As Ray Lewis once said, “Defense wins championships!” Each NFL team’s defense can either be extremely dominant, to middle of the pack, or to needing a lot of improvements.
Here is where all 32 NFL Teams defenses rate after week 5 games:
Arizona Cardinals: D+
The Red Birds’ defense came into week five with average expectations only to get torched by Cincinnati Bengals star wideout Ja’Marr Chase. The Cardinals did snag themselves a Joe Burrow interception from K’Von Wallace in the third quarter of their week five matchup against the Bengals. The defense also got three sacks against Joe Burrow, but nothing that was game-changing for the Red Birds. The Cardinal’s defense is one of those average defenses that will either step up the play or stay on the average side heading into week six.
Atlanta Falcons: C+
The Falcons defense didn’t snag themselves any interceptions or quarterback sacks in their week five 19-21 victory over the Houston Texans, but Dee Alford had two pass deflections, Grady Jarrett, Jessie Bates III, and Budd Dupree had one pass deflection each. The Texans were able to score one touchdown off the Falcon’s defense and scored four field goals in the game. The Falcon’s defense looks okay to slightly above average at best. They will definitely be tested as the season progresses.
Baltimore Ravens: B
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Unlike the offense which fell flat on the passing game, the Raven’s defense continued to play hard and well against the Steeler’s offense- who were not putting their best effort together. Patrick Queen, Roquan Smith, and Kyle Hamilton are becoming the new Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed combo for the Ravens defense. Queen and Smith combined for 18 tackles and 0.5 sacks against the Steelers and Hamilton had three tackles and two of them were for losses against the Steelers offense. The Ravens’ true identity has always been defense and if they continue to play physically and aggressively, it will take them far in the playoffs.
Buffalo Bills: C+
The Bills played reasonably okay against the Jaguars despite the loss. Leading the team in the trenches was Terrell Bernard with 16 tackles, Kaiir Elam with 11 tackles, Ed Oliver with nine tackles, one sack, and three tackles for a loss of yards, and Leonard Floyd with two hits and led the Bills with the most sacks on the day with two sacks. The Bills’ defense didn’t get any interceptions from Trevor Lawrence, but it is likely they will play better as the season progresses forward and potentially lead the Bills to their fourth AFC East crown.
Carolina Panthers: F
The Panther’s defense couldn’t even stop the Lion’s offense from going off in their week five loss in the Motor City. CJ Henderson and Brian Burns combined for nine tackles and the Panthers only two sacks of the game while the team couldn’t get a pass deflection or an interception throughout the entire game. If the Panthers continue to fall flat on defense like they did in week five, it may be time for the Panthers front office to consider drafting and signing strong and reliable defensive talent to compete in the NFC South.
Chicago Bears: C+
Even though the Bears’ defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned due to inappropriate behavior earlier in the season. The Bear’s defense responded in a big way to help the team earn their first win of the season in their week five victory over the Washington Commanders. T.J. Edwards led the team with 10 tackles and a sack while Tyrique Stevenson had nine tackles and a pass deflection, and Greg Storman Jr. had seven tackles, a sack, a pass deflection, and an interception in the victory. The Bear’s defense looked good against the Commanders who are looking more questionable on offense as of week five, but will the Bears improve and secure more wins for the team in the coming weeks? Only time will tell.
Cincinnati Bengals: B-
The Bengal’s defense was truly out for blood after their week four loss to the Tennessee Titans. They pressured Joshua Dobbs into throwing two interceptions and one of those interceptions was a pick-six from Cam Taylor-Britt for 11 yards. Trey Hendrickson and Dax Hill managed to combine for three sacks against Dobbs in their week five victory. The Bengals need to keep this momentum and continue to improve if they want to win their third straight AFC North crown.
Cleveland Browns: Bye Week
The Browns defense needs to wake up and make some noise if they want to win more games this coming season, especially after their week four loss to Baltimore.
Dallas Cowboys: D-
The Cowboys defense couldn’t stop the San Francisco 49ers offense. The Cowboys only secured one sack against Brock Purdy with veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore having that lone sack as well as six tackles. Leighton Vander Esch led the Cowboys with 10 tackles on the night. The Cowboys also were hurting without Trevon Diggs who’s out for the season with a torn ACL and they were also without Micah Parsons for the night. The Cowboys did not snag an interception against the 49ers. Losing Diggs will hurt the Cowboys long-term if they’re going to try and content for the NFC East. There are still a lot of games to be played, but could this be a sign that the Cowboys will not go far in the playoffs? Time will only tell!
Denver Broncos: C
This was a very sloppy game for both the Broncos and Jets offenses, but the defenses played better than either offense. Leading the Broncos in tackles was Kareem Jackson with 10 tackles, Pat Surtain II had five tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception on the day, and Nik Bonitto had two tackles and two sacks on the day. The defense played well enough against a struggling New York Jets offense, but when it comes to actual competition against more elite offenses, the Broncos will most likely struggle not to fall flat. It may be time to bring in more experienced Pro Bowl veterans and draft better defensive playmakers in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Detroit Lions: A
The Lions defense was ready to pounce on the Panther’s struggling offense. Jared Jacobs had four tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception for 11 yards, and Aidan Hutchinson had three tackles, a sack, a pass deflection, and an interception against Bryce Young. Alex Anzalone led the Lions with 11 tackles on the day. The Lion’s defensive performance shows they’re no longer the NFC North bottom feeders we became used to seeing over the years. Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn deserves a lot of credit for helping shape the Lions’ defense to where it is now. This team can get the Lions their first playoff win since the 1991 season if they continue to play fiercely, physically, and aggressively!
