and defensive line can make this a top-15 defense in 2023. This was an issue last year, and it continues to be one this season. 2 in takeaways and No. Here you go: 2008 was a legit D. Great DL, Good LBs, Better secondary than 2009 because that creep Sharper was still on the team. Theres an opportunity for the Carolina Panthers to have one of the best NFL defenses in 2022. OK, so maybe defenses DON'T win championships the NFL is an offensive league now but the ability to stop opposing teams from scoring is still vitally important. The biggest issue on defense is the pass rush. They have the 2017 team as the only one that ranks with the Purple People Eaters. It feels even more likely to happen with Ejiro Evero taking over as defensive coordinator. They have figured it out in critical stretches and have played well against top-tier quarterbacks and offenses. Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter, . League rank: 22nd. The Kansas City Chiefs certainly didnt win the Super Bowl because of their defense. Consistently a top-12 pass and run defense, the Ravens have room for improvement if they find younger plays to fill the voids left by Peters and Co. The biggest issue on defense is no T.J. Watt. The reality is this: they are dealing with injuries and dont have the players to run the scheme being installed by Ed Donatell yet to begin with. The biggest issue on defense is a consistent pass rush. While the Lions are 12th in the NFL with 15 takeaways, they are a bottom-seven unit in most statistical categories, including points, totals yards, passing yards, rushing yards, and touchdowns conceded. Check out the 2020 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics including AFC and NFC results and standings on Pro-football-reference.com. Sometimes inexperience has led to the big plays, but other times it's just corners getting beat, whether outright or because they anticipated help that didn't arrive. The Indianapolis Colts can no longer count on Shaquille Leonard to stay healthy for a full season. Defense has carried the Saints since the retirement of Drew Brees. Washington had the sixth-ranked fantasy season last year and they keep on getting better. What will the Buffalo Bills do without defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier? But Garrett is going to have to play through left shoulder and right biceps injuries, at least in the short term. Buffalo Bills vs. NYJ 2. "It's like night and day,'' he said. With the incredible talent this team boasts on defense and a defensive-minded head coach, there is simply no excuse for the Chargers defense conceding 25.8 points per game, the third-worst mark in the NFL. Jaguars won't spend big, but here are five players they could target in free agency, The most memorable pre-NFL draft workouts ever: Coaches, scouts, execs make their picks, 2023 NFL franchise tag tracker: Raiders tag Josh Jacobs, the NFL's rushing leader. It might work against the quarterbacks they faced, but life is about to get much more difficult with Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawrence and Geno Smith on deck. Over the course of the last two years, the NFLPA has sat down and drawn up ways to improve available information for free agents who are making decisions about where they'd like to play next, and this . New Orleans Saints @ ATL 6. Dont get me wrong, this is still one of the best defenses in the NFL, allowing the fourth-fewest points. Positive is good for an offense and negative is good for a D. DVOA for defense is sadly shit. They converted each into a touchdown. The Denver Broncos defense played extremely well given the circumstances of the 2022 season. League rank: 12th, The Rams have their best cornerback healthy (Jalen Ramsey) but have been dealing with several injuries in the secondary early in the season. Pro Bowl cornerback J.C. Jackson missed Weeks 1 and 3 after undergoing ankle surgery in August, and when he did give it a go in Week 2, he said he was playing at less than 100 percent. When you are allowing the second-fewest passing touchdowns in a passing league, you know you have some talent on the back end to build off of. However, because of injuries in the secondary, it has since become a handicap. For a couple years in a row, the Vikings defense has allowed an average of 25.1 points against per game. More NFL coverage . Cant imagine 98 or 09 were better (although both were solid). This is a team that can turn it around fast, however, with the right moves in the offseason. Fans might not like Brandon Staley as a head coach, but he is one of the best defensive minds in the NFL. The Saints' defense has been good all year despite the offense's shortcomings and quarterback changes. The Broncos allow the fewest touchdowns in the NFL and are a force in the red zone. The Cardinals werent any better at stopping the run, allowing the 10th-highest yards per carry (4.5). League rank: 27th. In the second half, Baltimore has given up an NFL-worst 1,019 yards while allowing 67 points. Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. The Patriots tend to be one of the more reliable units from season to season - top-12 DST since 2018 - and 2022 is no different. The biggest issue on defense is defending the pass. Ranking 15th in points per game allowed, the Indy defense is still a middle-of-the-pack unit, but they have been slashed and gashed by superior offenses. That ranked right ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals at 79.4. 