After another very exciting week of action from week nine, we saw some great defenses dominate their opponents while other defense need to head back to the practice field and improve on their game in order to get better for the remaining weeks in the 2023 season.
Here is where all 32 NFL Teams’ defenses look after week 9 games:
Arizona Cardinals: F (Last week C-)
It was a mostly silent day for the Cardinal’s defense against the Cleveland Browns. Buddha Baker had 10 tackles, Josh Woods had six tackles and 0.5 sacks, and Lexi Fotu had five tackles and 0.5 sacks. The Cardinals also had one pass deflection as they were completely shut down by the Browns offense. It may be time to just continue tanking for a chance at the first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Atlanta Falcons: C+ (Last week D+)
The Falcon’s defense did what they could against Joshua Dobbs and the Minnesota Vikings but fell short in the last seconds 28-31. The team had three sacks against Dobbs and one sack against Cam Akers. David Onyemata had 10 tackles and a sack, Nate Landman had 10 tackles, a sack, and a pass deflection, and Richie Grant had eight tackles and two pass deflections. The Falcons also did not get any interceptions all game. They can finish games strong but need to step it up against opposing offenses if they want to steal the NFC South from their rivals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or New Orleans Saints.
Baltimore Ravens: A (Last week B)
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The Raven’s defense dominated and kept the Seahawk’s offense out of the end zone. The Ravens had four sacks against Geno Smith with Kyle Van Noy having two sacks and two tackles on the day. Patrick Queen led the team with six tackles and Geno Stone had one tackle, two pass deflections, and an interception on the day. The Ravens defense played lights out and gave the Seahawks a painful lesson on why you can’t mess with Baltimore.
Buffalo Bills: C- (Last week B)
The Buffalo Bill’s defense had somewhat of a quiet night in the Queen City as they fell to the Bengals 18-24. Jordan Poyer led the team with 11 tackles while Jordan Phillips had three tackles and 0.5 sacks, and Leonard Floyd had one tackle and 0.5 sacks on the night. The Bills didn’t snag an interception against Joe Burrow but had seven pass deflections on the night. The Bills defense needs to play better if they want to stay relevant in the AFC East against the upcoming New York Jets and Miami Dolphins.
Carolina Panthers: D (Last week C)
The Panther’s defense had a tough time trying to stop the Indianapolis Colts from running all over them. DeShawn Williams had two tackles and the Panthers only sack on the afternoon while Frankie Luvu had 11 tackles, and Alex Cook had seven tackles and a pass deflection. The Panther’s defense must step it up against opposing offenses or they’ll end up as road kill until the end of the season when they can secure a high draft pick and fix their team properly for the next season.
Chicago Bears: F (Last week F)
The Bear’s defense couldn’t sack or intercept both Derek Carr and Tayson Hill all game despite trading for and signing Montrez Sweat from Washington. The Bears did have two pass deflections all game, but pass deflections don’t matter most of the time. T.J. Edwards led the Bears with 15 tackles and a pass deflection during the game. The Bear’s defense needs to step it up if they want to be relevant in the NFC North.
Cincinnati Bengals: B (Last week B+)
The Bengal’s defense played a productive game in their 24-18 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Germaine Pratt had 11 tackles while BJ Hill had two tackles and a sack, and Cam Taylor-Britt had two tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception on the night. The Bengal’s defense played great against Buffalo but needs to be prepared and focus on conference opponents coming up in the season.
Cleveland Browns: A- (Last week C+)
The Browns dominated the Cardinal’s offense all game and kept them from scoring any points. The Browns managed to get seven sacks against Clayton Tune, recovered a fumble from him, and intercepted two passes from him. Grant Deloitte had 10 tackles and 0.5 sacks while Dalvin Tomlinson had four tackles and 2.5 sacks, and Denzel Ward had three tackles, two pass deflections, and one interception. It was a very productive day for the Browns. They are primed to strike fear in opposing offenses with Jim Schwartz coaching that unit.
Dallas Cowboys: B- (Last week B+)
The Cowboys defense did everything they could despite the close 23-28 loss in Philadelphia to the Eagles. Damone Clark had 11 tackles, Micah Parsons had nine tackles and 1.5 sacks, and Sam Williams had three tackles and a sack. The Cowboys didn’t have any interceptions on the evening but still played at a very high level against their divisional foe. The Cowboy’s defense is a great unit that will very likely cause some noise in the Wildcard and possibly Divisional rounds of the playoffs by the end of the season.
Denver Broncos: Bye Week (Last week C)
The Broncos may not be the best team on defense, but they have helped the team secure wins when being underdogs. The question is will the Broncos continue to help the team get more wins this season? Only time will tell.