Green Bay Packers: C-
The Packers may have been lacking on offense, but their defense played a little better. Rudy Ford managed to intercept a pass from Jimmy Garoppolo and had nine tackles and a pass deflection, Rasul Douglas had four tackles and two pass deflections, and the rest of the Packer’s defense sacked Jimmy Garoppolo four times in the game. The Packer’s defense played no more than average, but could potentially bounce back from this loss. There’s still a lot of season to go for the Packers to put this primetime loss behind them and move on.
Houston Texans: C-
The Texan’s defense similar to the Falcon’s defense didn’t get themselves a quarterback sack or any interceptions all game in their week five razor-thin 19-21 loss. However, Henry To’oTo’o led the Texans with 12 tackles, Jalen Pitre had 11 tackles and a pass deflection, and Jimmie Ward had six tackles and a pass deflection. The Texans defense played a very average game. They will need to regroup and rebound or they will be relegated to the same average play. The Texans have the tools to pull it all together as they are in great hands with DeMeco Ryans as their head coach who was a linebacker for the Texans from 2006 until 2011.
Indianapolis Colts: B-
The Colt’s defense kept the Titans in check in their week five victory. Julian Blackmon snagged himself an interception, had five tackles and a pass deflection, Zaire Franklin had 12 tackles, and Samson Ebukam had five tackles and a sack on the day. The Colt’s defense shouldn’t be overlooked since they do have serious playmakers on that side of the ball and have shown that they can compete against the good offenses and trounce bad ones as they have all season long. Keep your eyes out for this defense possibly leading the Colts to a surprise Wildcard victory if they make the playoffs.
Jacksonville Jaguars: B-
The Jaguars defense came up well in their 25-20 victory over the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills. Darious Williams led Jacksonville with seven tackles, a pass deflection, and forced a Josh Allen interception in the victory. Foyesade Oluokun also had seven tackles, Tyson Campbell had five tackles, and Rayshawn Jenkins had four tackles and a pass deflection. Jacksonville’s defense is good and can compete with the best teams in the league. If they play the way they played in week five and then some, they can repeat as AFC South champions and go far in the playoffs.
Kansas City Chiefs: B
The Chiefs offense may be showing some small cracks, but the Chiefs defense continues to make plays against opposing teams when needed. Drue Tranquill had nine tackles, Mike Danna had three tackles and a sack, Chris Jones had two tackles, a sack and a pass deflection, and Leo Chenel had a tackle and a sack. The Vikings didn’t intercept any of Kirk Cousins’ passes but they held the Vikings rushing attack to under 70 yards, sacked Cousins three times and Byron Cook recovered a fumble. The Chiefs can possibly go back to the Super Bowl with this defense leading the way, but they should not take anything for granted as the season continues forward.
Las Vegas Raiders: B
Even though the Raiders have dropped a few games early on in the season, the team on defense can win games for them. Robert Spillane hauled in two interceptions, had nine tackles, and two pass deflections, Amik Robertson had one interception, two tackles, and a pass deflection, and Max Crosby had five tackles and a sack on the night. The Raiders did sack Jordan Love twice. The defense is solid and productive with a mix of veterans and young guns ready to roll. If the defense continues playing like this, the Raiders will be able to pull off more surprise wins this season.
Los Angeles Chargers: Bye week
If Khalil Mack has the kind of game he had in week four, the Chargers can be a surprise defensive team this season.
Los Angeles Rams: C+
The Rams defense is good, but nowhere as good as it was when the team won Super Bowl 56. Ernest Jones had 15 tackles and three of them were for loss of yards, Jordan Fuller had 12 tackles and a pass deflection, and Zack VanValkenburg had three tackles and the Rams only sack against Jalen Hurts. The defense can play, but the Eagles were the more electric team that showed up in this week five matchup. The Rams defense will minimally need to play the way they did in week five but really should improve for the coming weeks in order to help the Rams return to the playoffs.
Miami Dolphins: B+
The Dolphins defense swam away to victory against a struggling New York Giants team by holding their rushing game to 85 rushing yards and keeping the Giants offense out of the endzone most of game play, except for a couple field goals. Eli Apple (who started his NFL career with the Giants) had nine tackles, 0.5 sacks and a pass deflection while Zach Sieler had seven tackles and two sacks. The Dolphins sacked Daniel Jones six times in their week five victory and look more and more like they can potentially steal the AFC East from their divisional rivals the Buffalo Bills.
