Most of the attention goes to the offensive side of the ball, but the old cliche of “defense wins championships” didn’t arise out of nowhere.
With the 2024 NFL regular season in the books, how do all 32 teams shape up in our NFL defense rankings? Using our Defense+ metric, we break down each team to examine their performance this season.
PFN’s defense rankings combine statistics such as yards per play, points per drive, sack percentage, turnover percentage, success rate against the run and pass, third-down conversion rate, red-zone efficiency, pressure percentage when not blitzing, and various expected points added (EPA) measures against both the run and pass.
These are then weighted accordingly to produce our rankings for each season.
1) Denver Broncos
All stats referenced in this article are from TruMedia unless stated otherwise.
The Denver Broncos finished with a 90.9 (A-) overall grade, making them the only team this season to crack the A-grade range.
The issue with Week 18 is that it can produce some skewed results, so Denver dominating the JV Kansas City Chiefs grades out extremely well and boosts their overall season-long number. Nevertheless, the Broncos also led in Defense+ virtually the entire season, making them a worthy top finisher.
Denver ended up ranking first in EPA per dropback and first in EPA per rush on defense, making this one of the more well-rounded units in recent memory. And although this team blitzed at the third-highest rate of any defense, they also generated the second-highest pressure rate without blitzing.
The Broncos were ahead of schedule in 2024, a welcome surprise season for a team that had missed the playoffs eight straight seasons. Now that the drought is over, Denver can look to building a Super Bowl contender behind Bo Nix and this elite unit.
2) Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles narrowed the gap between themselves and the Broncos over the last month but ultimately have to settle for a second-place finish. Still, the Eagles can enter the postseason feeling good after a dominant three-month finish following a shaky September.
Our metrics weigh pass defense more heavily than run defense, and the Eagles finished with the highest defensive pass success rate of any team this season (60.4%).
As a result, the Eagles allowed the fewest yards per play for any defense this season (4.7). Effective and disciplined rushing attacks can theoretically control the clock with successful runs against Philadelphia, who “only” rank ninth in rushing success rate. But that’s a thin needle to thread, as any defense that can tamp down explosive plays will be tough to score on.
There isn’t a single statistical flaw in Philadelphia’s defense, which ranks top 10 in every metric that encompasses the Defense+ grades (except for sack rate, where they’re 15th). That makes them an incredibly dangerous threat to win the NFC, even without the top seed.
3) Minnesota Vikings
The damn burst for the Minnesota Vikings in the second half of their Week 18 contest against the Detroit Lions. While the Vikings had another strong pass coverage game, picking off Jared Goff twice, the run defense let them down against Jahmyr Gibbs.
This hasn’t been a weakness for Brian Flores’ unit this season. Minnesota finished the year fourth in defensive EPA per rush and fifth in success rate. However, they had their second-worst EPA per rush (0.00) of the season against the Lions, behind only the Atlanta Falcons game in Week 14.
Still, this ended up being a Super Bowl-caliber unit and one of the most improved from 2023. Flores received plenty of criticism last year, with the defense struggling (23rd) and only showing slight improvement from the year before (27th). However, he restored his reputation in 2024 and should be a popular head-coaching candidate again as a result.
4) Los Angeles Chargers
After some rough games against better competition, the Los Angeles Chargers finished the regular season with a bang in overpowering a pair of weak offenses.
The Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots won’t represent the type of competition Los Angeles will see in the postseason (though the Houston Texans have struggled mightily). Still, it’s reassuring to see a once-declining pass defense surge back up.
For the season, the Chargers are seventh in defensive pass success rate and sixth in EPA per dropback. That’s impressive, considering they were 25th in pass defense success rate during a slump from Weeks 10-16.
Paired with a top-10 run defense, Jesse Minter’s unit ended up being one of the most improved in 2024. Purported defensive guru Brandon Staley never got this unit to rank higher than 24th during his three seasons. While the Chargers might not be as great as their No. 1 scoring defense rank indicates, this is unquestionably an elite unit.
5) Detroit Lions
Sometimes, Week 18 results can lie, with teams posting disproportionately dominant or awful performances because of backups. The Sunday night showdown between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings was not one of those cases, however.