2020 Team DVOA Ratings: Defense Updated 02/22/2023 10:17 AM EST Year 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 -- Sarah Barshop, Defensive efficiency: 39.6 Next year, the defense will be able to not have to worry about a full install but rather tweaking things and bringing in more personnel. They are scoring slightly less than the 25.0 PPG than they did last year, but they are playing better defense and consistency is more important than overall points. They are 27th against the run, 25th in pass defense, and 25th in points allowed, and 27th in total yards allowed. While the Falcons have exceeded expectations with five wins through 13 games, their defense is not the reason why. Minnesota Vikings (vs. New Orleans Saints) Regarding those last two: The Saints D is good, the . Under the tag, Payne is projected to make roughly $18.9 million fully guaranteed for the 2023 season. Players and coaches have talked about the need to communicate more from the get-go, and not just as the game progresses. Presumably, they'll return to form once Byron Jones returns from the physically unable to perform list -- which he's eligible to do this week. This is something that needs to be corrected for Week 5. They look really solid from front to back, even with safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, formerly of the New Orleans Saints, acclimating to a new position and team. A lot has changed since those initial rankings were posted. The Saints need Marcus Davenport and Cam Jordan to consistently step up, while getting production out of 2021 first-round pick Payton Turner, to have success moving forward. Miami currently has the second-worst pass defense in the NFL through its first four games, although that hasn't translated to the scoreboard. Of the 97 pass completions against them, 69 have come by receivers who have at least three yards of separation at the time of the throw, the fourth-highest total in the league. It is difficult to put any team ahead of the 49ers. The Vikings offense has been good so far this season. Looking ahead to 2023, the combo of Christian Wilkins and Jaelan Phillips will be phenomenal. The Vikings coverage grade feels a little big closer than normal, as they finished with a grade of 71.8, good for 18th in the NFL. This is another spot where I could have slotted other teams. https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/lists/minnesota-vikings-2022-pff-grades-by-team-category-rankings/, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. -- Courtney Cronin, Defensive efficiency: 54.3 The biggest issue on defense is finishing the game. Only the New York Jets, 49ers and Eagles finished ahead of them. League rank: 18th, The Chargers' defense appeared dominant -- on paper -- entering the season. Tennessees pass rush should also improve in 2023 with the return of Harold Landry. With D.J. 2017 was only the franchises fourth best season from a DVOA perspective since 1983? PFF has spent the best part of the NFL offseason been ranking players and position groups to give fans a better idea of where things stand. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been a staple of our NFL defense rankings for years. Ok so this is where we need to say again that DVOA still needs context. Far from it. Friday, March 03. Leonard has been ruled out for Thursday night's game at Denver. A defense that led the NFL in ESPN's pass rush win rate (52%), allowed the third-lowest average QB rating (81.6) and ceded the lowest adjusted net yards per pass attempt (4.4) in the NFL.. The Vikings put the NFL on notice following three consecutive years of defensive domination. The Bears are the NFL's worst team against the run, having allowed 733 rushing yards through four games (183.3 yards per game), and are on pace to reach historically low marks. The biggest issue on defense is sluggish starts. However, New York ranked last in Football Outsiders Rush DVOA (11.6%) and its painfully thin at cornerback. 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Related: 5 NFL QB trades wed love to see this offseason. However, Arden Key is a free-agent Jacksonville must keep and its evident the Jags need help at corner. The Minnesota Vikings ended their disappointing 2021 campaign with an 8-9 record, missing the postseason altogether and firing their general manager and head coach. Jim Schwartz has plenty to work with, but Schwartzs approach doesnt work without a strong defensive interior and improved play on the boundary. Arizona allowed the highest completion rate (69.8%) to opponents and it surrendered the second-most passing touchdowns (29). The biggest issue on defense is forcing turnovers. SEA | TB | TEN | WSH, Defensive efficiency: 62.7 Mel Kiper takes another shot predicting the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, with elite QBs and defensive players highlighting the latest mock. 1 in the NFL defense rankings. Stats courtesy Football Outsiders, Pro Football Reference, ESPN, and Pro Football Focus. League rank: 2nd. Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson intercepts a Josh Allen pass in the end zone. League rank: 31st. Related: Indianapolis Colts mock draft 2023\. CB Nnamdi Asomugha said the Eagles ' defense already looks more cohesive than it did last season. The Giants are 19th in the NFL with a pass rush win rate of 41.2%. -- Rob Demovsky. Following J.J. Watts retirement, almost the entire Arizona Cardinals defense needs to be addressed. But the unit ranks among the worst in the league this season in this regard, forcing just three turnovers through four games. The Broncos had surrendered only six points in the second half of their first three games combined, so they were rolling. Outside of Grady Jarrett and A.J. So 3 years were ahead of 2017 by total number but one of those was ranked #4 within it's year. League rank: 14th. -- Nick Wagoner, Defensive efficiency: 51.0 Assessing Browns' FA needs, Defensive efficiency: 69.3 The Panthers are allowing 10.5 points a game in the final quarter to rank among the worst in the league. Steelers done? That said, on paper, this defense isnt as bad as it appears. Depending on your scoring sytem, Dallas or New England were the two top fantasy defenses in 2021. Sheil Kapadia wrote two articles for The Athletic ranking every NFL teams offense and defense, Robby and Joe discuss where the Titans fall. The Baltimore Ravens are set at safety and linebacker, but it will be losing No. Which is false (cue Dwight face). DE Jadeveon Clowney has missed the past two games with an ankle injury. PFF: 85.3-2nd The Vikings finished a paltry 19th in the league with a grade of 66.6.