Minnesota Vikings: C-
The Vikings defense played alright as they managed to sack Patrick Mahomes twice. Harrison Smith had 10 tackles on the day, Marcus Davenport had four tackles and a sack, and Danielle Hunter had two tackles and a sack. The Vikings also did not intercept any passes thrown by Patrick Mahomes. The Vikings have good playmakers on defense, but like the offense, the team keeps letting close games slip away when it matters most.
New England Patriots: F
The Patriots may have brought back J.C. Jackson in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers, but the Patriots defense was almost a no show against the New Orleans Saints. Ja’Whaun Bentley had led the Pats with 11 tackles and a sack on the day, but the remaining defenders couldn’t even stop the Saints from marching all over New England in their week five shutout loss. When this season ends, the Patriots need to make a drastic overhaul and rebuild from scratch in order to become relevant again.
New Orleans Saints: A-
The Saints defense absolutely made Mac Jones look like a deer in headlights with two sacks against the third-year signal caller. Tyrann Mathieu managed to pick off Jones for a 27 yard pick-six while Alontae Taylor had six tackles on the day. The Saints defense led by veterans Cam Jordan and Mathieu can win some very important games for the Saints and lead this team to a possible playoff run if they continue to be aggressive on defense like they were in week five.
New York Giants: D-
The Giants defense did not play well. The only bright spot they had was a Jason Pinnock interception returned for a defensive touchdown in the first half of the game giving the Giants their first scored touchdown in the first half points all season thus far. This Giants team went from surprise playoff team to quickly becoming a last place NFC East bottom feeder.
New York Jets: B
The Jets’ defense continues to play their hearts out even though the offense led by Zach Wilson has not had a decent showing. CJ Mosley continues to be the heart and soul of the defense with 13 tackles and a pass deflection, Bryce Hall had four tackles, recovered a fumble, and scored a defensive touchdown. The Jets also managed to get four sacks against the Broncos with Quincy Williams securing two sacks on the day. The Jet’s main identity is defense, but the team’s offense continues to overshadow the strong defensive playmakers. There is every expectation that this defense will continue to be elite in the coming weeks. In order for this defense to succeed, the offense needs to step up and not rely on this defense to bail them out against upcoming opponents.
Philadelphia Eagles: B+
The Eagles defense is still just as good as they were in 2022. Reed Blankenship had seven tackles, Jalen Carter and Haasan Reddick both had four sacks combined against Matt Stafford. Once again, the crown for the NFC Title possibly comes down to either Philadelphia or San Franciso depending on how either team plays. If the Eagles continue to play tough and aggressively on defense, they can potentially head back to the Super Bowl and win it avenging their Super Bowl 57 loss.
Pittsburgh Steelers: B+
The Steeler’s victory over their longtime rival the Baltimore Ravens showed that this was a true defensive battle between the two franchises. TJ Watt is the leader of the defense in a similar manner to how James Harrison and Troy Polamalu were in the 2000s. Watt finished the game with two tackles, two sacks, and two pass deflections. Defensive back Joey Porter Jr. finished the game with two tackles and snagged an interception from Lamar Jackson. Similar to the Ravens’ defense, the Steeler’s defense will also take them far if they continue to play physical and aggressive football like we saw in week five.
San Francisco 49ers: A
The 49ers defense was electric and dominant against the overhyped Dallas Cowboys. Tashon Gipson Sr., Fred Warner, and Oren Burks all snagged three interceptions against the Cowboy’s offense. Fred Warner led the 49ers with eight tackles, a sack, and a pass deflection on the night. The 49ers defense, as a whole, had four sacks against the Cowboys offense. The 49ers keep on looking like they’re one of the best teams in the league and there are still 13 more weeks of regular season football to go and the 49ers are already looking like they could potentially win the Super Bowl. Don’t be surprised if it happens!
Seattle Seahawks: Bye week
The Seahawks defense is what is leading this team to victories at home and on the road. This defense can potentially make some noise in the playoffs if they make it.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bye week
The Bucs defense got three sacks against Derek Carr and the Saints in their week four matchup and kept the Saints out of the end zone. If they continue playing like that, the Bucs can possibly win the NFC South.
Tennessee Titans: C
The Titans may not have won the game, but their defense was still able to compete against their AFC South rival. Azeez Al-Shaair led the Titans with 15 tackles, Roger McCreary had eight tackles and a sack, and Kristian Fulton had seven tackles and a pass deflection. The Titans also didn’t snag any interceptions all game. The Titan’s defense looks to be a hit or miss depending on the game. In this game, they looked average at best. If they continue to look average, don’t expect the Titans to finish with a record above 0.500.
Washington Commanders: F+
The Washington Commanders lost their week five matchup against a Chicago Bears team many people expected to lose. It was a poor showing for the Commander’s defense as the team failed to get any interceptions against Justin Fields. The Commander’s defense did sack Fields three times in the game. Montez Sweat had six tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a pass deflection, Chase Young had two tackles, half a sack, and a pass deflection, and Cody Barton led the Commanders with eight sacks on the night. The Commanders have a lot of work to do to avoid losing to serious NFL bottom feeders if they want to stay relevant in the competitive NFC East. They either improve fast in the weeks to come or continue to fall flat and suffer a possible last-place finish!
