With the conclusion of the Jaguars and Bengals on Monday Night, Week 13 of the NFL season is finished. Now we can turn our attention to Week 14, but before we do, let’s power rank every team’s defense.
32. Washington Commanders (Last Week #32)
Washington had another tough showing on the defensive side of the ball this week, as they got shredded by the high-flying Miami Dolphins to the tune of 45 points—and it felt like it could’ve been more had Miami really wanted to pour it on.
31. Detroit Lions (Last Week #31)
Detroit’s defense is really starting to look like it could be the fatal flaw of an otherwise impressive Lions team. They nearly let the Saints steal that game after the offense poured on 21 points early in the first quarter.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Week #29)
Tampa Bay’s defense was rough this week against a weak Panthers offense. They were able to limit Bryce Young and the Carolina passing attack, which, pretty much everyone has been able to do this year… But Carolina ran the ball well on them to the tune of 133 yards.
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29. Carolina Panthers (Last Week #30)
Carolina’s defense looked okay against the Buccaneers this week, but let’s face it the Panthers are not a serious football team. The second that the opposition starts taking them seriously, they are toast.
28. New Orleans Saints (Last Week #22)
It was not a pretty showing for the Saints this week in what was an admittedly tough matchup with the high-scoring Lions. Detroit poured on 21 points in the first few minutes of the game and managed to total 33 points and 347 yards of offense.
27. Seattle Seahawks (Last Week #24)
Granted, they’ve had their work cut out for them facing the Niners and Cowboys in consecutive weeks, but the Seahawks got absolutely torched this week by Dallas.
Dak shredded them for 299 yards and three scores, as the Cowboys hung 41 points and 411 yards of total offense on them.
26. Arizona Cardinals (Last Week #26)
Arizona bounced back fairly nicely on the defensive side of the ball this week, though it came against a terrible Steelers offense that also lost its starting quarterback in the second quarter. The Cardinals have a lot of holes to plug on that defense before this unit is taken seriously.
25. Atlanta Falcons (Last Week #23)
Atlanta’s defense may have held the Jets under 10 points, but that really isn’t saying much. New York hasn’t been able to score at all of late. The Falcons were actually fairly porous defensively in this one, as they were outgained by the Jets, and only managed to steal the win because New York was so incompetent.
24. BYE New York Giants (Last Week #25)
New York managed to slide up one slot this week while on the bye thanks to the action around the league. They’ll need to earn that in Week 14 though—with a tough matchup against a hot Packers team that is playing inspired football.
23. Cincinnati Bengals (Last Week #20)
Cinci’s defense was hustling around the field on Monday Night and did make a couple of critical plays to help the Bengals secure the surprising win over the Jags. They were, however, in part bailed out by the injury to Trevor Lawrence, as Jacksonville did start rolling again on offense before losing their quarterback for the remainder of the game.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last Week #15)
The Jaguars defense got ripped to shreds on the national stage by a Jake Browning led Cincinnati Bengals team. Without their starting quarterback, the Bengals still managed to accumulate 34 points and 500 yards of total offense.
21. Los Angeles Chargers (Last Week #27)
I mean… Credit to the Chargers for shutting out New England—I guess? The Patriots have been one of the worst offenses in the league all year, so, frankly, this performance tells us very little about what the Chargers defense is about at this point in the season.
20. Tennessee Titans (Last Week #14)
Tennessee’s defense took another step back this week, as it rolled over down the stretch to Gardner Minshew and the Colts. They simple could not contain Indianapolis for the better part of the afternoon and it ended up costing Tennessee the game.
19. New York Jets (Last Week #28)
The Jets defense rebounded nicely this week, even contributing to the team’s points total with an early safety. New York was able to limit the Falcons to 13 points and under 200 yards of total offense, but alas, it was in a losing effort.
18. BYE Chicago Bears (Last Week #19)
The Bears defense has not exactly been its strength this year. They will really be put to the test this upcoming week when they welcome Jared Goff, Sam LaPorta, and the rest of that potent Detroit Lions offense to town.
