The NFL may be obsessed with offense these days, but defense is still the name of the game – and what wins teams championships.
Let’s take a look around the league after the first week of action and rank all 32 teams’ defenses from worst to first.
Which teams had the best defense after week one of the NFL season?
32. Carolina Panthers
Carolina’s defense had no answer for Derek Carr and the Saints’ attack. The Panthers couldn’t stop a nosebleed all game, as the Saints scored on all nine of their first possessions and could’ve probably put up 100 points if they really wanted to pour it on!
31. Washington Commanders
The Commanders’ defense had no answers for Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay’s offense. His ever-reliable receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, found plenty of space, as well as the end zone, and the Commanders struggled to slow down Mayfield’s high-flying passing attack.
30. New York Giants
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The Giants’ defense couldn’t do much to stop Darnold or the Vikings’ balanced attack. Despite acquiring Brian Burns in the offseason, the Giants couldn’t generate consistent pressure, and Minnesota moved the ball almost at will. Not a great start to the season for the G-Men.
29. Cleveland Browns
Unfortunately, Myles Garrett’s visit to the Muni Lot was all for not on Sunday, as his defense had no answers for Dallas. The Cowboys dropped 33 points right on their heads—seemingly without breaking a sweat.
28. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals’ defense started off strong but couldn’t keep Buffalo at bay as the contest progressed. They surrendered 21 unanswered during the second and third quarters, which proved to be the deciding swing in the game.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars’ defense started strong, keeping Miami’s offense in check for most of the first half, but the wheels came off after the intermission. They struggled to contain Tyreek Hill in the second half, allowing an 80-yard touchdown that sparked the Dolphins’ comeback.
26. Green Bay Packers
The Packers defense struggled mightily on Friday night. Philadelphia moved the ball with ease, notching 25 first downs and pouring on 34 points and 410 yards of offense in the win.
25. Detroit Lions
It wasn’t exactly a steady performance for the Lions’ defense, but with an offense like theirs—that is okay! Credit to the defense for doing what it needed to do to get the W. First, it forced a punt in clutch time to set up the Lions’ game-tying drive and stopped the Rams in overtime to secure the win.
24. Seattle Seahawks
They weren’t quite the Legion of Boom, but the Seattle defense did well in limiting Denver to just 231 total yards and applying consistent pressure, forcing rookie quarterback Bo Nix into rushed decisions all game.
23. Houston Texans
Houston’s defense was not perfect on Sunday, but they did enough to hold off the Colts’ late-game surge. They also rose to the occasion at big moments, as Calen Bullock’s interception of Anthony Richardson at the 8-yard line late in the first half was critical in halting a good scoring opportunity for Indianapolis.
22. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders’ defense did well to hold strong early in the contest, limiting the Chargers to field goals for the first three quarters, but struggled to contain J.K. Dobbins as the game wore on. The Chargers running back’s long runs and his 12-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter were backbreakers.
21. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams defense got off to a good start and made some nice plays throughout the contest, but they were crippled by the big play, including Jameson Williams’s 52-yard touchdown. Furthermore, they couldn’t hold the Lions down at the end of regulation and in overtime when they really needed to.
20. Buffalo Bills
Buffalo’s defense was under the microscope on Sunday after allowing the Cardinals to jump out to a 17-3 lead, but they settled in well. Greg Rousseau put the team on his back with three sacks, including a game-changing strip-sack, but they will need to put forth a better effort going forward if they want to compete in the AFC.
19. Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta’s defense wasn’t the problem on Sunday. They contained Pittsburgh’s offense all game despite being put in a number of challenging situations by its struggling offense. That said, they had a couple of key opportunities to make stops and get off the field, which they came up short on, and that ultimately set up Boswell field goals.
18. Tennessee Titans
The Titans’ defense was looking sharp for most of the game against Chicago and did well to make things difficult for the Bears rookie NFL quarterback, Caleb Williams. Unfortunately, the offense faltered far too often, putting them in a number of high-leverage situations that caused them to break—and cost the team the game.
17. New York Jets
Monday Night Football was not great for the New York Jets defense, which many expected to be their calling card heading into the year. The 49ers moved the ball with ease, going for 401 total yards of offense and 32 points in a rather effortless fashion. And all of that was without Christian McCaffrey.
