Wow… What a Week 5 slate of games! We saw points all over the place, and it wasn’t just the bottom dwellers in the defensive ranking who were surrendering them—meaning there was quite a shuffle on the rankings this week. Let’s journey around the NFL and power rank all 32 teams’ defenses from worst to first.
Which teams had the best defense in the entire NFL after week 5?
32. Carolina Panthers (Last Week #30)
It was a long day for the Panthers’ defense, giving up big plays and struggling to contain Caleb Williams and DJ Moore, which, frankly, couldn’t have been good for the mental health of Panthers fans.
31. Cincinnati Bengals (Last Week #20)
To say that Cincinnati’s defense was overwhelmed by Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry is a massive understatement. Baltimore racked up 41 points and helped to waste a great performance from Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense.
30. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last Week #31)
It still wasn’t great… but it was better for Jacksonville, whose defense had its hands full with a rejuvenated Joe Flacco. At least they stepped up when it mattered most and narrowly managed to avoid 0-5. That said, a 34-point and 447-yard performance allowed to a Joe Flacco-led offense in 2024 is nothing to brag about.
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29. Philadelphia Eagles (bye) (Last Week #28)
The Eagles’ defense has been a major issue, and they need to regroup during the bye. Luckily, they have a favorable matchup with the Deshaun Watson-led Browns approaching in Week 6.
28. Seattle Seahawks (Last Week #27)
While the absence of Uchenna Nwosu in the second half definitely hurt, there is no excuse for letting what has been an extremely meager Giants offense move the ball the way they did on Sunday without their two best offensive players. Seattle couldn’t get off the field on third down, allowing seven conversions on 16 tries, as the Giants racked up 420 yards of total offense.
27. Arizona Cardinals (Last Week #32)
The Cardinals’ defense played their best game of the season by far this week against a 49ers team that was hosting them and expecting to tear them up. Kyzir White’s game-sealing interception and Mack Wilson’s red zone fumble recovery highlighted a day where Arizona’s defense managed to pull its weight and then some for once!
Also Read: Ranking All 32 NFL Teams’ Defenses For The 2024 Season From WORST To FIRST
26. Las Vegas Raiders (Last Week #23)
The Raiders defense left a lot to be desired during Week 5, despite Maxx Crosby’s impressive return from his first-ever missed game. Their star defensive end still managed to get two sacks, but Bo Nix and the Broncos carved them up in embarrassing fashion.
25. Indianapolis Colts (Last Week #14)
The Colts’ defense has some work to do during the bye, especially in their secondary, which struggled mightily against the Jaguars last week. Fortunately, they will return from the week off with a favorable matchup against the Titans.
24. Los Angeles Rams (Last Week #26)
The Rams’ defense capitalized on Jordan Love’s early misstep, with Jaylen McCollough returning his errant throw for a huge pick-six. Unfortunately, Love was able to gash them for a couple of big plays late that ended up swaying the outcome of the game.
23. Dallas Cowboys (Last Week #29)
Even without the stars, the Cowboys’ defense held its own. Missing both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, the unit still managed to limit Pittsburgh to just 226 yards, consistently pressuring Justin Fields and keeping him uncomfortable en route to a huge win to keep pace with the Commanders in the NFC East.
22. Cleveland Browns (Last Week #16)
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was a bright spot on an otherwise rough day for Cleveland. He picked off Jayden Daniels, forced a fumble, and got a sack—all before cramps sidelined him in the third quarter. But besides that… it was ugly for Cleveland as Washington dog-walked them for 34 points and 434 total yards.
21. Miami Dolphins (Last Week #25)
Miami’s defense played just well enough to scrape by on Sunday, preventing the Patriots from stealing a win during their NFL clash. They managed to hold Jacoby Brissett and the New England offense to just 10 points.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Week #7)
Week 5 on Thursday Night Football was not pretty for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who bled early and often, allowing over 500 yards of total offense to Kirk Cousins and the Falcons and 36 points in the loss.
19. Tennessee Titans (bye) (Last Week #21)
Though Tennessee’s defense finally showed up in Week 4, it was only against the lowly Dolphins, whose offense has been all but neutered by injury. Hopefully, Brian Callahan has used the bye week to get his house in order on that side of the ball, as they have a key divisional match-up coming next week against the Colts.
18. New England Patriots (Last Week #24)
New England’s defense fought hard, keeping Miami to just one touchdown while forcing an interception from Tyler Huntley. You would think that holding them to 15 points would be enough, but alas, it was still a losing effort because the offense was so pathetic.
17. New York Giants (Last Week #22)
The Giants defense played one of its best games of the season to date, largely on the strength of its aggressive pass rush, led by Dexter Lawrence’s three sacks, which kept Geno Smith uncomfortable all afternoon.