Instead, Detroit surged up five spots in the final rendition of these rankings with one of the most impressive defensive performances of the season. The Lions ended with their fourth-highest grade of the season (86.3, B) despite rolling out an injury-depleted MASH unit that also lost their top remaining cornerback, Terrion Arnold, to a foot injury.
While the Lions likely aren’t a top-five defense entering the playoffs in their current state, it’s undeniable how well this team is coached. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn authored a masterpiece game plan, selling out to harass Sam Darnold. Detroit played Cover 0 on a season-high 17.7% of opponent dropbacks, more than triple their season average of 5.1%.
The result? A season-high 75.6% pass defense success rate, a remarkable feat given the Lions’ health and quality of their opponent.
This unit is still a concern with all the injuries, particularly if Arnold is out. Linebacker Alex Anzalone was a difference-maker in his return to the lineup, though, and it’s still possible for the likes of Carlton Davis and Aidan Hutchinson to return with a deep run.
With what the Lions accomplished in their 15-2 regular season, it would be foolish to totally discount the possibility of Detroit’s first Super Bowl appearance.
6) Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks may not have the household names that define many elite units. However, Mike Macdonald’s team made a huge leap after ranking 29th in Pete Carroll’s final season.
Seattle’s best trait this season was its ability to generate pressure. The Seahawks generated pressure without blitzing at the third-highest rate of any defense (36.5%). Leonard Williams was one of the more egregious Pro Bowl snubs, as his 11 sacks ranked first among primary defensive tackles this year.
Seahawks fans will be disappointed that they missed the playoffs after a pair of late-season home losses to the Vikings and Green Bay Packers. Still, this unit improved more than anyone could have expected in Macdonald’s first season.
7) Houston Texans
The Texans’ defense has become the team’s backbone this season, but the unit had faltered in back-to-back losses against the Baltimore Ravens and Chiefs.
In that respect, finishing the season against the Tennessee Titans served as a nice dose of mouthwash ahead of the playoffs. Houston ends the season as a top-10 unit thanks to one of the best pass rushes in the NFL.
Led by the tandem of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, the Texans ended with the fourth-highest sack rate and second-best pass success rate of any defense this year. Houston wasn’t shabby on the ground either, ranking eighth in success rate and fifth in EPA per play against the run.
Houston has the lowest Offense+ grade of any team in the playoff field, putting the burden on this unit to carry the team to a win against any meaningful competition. The Texans’ playoff ceiling is certainly capped as a result, but this unit is capable of stealing one game at home.
8) Baltimore Ravens
The 2023 Ravens led the league in scoring defense but only ranked 10th in Defense+. This year’s Ravens fell to ninth in scoring defense but fared better in Defense+.
That’s a scary thought for opposing teams entering the playoffs, as Baltimore has fully peaked into becoming one of the most well-rounded teams remaining. Since moving Kyle Hamilton to safety in Week 11, the Ravens rank first in points per drive, first in EPA per dropback, first in third-down defense, and first in red-zone defense.
Paired with a run defense that has been elite all season, Baltimore suddenly looks like one of the scariest No. 3 seeds in recent memory. With the offense playing at an elite level led by MVP candidate Lamar Jackson, Baltimore could be better equipped to make the Super Bowl than last year’s team, even without the advantage of the top seed.
9) Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns lost a little gas towards the end of the season but still finished as a top-10 unit. That’s a testament to this Myles Garrett-led pass rush, which carried the worst offense in football all season.
The Browns finished with a 40% pressure rate without blitzing, best in the NFL. That resulted in the ninth-best defense by pass success rate and the eighth-lowest third-down conversion rate allowed.
It was never going to be possible to repeat last season’s surprise playoff run with one of the worst offenses in recent memory. But armed with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and the possibility of a franchise quarterback finally arriving to Cleveland, perhaps the Browns’ defense finally gets the support it deserves in 2025.
10) Green Bay Packers
The Packers end the season in the top 10, but on a sour note after seeing their 11-game win streak against the Chicago Bears snapped.