16. Denver Broncos
The Broncos’ defense came storming out of the gates in the first half, holding the Seahawks to just field goals and recording two safeties in the second quarter, but fell flat as the game wore on.
15. Philadelphia Eagles
There was not a whole lot of defense on display in Brazil Friday night… Philadelphia got marched all over to the tune of 414 yards and 29 points but did just enough to secure the win.
14. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals’ defense did its job for the most part, holding New England to just 16 points, but they did falter on one or two critical opportunities to get stops. The run defense was also a concern, as they allowed 170 rushing yards. Rhamondre Stevenson, in particular, was a problem all game, as he went for 120 and a score.
13. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts’ defense struggled to contain Houston’s new weapons. Joe Mixon gashed Indianapolis for 159 yards on the ground while Stefon Diggs caught two touchdowns. Granted, that is no small task, but not the best showing from Indy’s defense in Week 1 of the NFL season.
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa’s defense came into this one with a plan: make Jayden Daniels rely on his legs and don’t let him beat them downfield. They executed well, holding Washington to 20 points and making things difficult for the young offense all game.
11. Baltimore Ravens
All things considered, Baltimore’s defense, which was the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL in 2023, played well in Week 1. They made Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense work extremely hard all night and gave their offense a chance to win the game. That is all you can ask for when you are going up against a guy like Mahomes!
10. Los Angeles Chargers
As expected with the commencement of the Jim Harbaugh era, the Chargers’ defense was the backbone of the win, forcing three key turnovers. Their performance was highlighted by a fumble in which Khalil Mack returned 22 yards. Poona Ford’s critical stop on fourth-and-1.
9. Miami Dolphins
While the attention is usually on the offense, Miami’s defense came up big in the second half, sacking Trevor Lawrence twice on Jacksonville’s final drive to set up the game-winning field goal. The other key highlight was the crucial fumble that Jevon Holland forced from Travis Etienne near the goal line.
8. New England Patriots
The Pats’ defense did well to bottle up Joe Burrow for most of the day, holding him to just 164 passing yards and subsequently keeping Cincinnati out of sync offensively. The best thing for Patriots fans was that when it mattered most, they kept the Bengals off the scoreboard on a last-minute drive, forcing a punt and allowing the offense to ice the game.
7. Chicago Bears
While much of the attention this offseason was on the Bears’ new-look offense, it was Chicago’s D that really rose to the occasion this week. Tyrique Stevenson’s pick-six and Jaylon Johnson’s late-game interception were the final tide-turners that helped notch the W.
6. New Orleans Saints
Everyone was eating for New Orleans on Sunday, as the Saints defense was lights out, holding the Panthers to just 10 points. Alontae Taylor had a historic day with three sacks, becoming the first Saints defensive back to do so, and Tyrann Mathieu forced and recovered a fumble, while Will Harris and Jordan Howden each grabbed an interception. If only they could play the Panthers every week!
5. Minnesota Vikings
Brian Flores’ defense came into play, holding the Giants to just six points and forcing two interceptions. The crown jewel was Van Ginkel’s incredible one-handed pick-six off a Jones swing pass, essentially sealing the game in the third quarter. If this unit can keep up the level against some real competition—they might just contend in the NFC North.
4. San Francisco 49ers
It isn’t entirely clear if it was the 49er’s defense that was playing at an exceptionally high level on Monday night or if the Jet’s offense was just that incompetent. But in any case, the 49ers D looked legit, holding Aaron Rodgers and the Jets to under 270 yards of total offense.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs’ defense did get a little bit bailed out at the finish line, with Isaiah Likely being ruled out of bounds after Baltimore thought that he secured the game-tying touchdown. But Kansas City looked impressive considering the offense they were up against, and remember, this is a group that moved on from a couple of key pieces from last year’s team, too!
2. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys’ defense set the tone early, sacking Deshaun Watson six times and intercepting him twice. Micah Parsons was a beast as per usual, but it was linebacker Eric Kendricks who made the headlines with two sacks and an interception.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
This looked like a Steelers defense of old with the tenacity they played with this week. They dominated the Falcons, forcing two interceptions and recovering a fumble, in large part thanks to T.J. Watt, who was a menace, forcing multiple fumbles and recovering one.
Also Read: Ranking All 32 NFL Teams’ Defenses For The 2024 Season From WORST To FIRST