16. Detroit Lions (bye) (Last Week #19)
The Lions’ defense is starting to earn its stripes this season and should benefit from an early bye, as they have a couple of guys banged up on the defensive side of the ball. They’ll need the rest as they have a tough match-up on the road with the Cowboys coming next week.
15. Atlanta Falcons (Last Week #13)
Obviously, Atlanta’s defense wasn’t perfect on Thursday Night Football, having given up 30 points, but they delivered when the game was on the line and were able to outlast Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers.
14. New Orleans Saints (Last Week #2)
New Orleans’s defense got off to a decent start, but it didn’t take long for Patrick Mahomes and co. to break through. And once they did, the Chiefs seemed to be able to move the ball at will against New Orleans.
13. Baltimore Ravens (Last Week #4)
It is tough to call Week 5 a “win” for the Baltimore D. They were on their back foot most of the game, conceding five touchdowns to Joe Burrow, but they made critical stops in overtime while, of course, benefiting from Evan McPherson’s missed field goal, en route to the win.
12. Buffalo Bills (Last Week #18)
While it looked like it might get away from them early, it was actually the Bills’ defensive unit that kept Buffalo in the game after the offense’s slow start. They ultimately fell just short, as C.J. Stroud was able to deliver on a couple of key conversions that did Buffalo in.
11. New York Jets (Last Week #12)
The Jets defense wasn’t the problem on Sunday. The offense routinely put them in terrible positions, and they held time and time again. New York was able to limit Minnesota to 16 points offensively, meaning they would have won the game had Rodgers not thrown that pick-six.
10. Washington Commanders (Last Week #15)
The Commanders’ defense finally came into play, dismantling Cleveland’s offense and harassing NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson all day. They racked up seven sacks and held the Browns to a miserable 1 of 13 on third down en route to allowing just six points.
9. Green Bay Packers (Last Week #17)
The Packers’ defense showcased major playmaking ability on Sunday. Xavier McKinney’s day was epic; the vet first recovered a fumble and later extended his interception streak to five straight games, which ignited the second-half Packers’ surge. They were able to hold an admittedly short-handed Rams offense to just 19 points despite the Rams outgaining them and dominating time of possession.
8. San Francisco 49ers (Last Week #6)
If you ask Fred Warner, the 49ers defense “melted down” in the second half, though, to be fair, the loss was more a product of the offense being unable to protect the football. They were able to limit Kyler Murray and that high-powered Cardinals offense for most of the afternoon. Not an A+ performance, but good enough to deserve a win.
7. Chicago Bears (Last Week #10)
Week 5 was a big one for Chicago, as the Bears’ defense looked as solid as it’s been all season. The pass rush forced Andy Dalton into bad decisions all afternoon, and did well to capitalize on them. When all was said and done, Carolina could only muster 10 points and 14 first downs.
6. Los Angeles Chargers (bye) (Last Week #8)
Week 5 must have felt like a much-needed respite for the Chargers’ defense, which has been up against it all NFL season. They should have a good opportunity coming off the bye against Bo Nix and a Broncos offense that has been inconsistent thus far this season.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week #5)
T.J. Watt continued to do T.J. Watt things—he reached the century mark in career sacks with a half-sack early on, disrupting Dallas’ rhythm at every opportunity. Despite missing key pieces, the Steelers’ defense did enough to keep them in the game. If only they could have held on that final drive to secure the win!
4. Minnesota Vikings (Last Week #11)
The Vikings’ defense came out firing early Sunday morning in London, with Andrew Van Ginkel setting the tone by picking off Aaron Rodgers and taking it 63 yards to the house. The Jets were not able to move the ball with any sort of consistency against them, as the Vikings moved to an impressive 5-0.
3. Houston Texans (Last Week #9)
Houston’s defense looked elite in the first half, as Josh Allen and co. had no answers for them. The Bills were able to get a couple of breaks in the second half, but all in all, they had a strong showing.
2. Denver Broncos (Last Week #3)
Denver’s defense showed up in throwback fashion, flying all over the field like we used to see those Von Miller-led defenses do. Pat Surtain II was the star, with two interceptions, including a breathtaking 100-yard pick-six that flipped the game on its head. The team is starting to take form in the Mile High City and this defense is a huge reason why.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week #1)
The Kansas City Chiefs defense, aside from one or two big plays, showed up in a major way on Monday Night Football with the way that they balled out against Derek Carr and a tough New Orleans Saints offense. This unit looks legitimate, and the Chiefs will need them if they want to make history as the first team ever to three-peat.
Also Read: Grading All 32 NFL Teams Defenses After Week 4 Games Of The 2024 Season