Green Bay finished second in defensive EPA per dropback, behind only the Broncos. That was mostly a byproduct of all the Packers’ splash plays, as they ranked third in takeaway rate and 10th in sack rate.
That has led to some massive games, but it also has limitations against the best offenses. Five of the Packers’ six losses came against the Eagles, Vikings, and Lions, which bodes ominously for a playoff run that starts in Philadelphia.
The offensive injuries were the bigger concern coming out of Week 18. For the Packers to make a run in the playoffs, they’ll need this unit’s variance to swing in the right direction.
11) Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins finish just outside of the top 10, which is a slight improvement from their 13th-place ranking in 2023 and 17th in 2022.
The incremental progress is nice, but this is an aging defense with the likes of Jalen Ramsey and Calais Campbell serving as critical pieces in 2024.
To take a step forward next year, Miami’s biggest area of improvement will be the pass rush. A second-year leap from Chop Robinson, who came on in the second half of the season, would help. Still, the Dolphins ranked seventh in EPA per dropback despite recording the sixth-lowest sack rate.
Overall, this unit executed better situationally than on a down-to-down basis. That’s resulted in an above-average defense, albeit one that fell just short of carrying a disappointing offense into the playoffs.
12) Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers tumbled out of the top 10 after slumping against superior competition during their four-game losing streak. From Weeks 15-18, Pittsburgh ranked 30th in pass defense success rate and 28th in EPA per play.
The season-long numbers still portray an elite pass defense, but some of the cracks that were there all along fully broke. For instance, the Steelers finished 18th in pressure rate without blitzing, signaling the erosion of a long, ferocious pass rush. They also finished 19th in sack rate despite another All-Pro-worthy season from T.J. Watt.
Injuries in the secondary were a huge problem, with starters Joey Porter Jr., Donte Jackson, and DeShon Elliott all missing multiple games. That ultimately cost Pittsburgh the division and will result in a tough Wild Card road trip to Baltimore.
13) Chicago Bears
The Bears’ defense is more talented than their final ranking would indicate. This unit was firmly in the top 10 for most of the season before cracking under the weight of supporting a flagging offense.
Chicago’s six worst Defense+ grades came over a six-week stretch from Weeks 11-16. Even so, Chicago ended the season with a bang, snapping the longest losing streak in the history of the Bears-Packers rivalry in Week 18.
For the season, Chicago finished with the third-best defensive EPA per dropback, behind only the Broncos and Packers. That’s fitting with one of the NFL’s elite secondaries, even with a pass rush that could use an infusion of talent.
If the long-cursed offense ever provides this unit some support, the Bears could be an interesting post-hype team entering 2025.
14) Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs were a top-10 defense entering Week 18 but saw their ranking tank after the junior varsity team flopped against the Broncos.
Ignoring Week 18, Kansas City would have ranked eighth in EPA per rush and 11th in EPA per dropback. While not quite the dominant level of last year’s unit, that well-rounded top-10-level performance is more than enough to support an ascending offense.
The most encouraging sign for this unit was its improving pass rush. From Weeks 12-17, Kansas City had the fourth-highest non-blitz pressure rate (36.2%), a big leap after ranking 16th in that category (31.6%) from Weeks 1-10.
That’s especially frightening to consider when you remember that Steve Spagnuolo’s designer pressures are what this unit typically feasts on. Kansas City ended up blitzing at the ninth-highest rate this season (30.8%) and posted the seventh-best EPA per play while doing so.
After some shaky weeks and midseason questions, the Chiefs appear to be peaking as the postseason arrives, setting aside the de facto exhibition in Week 18. That’s a familiar story from last season and could result in a familiar ending in February as well.
15) New York Jets
The New York Jets salvaged a disappointing season with a Week 18 upset over the Dolphins, sending Aaron Rodgers off in what could be his final game.
Still, the Jets regressed significantly after firing Robert Saleh, ending up at league average after ranking as a top-five unit each of the prior two seasons. Prior to the Week 18 victory, this unit had posted four of their five worst grades of the season from Weeks 14-17.
This was a frustrating downturn for a unit that Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich had built into a juggernaut together. The unit still has plenty of talent, however, and a new coaching staff should be able to bring this back into the top 10 in a less dysfunctional environment.
16) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quietly, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense has improved since returning from their bye in Week 12. A soft schedule helped, but the Bucs rank third in EPA per play, first in third-down defense, and fourth in red-zone defense over that span.
The pass-defense numbers ended up ugly for the season, but that may not be a true reflection of how the Buccaneers are currently playing. That the surge came with a litany of injuries in the secondary makes it even more impressive and offsets some of the questions about the closing schedule.
A Wild Card matchup against the likely Offensive Rookie of the Year in Jayden Daniels will be a bigger test. However, the December and January version of the Bucs has a better chance to compete than if this matchup had taken place in the middle of the season.
17) Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders were a below-average defense for most of the season, which their final ranking reflects. Ultimately, Washington’s performance was largely fairly consistent based on their level of competition.
The Commanders had five weekly top-10 finishes this season. Those performances have come against the Browns, Panthers, Bears, the Titans, and the Kenny Pickett-led Eagles. Setting Philadelphia aside, the other four all rank in the bottom 10 of PFN’s Offense+ metric.
Obviously, that’s not the caliber of defense Washington will see in the playoffs, starting with the Buccaneers. Washington continues to miss Marshon Lattimore, who has played only two games since being traded to the team before Week 10. For the season, the Commanders ranked 24th in defensive EPA per dropback, the third-lowest among the 14 playoff teams.
Dan Quinn’s unit hasn’t performed to the level that his Dallas Cowboys defenses did from 2021-23, but that’s not the fairest comparison, given that this was supposed to be the early stages of a rebuild. The Commanders have at least shown the ability to overwhelm one-dimensional offenses, which is more than they could say in recent seasons.
18) Buffalo Bills
After finishing as a top-seven defense in each of the last three seasons, the Buffalo Bills finished 18th this year. That’s not the biggest surprise given that this was largely billed as a rebuilding season for this unit.
For the season, Buffalo had a strong run defense (sixth in EPA per rush) but a leaky pass defense (26th in EPA per dropback). Dominating the AFC East cellar-dwellers was a nice palette cleanser before potential playoff matchups against the likes of Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes (if they escape the Broncos).
Buffalo’s offense is operating at such a high level that the bar to clear for the defense is lower than it would be on nearly any other team. Buffalo has met that threshold against lesser competition but will be challenged in the playoffs to help the Josh Allen-Sean McDermott era reach its first Super Bowl.
19) New Orleans Saints
Although the New Orleans Saints had an ugly season overall before Dennis Allen’s firing, the defense stood out as an issue. Allen was the former DC under Sean Payton, and when his defense ranked well below its sixth-place finish from last year (and 13th in 2022), the writing was on the wall.
The Saints battled gamely amid a string of injuries but ultimately ended with their worst Defense+ season ranking since the metric began in 2019.
Run defense let the Saints down this season. New Orleans finished 30th in both EPA per rush and success rate. They remained in the top 20 overall thanks to a top-12 pass defense by success rate and EPA per play, despite their starting outside cornerbacks being gone since midseason due to trade (Lattimore) or season-ending injury (Paulson Adebo).
Ultimately, the abysmal run defense places a pretty firm cap on New Orleans’ defensive ceiling moving forward, marking one of many roster areas for the Saints to address.
20) New York Giants
The New York Giants ranked in the top half of Defense+ for much of the season but ended up 20th after a late-season swoon.
For the season, the Giants were not an above-average unit at anything except sack rate and red-zone defense. New York led the league in sack rate for most of the year and finished third. However, the lack of depth in that department came through after Dexter Lawrence’s season-ending injury on Thanksgiving. After that point, the Giants were 23rd in sack rate.
New York’s defense ended in the same neighborhood as last year’s unit that finished 25th and behind the pace of the 2022 team that ranked 18th. That’s a disappointing outcome and could result in defensive coordinator Shane Bowen being a sacrificial lamb, with Brian Daboll staying on as head coach.
21) Las Vegas Raiders
For the second straight season, the Raiders enjoyed a second-half surge on defense. That came despite Maxx Crosby going down for the season and Christian Wilkins playing only five games all year, robbing Antonio Pierce of his two most notable defenders.