Detroit Lions: Bye week (Last week B+)
The Lions defense is a strong unit that will continue to play well as the second half of the season continues to roll on by. If the Lions keep the NFC North on lock, this defense will make some serious noise.
Green Bay Packers: C- (Last week C-)
The Packer’s defense helped secure the 20-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams snapping a four-game losing streak. Jonathan Owens had eight tackles and a sack while Jaire Alexander had seven tackles and a pass deflection, and Anthony Johnson Jr. had one tackle, two pass deflections, and an interception. The Packer’s defense played fair but needs to play better if they want to compete against opponents and be relevant in the NFC North!
Houston Texans: B- (Last week C+)
The Texan’s defense may not have secured any interceptions against Baker Mayfield, but they did manage to sack Mayfield twice, force three pass deflections, and DeAndre Houston-Carson recovered a fumble. Blake Cashman had 10 tackles, Khalil Davis had four tackles, a sack, and a pass deflection, and Will Anderson Jr. Had three tackles and a sack in the afternoon. The Texan’s defense is still young and can help this rebuilding team go far whether they potentially make the playoffs or not.
Indianapolis Colts: B (Last week D+)
The Colts defense took their week nine game with a 27-13 over the woeful Carolina Panthers. Kenny Moore II had eight tackles, two pass deflections, two interceptions, and two pick-six touchdowns, while Segun Olubi had six tackles and an interception, and DeForest Buckner had four tackles and a sack. The Colt’s defense rebounded from their week eight loss and dominated the struggling Panthers, thanks to the performance of Kenny Moore II.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Bye week (Last week B)
The Jacksonville Jaguars defense needs to continue playing well in order to potentially make noise in the playoffs.
Kansas City Chiefs: B- (Last week D+)
The Chief’s defense made some much-improved noise after their week eight drop to the Denver Broncos. Trent McDuffie had 10 tackles, Jaylen Watson had five tackles and a sack, Willie Gay had four tackles and a sack, Tershawn Wharton had a tackle and a sack, and Mike Edwards forced a fumble from Tyreek Hill and lateraled the ball to Bryan Cook who scored the defensive touchdown. The Chiefs’ once again shows the world that their defense should not be taken lightly when facing opposing offenses.
Las Vegas Raiders: B (Last week D+)
It was a field day for the Raider’s defense as they dominated the New York Giants’ struggling offense in their week nine 30-6 victory. The Raiders had eight sacks against the Giants (two against Daniel Jones and six against Tommy DeVito) and two interceptions against DeVito. Maxx Crosby had eight tackles and three sacks while Amik Robertson had three tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception returned for 40 yards, and Nate Hobbs had seven tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception returned for 10 yards. This was a well-needed victory for the Raiders and could potentially be a sign that good things are on the horizon with Antonio Pierce in charge.
Los Angeles Chargers: B- (Last week B)
It was a strong showcase for the Chargers defense on Monday Night Football as they made the Jet’s offense look like fools. Joey Bosa had six tackles and 2.5 sacks, Khalil Mack had five tackles, two sacks, and a pass deflection, and Tuli Tuipulotu had five tackles and two sacks. The Chargers defense played great and can strike fear into their opponents when necessary. The defense as a whole also had eight sacks against Zach Wilson making it a very good night for Brandon Staley who is still considered on the hot seat.
Los Angeles Rams: D+ (Last week C-)
The Los Angeles Rams may have lost 3-20, but the defense made some strides against the Green Bay Packers. Byron Young had 10 tackles and two sacks, Kobe Turner had 10 tackles and a sack, and Aaron Donald had four tackles and a sack. The Rams did not have any interceptions but they did have one pass deflection all game. The Ram’s defense needs to step it up and bounce back in key games, otherwise, they’ll get smoked by opposing offenses.
Miami Dolphins: C (Last week B)
The Dolphin’s defense may not have played as well as the Chiefs did but did have some good moments abroad. David Long Jr. had eight tackles, Jaelan Phillips had five tackles and a sack, and Bradley Chubb had three tackles, a sack, and a pass deflection. The Dolphins weren’t able to secure any interceptions against Mahomes. They will need to step it up against more fierce opponents to come, as the season continues to wind down.
Minnesota Vikings: C+ (Last week B-)
The Viking’s defense played a steady game against the Falcons. Jordan Hicks led the Vikings with 11 tackles, the team’s only sack, and a pass deflection while Byron Murphy Jr. had three tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception returned for 18 yards. The Vikings defense has good playmakers that can get the job done but it would be nice to see them get more sacks and force more interceptions from their opponents.