17. BYE Las Vegas Raiders (Last Week #17)
The Raiders stayed put this week while on the bye. They will have a tough matchup in Week 14 though, as they host a Vikings team with its backs against the wall.
The unit has, to its credit, looked much better overall ever since Antonio Pierce took over the operation.
16. BYE Buffalo Bills (Last Week #16)
Buffalo’s defense hasn’t exactly been its calling card, but they have played better than they get credit for. The Bills will need that group to have a strong showing against the Chiefs this week in what’s a must-win scenario for them.
15. New England Patriots (Last Week #21)
New England’s defense had a strong showing this week against a Chargers team that was supposed to be among one of the better offensive units in the league.
Of course, that hasn’t exactly proven to be the case… But limiting them to six points is solid nonetheless.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week #5)
The Steelers defense didn’t have its best showing this week, fighting through tough weather conditions and multiple delays. Kyler Murray and the Cardinals didn’t struggle too much against a unit that has been successful for most of the year.
13. Houston Texans (Last Week #18)
The Texans did well on the defensive side of the ball this week against Russell Wilson and a Broncos offense that was playing well of late. Houston held them to 17 points and forced Wilson into three interceptions.
12. Indianapolis Colts (Last Week #11)
Indy deserves credit for holding down the stretch against the Titans in that huge win on Sunday, but it was a little concerning that they allowed Tennessee to go for 177 rushing yards, as they’ve struggled in that department for the better part of this season.
11. Cleveland Browns (Last Week #8)
Cleveland’s defense fought hard this weekend, but was ultimately outlasted by a Rams team that poured on a flurry of points late.
The Browns defense will have to find its punch again if this team wants to even make it to the postseason, let alone have success there.
10. Minnesota Vikings (Last Week #10)
Minnesota stayed put this week having been out on the bye. This defense will need to set the tone next week as the Vikings need to revive their season for the second time with a big win over the Raiders.
9. Green Bay Packers (Last Week #13)
As hard as it is to believe that Jordan Love and the offense are coming into form—it may be even crazier the way that Green Bay’s defense has played during the team’s recent hot streak.
Green Bay made Patrick Mahomes uncomfortable all game, sacking him three times and intercepting him once.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week #6)
This marks the second consecutive week that the Eagles allowed over 30 points. The Niners really dominated them all game, so much so that there have been serious whispers of concern in the City of Brotherly Love.
7. Los Angeles Rams (Last Week #12)
The Rams defense is starting to eerily similar to the one that led them to a Super Bowl a couple of years back. Aaron Donald was a force to be reckoned with this week and if he can get hot, who knows the Rams might just end up going on another stunning run.
6. Denver Broncos (Last Week #7)
Denver’s defense actually fared pretty well in a hard-fought loss to C.J. Stroud and the Texans. The Broncos were able to limit them to just 22 points and under 100 rushing yards.
5. Miami Dolphins (Last Week #9)
It was another impressive showing from the Dolphins in D.C. on Sunday, as they made Sam Howell’s a nightmare all game. When all was said and done, the Dolphins had only allowed 15 points and held Washington to under 250 yards of total offense.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week #4)
Kansas City’s defense did a good job for most of the matchup with the Packers, but Jordan Love and co. ultimately ended up being too much for them to handle.
Regardless, this has been far and away one of the top defenses in the league all season and should respected as such.
3. Dallas Cowboys (Last Week #1)
Dallas looked a little suspect this week against the Seahawks, as Geno Smith was able to move the ball downfield all game on them. How the Cowboys play in Week 14 against the Eagles will be extremely telling for their seriousness come playoff time.
2. BYE Baltimore Ravens (Last Week #2)
The Ravens got to stay while on bye in Week 13. Baltimore does however need to back up on Sunday in a big showdown with Matthew Stafford and the Rams.
1. San Francisco 49ers (Last Week #3)
San Francisco’s looked ferocious all game against the Eagles. Those linebackers were flying all over the field—and to put it simply—this group looks extremely Super Bowl-ready.