That might not be enough for Pierce to save his job, particularly with the wins not following as much this season. Still, it’s interesting that Las Vegas’ defense has shown notable improvement down the stretch again, even without particularly inspiring personnel.
Regardless of their next coach, the Raiders’ biggest priority will be creating more splash plays. Las Vegas ranked 29th in turnover rate and 25th in pressure rate without blitzing. Adding more explosive talent to the defense is a must, even with the need to invest resources to support a potential first-round quarterback on offense.
22) Tennessee Titans
Similar to the Bears, the Titans’ defense was a talented unit that finally cracked under the strain of supporting a non-functional offense.
The pass defense’s season-long numbers don’t do this unit justice. Tennessee ranked 10th in EPA per dropback from Weeks 1-9 but finished 29th from Weeks 10-18. Only the Bills, Jets, and Giants had worse pass defenses over that stretch.
Tennessee’s defense wasn’t bad for most of the year, and it helped the team steal a couple of wins (albeit not enough to lose the No. 1 overall pick). Still, the overall results are below average, and the unit has plenty of room to improve next season.
23) Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts’ season will be defined by their Week 17 faceplant against the Giants. While this defense was never as bad as the 45-point disaster that eliminated them from playoff contention, this 23rd-place ranking was an accurate reflection of their overall level.
Indianapolis’ defense has seen little improvement over the last three seasons since Shane Steichen became head coach and was actually worse this year than over the last two combined. As of the Monday following Week 18, the team had not made a decision on Gus Bradley, but it would be a surprise to see the veteran coordinator get a fourth season in Indy.
Even with investments along the defensive line over the years, the Colts finished 30th in pressure rate without blitzing and 30th in third-down defense. Becoming more disruptive on money downs will be this unit’s easiest path toward improvement in 2025.
24) Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams defense finished in the bottom 10, but this ranking doesn’t really reflect the team’s week-to-week variance.
Throwing out the meaningless Week 18 contest, the Rams posted a weekly top-15 finish in four out of five weeks from Weeks 13-17. The exception was the 44-42 bonanza against the Bills in Week 14, in which the Rams posted an F grade.
Los Angeles has four top-10 finishes this season, yet it’s one of three defenses with multiple F grades (Bengals and Panthers). For the season, the Rams grade as a below-average defense in nearly every category that comprises our defensive rankings. The glaring exception is red-zone defense, where LA has the fifth-lowest TD rate allowed.
That probably limits LA’s playoff upside, particularly given the inconsistent game-to-game performance from the passing offense. Still, after a 1-4 start, the defense deserves credit for delivering enough peaks to complement the star power on offense and help claim the NFC West.
25) Dallas Cowboys
After a string of positive performances, the Cowboys’ defense cratered to end the season. Injuries took their toll on a team playing out the string, particularly in the secondary.
Dallas had at least one weak link at cornerback most of the season, with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland playing just one game together all year (Week 14).
As a result, Dallas fell from eighth in EPA per dropback last season to 16th this season. Coupled with the second-worst run defense by EPA per rush, that explains the Cowboys’ descent into the bottom 10 defenses.
The unit ranked nowhere near the heights of the Dan Quinn era. Having been a top-five unit for each of the last three years, falling down to the bottom 10 is a massive drop-off and shows the value Quinn brought to the franchise.
26) San Francisco 49ers
For all the attention the injuries on offense got this year, the decline of the San Francisco 49ers’ defense was a huge concern as well. Having been a top-10 unit each year between 2019 and 2023, San Francisco slipped to its worst season-long ranking since the Defense+ metric began.
Run defense was a huge weakness this year. The Niners 28th in EPA per rush and 25th in rushing success rate. Unlike past years, they couldn’t prop that up with an effective pass defense, where they ranked 25th in success rate.
Looking ahead, cornerback Charvarius Ward and linebacker Dre Greenlaw stand out as the top free agents on this unit. Losing Ward, in particular, would be a tough blow given the lack of depth at corner, as that’s an area the Niners will need to address to return to contention.