New England Patriots: C (Last week C-)
The Patriots defense played a somewhat average game against the Washington Commanders despite losing 17-20. Ja’Whaun Bentley had 13 tackles and two sacks, Deatrich Wise Jr. had eight tackles and a sack, and Kyle Dugger had six tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception on the afternoon. Even though the Patriots are struggling, they still have playmakers on their team and will do anything they can to make impactful plays despite the loss in week nine.
New Orleans Saints: B+ (Last week C+)
The Saints defense played strong against a weak Chicago Bears offense despite a close 24-17 victory. Demario Davis had 10 tackles and a sack, Cameron Jordan had seven tackles and a sack, Paulson Adebo had seven tackles, three pass deflections, and two interceptions, and Marcus Maye had three tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception. The Saint’s defense truly tore apart the Bears and kept them grounded for a large chunk of the game. They needed to play like this if they want to be a contender and win the NFC South.
New York Giants: F (Last week C-)
It was an absolute disaster in Sin City for the New York Giants’ defense. The Giants couldn’t even get a sack or interception against Aidan O’Connell. Xavier McKinney had 10 tackles and Deonte Banks had seven tackles and a pass deflection. To make matters worse, the Giant’s defense was beaten by former New York Giants’ great Antonio Pierce (who is the interim head coach of the Raiders) who helped the G-Men win Super Bowl 42. It is more than about timw for this defense to hit the reset button for the weeks to come and next season.
New York Jets: C- (Last week C+)
The New York Jets defense did everything they could to stop the Los Angeles Chargers, but the Jets ultimately fell flat to the Chargers 27-6. CJ Mosley had 11 tackles, Bryce Huff had three tackles and 1.5 sacks, and both Jermaine Johnson and Solomon Thomas had two tackles and 0.5 sacks each in the Monday Night loss. Losses like this for a great defense are tough to shake off, but the Jet’s defense needs to do so in order to compete against other teams moving forward.
Philadelphia Eagles: A- (Last week A-)
The Eagle’s defense played extremely well against a team that has the same level of competition as they do. Zach Cunningham had 10 tackles and a pass deflection, Josh Sweat had four tackles and a sack, and Brandom Graham had two tackles and 1.5 sacks. The Eagles had five total sacks against Dak Prescott and a fumble recovery from Reed Blankenship. The Eagle’s defense also prevented CeeDee Lamb from scoring the game-ending touchdown in the very end. The Eagle’s defense has some of the best playmakers in the league and they surely won’t stop giving even the best offenses in the league nightmares to come.
Pittsburgh Steelers: B+ (Last week C+)
The Steelers defense played lights out against the Tennessee Titans on primetime. Alex Highsmith had four tackles and two sacks, TJ Watt had four tackles and a sack, Markus Golden had one tackle and a sack, and Kwon Alexander had two tackles, a pass deflection, and caught the game-ending interception. The Steeler’s defense is not to be trifled with as they will continue to strike fear in opposing offenses for the remaining weeks to come!
San Francisco 49ers: Bye week (Last week C-)
With the recent trade of Chase Young to the 49ers, this will significantly help them out on defense and regain control of the NFC West from the Seattle Seahawks.
Seattle Seahawks: F (Last week B-)
It was a rough day for the Seahawk’s defense as they couldn’t stop the high-powered Ravens offense for most of the game. Bobby Wagner and Boye Mafe both recovered fumbles and Mafe had a sack against Lamar Jackson, but the team did not pick off Jackson and couldn’t stop the Ravens from getting into the end zone all game. The Seahawks need to retool and regroup themselves for the remaining weeks and put this loss behind them.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: C+ (Last week B-)
The Buccaneer’s defense similar to the Texan’s defense did not have any interceptions but were able to sack C.J. Stroud three times all game and have one pass deflection. Lavonte David had 11 tackles, Devin White had nine tackles and a sack, and Calijah Kanchenjunga had four tackles and a sack. The Bucs’ defense has great playmakers who need to finish stronger in key games or they can kiss the NFC South title goodbye.
Tennessee Titans: D (Last week B-)
The Titans defense took a massive step back in their 16-20 week nine loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. No one on defense could land a sack or interception against Kenny Pickett. The defense did have three pass deflections on the night. Azeez Al-Shaair led the Titans with 10 tackles and a pass deflection. The Titan’s defense needs to step it up in the second half of the season, especially with two more road games coming up one of them being a divisional matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 11.
Washington Commanders: C- (Last week C)
The Commander’s defense played a somewhat decent game in New England and helped the team secure a 20-17 victory over the Patriots. The Commanders did not get a sack but Jartavius Martin did have an interception while Jamin Davis had nine tackles and a pass deflection, and Kendall Fuller had six tackles. The Commanders need to step up more on defense because they have good playmakers who can make game-changing plays, but they helped get the win in Foxborough, MA nonetheless.