27) Arizona Cardinals
For all the questions about whether Kyler Murray is the Arizona Cardinals quarterback of the future, the biggest questions reside on defense.
Arizona finished with the worst pass success rate of any defense. They weren’t much better against the run, ranking 28th in success rate. That’s a far bigger reason why the Cardinals stumbled after their 6-4 start, as adding talent to the pass rush is a big offseason priority.
The Cardinals took a step forward in 2024, but the end will feel like a disappointment after Arizona was the clear midseason favorite to claim the NFC West. The lack of defensive talent beyond Budda Baker was a well-known roster flaw entering the season and one that will need a serious commitment of offseason resources to fix for 2025.
28) Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals defense didn’t have much to hang its hat on besides Trey Hendrickson. The veteran edge rusher became the first player in franchise history to lead the NFL in sacks while also becoming the first over-30 player to do so since Robert Mathis in 2013.
Nevertheless, that wasn’t enough to keep this defense out of the bottom five. The unit was the main culprit for the 9-8 Bengals missing the playoffs and wasting a historic season from Joe Burrow and the offense.
Cincinnati was a below-average defense by every metric that comprises Defense+ except for turnover rate (10th), which is a notoriously fickle year-to-year stat.
This defense needs a hard reset when the offseason arrives. The Bengals began that process by firing long-time defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo on Black Monday, but that can only be the first of many steps back toward competence.
29) Atlanta Falcons
This unit fooled some people with an uncharacteristic late-season surge against weaker competition. From Weeks 13-17, the Atlanta Falcons had the highest sack rate in the NFL (11.2%), exploiting the likes of the Giants and Raiders.
However, the unit’s true form exposed itself in a season-ending loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons would have been eliminated regardless, thanks to the Buccaneers’ win, but getting shredded by Bryce Young on their home turf was a fitting way for Atlanta’s defense to end its season.
Beyond the evergreen pass-rush problems, Atlanta was also a poor situational defense. The Falcons ranked 28th in red-zone defense and 31st in third-down defense. Raheem Morris will get a second season to fix those issues, but another poor year could have him on the hot seat with Atlanta’s playoff drought now at seven seasons.
30) New England Patriots
Of all the reasons for Jerod Mayo becoming the latest one-and-done head coach, the defense’s decline was arguably the largest. After being a top-10 defense in each of the last three years, the Patriots have plummeted to the bottom three in 2024.
New England needed a solid defense to support its rebuilding offense, and that wasn’t close to the case. Overall, the Patriots ranked 20th or worse in 11 out of 17 games this year. Apart from the Week 10 outlier against the Bears, New England didn’t record a single-game grade higher than a C+ all season.
The franchise’s biggest offseason priority will be ensuring that Drake Maye is properly supported to facilitate his development. That could lead to the defense being somewhat neglected in terms of offseason resources, potentially leading to another tough year in 2025.
31) Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars improved slightly to end the season, but that wasn’t enough to save Doug Pederson’s job. By midseason, this became one of the most obvious candidates for a head-coaching change.
Still, some of the talent that led to preseason playoff expectations are still evident. After the 52-6 disaster against Detroit, the Jaguars ranked ninth in pass defense success rate the rest of the way. They were 31st in that category from Weeks 1-11, ahead of only Tampa Bay.
Still, the Jaguars didn’t rank above average in a single metric that goes into Defense+ for the season. That will result in defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen losing his job as well, as the new coaching staff will have nowhere to go but up.
32) Carolina Panthers
We’ve discussed many advanced metrics throughout this piece, but sometimes, the simplest ones will do. The 2024 Panthers will go down as the most ignominious defense of all time by points allowed, breaking the record long held by the 1981 Baltimore Colts.
Even if you want to discount that record because of the extra game, Carolina’s 31.4 points per game allowed ranks sixth-worst all-time. Their final Defense+ grade of 53.8 is the second-worst in the metric’s history, ahead of only the 2020 Lions (51.2).
We stated that the Jaguars had nowhere to go but up, but that’s actually more true of the Panthers’ defense. For all the promise Young and the offense showed to end the year, it won’t mean a thing in 2025 without drastic improvement from this unit.