NFL Defense Rankings 2025/26: The Broncos’ Defense Dominated in a Week 5 Road Test

The Denver Broncos’ defense started the season a bit slow, but they have once again become the league’s most dominant defense. This impressive unit went into Philadelphia and delivered a win thanks to posting six sacks, five TFLs, nine PDs, and eight QB hits. That has them holding onto the top spot of our rankings this week, despite some strong showings from the league’s other top defenses.

We update our NFL Offense Rankings weekly, but here, it’s all about the backbone of every team: the defense.

Here are our rankings for all 32 NFL defenses.

Ranking All 32 NFL Defenses

32. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys' defense is the worst in the NFL, allowing the most yards (412) and the fourth-most points (30.8) per game this season. While the pass rush stepped up to deliver five sacks and 14 QB hits against the Jets last week, we blame New York’s offensive line for that. While this unit has talent, its league-worst 54.9% third-down rate shows they are nowhere close to being as good as fans had hoped.

31. New Orleans Saints

The Saints jump out of the last spot in our rankings after showing up against the Giants to secure the team’s first win of the season. Their secondary defense allowed seven passes, while the Saints forced five total turnovers. This isn’t a repeatable performance for this unit, but it earns them a small bump in our rankings this week.

30. New York Jets

The Jets haven’t been able to stop anyone this season, allowing 27+ points in all five of their games. That was the case again in Week 5, when the Cowboys scored 37 points on 416 yards with less than 26 minutes of possession. New York's 31.4 points allowed per game is the second-most in the league, and there is no reason to believe that will change anytime soon.

29. Tennessee Titans

After allowing the Cardinals to score touchdowns on three of their first four drives, this Titans defense locked down. They wouldn’t allow another point to be scored, allowing just 151 yards of offense. While the defense was bailed out by a brutal fumble by Emari Demercado that erased a 72-yard touchdown rush. Still, we are taking notice of this unit’s improved play this season. 

28. Carolina Panthers

The Panthers' defense played a significant role in their win against Arizona in Week 5. They sacked Tua Tagovailoa three times and registered nine TFLs. The run defense was also elite, limiting Miami to 19 yards on 14 rushes. No rushes went for more than six yards, preventing them from running out the clock after taking a 17-0 lead.

27. Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders' defense looked great against the Colts in the first quarter, but the wheels came off after that. The allowed Indy to score touchdowns on six straight drives in the second and third quarters, though three came off turnovers from the Vegas offense. There is a lot of blame to go around, but the pass rush deserves a good amount of it, failing to get a sack and hitting Daniel Jones three times.

26. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals' defense is awful, and the Joe Burrow-less offense hasn’t been doing any favors. They allowed the Lions to score 37 points on 365 yards, with the offense turning the ball over three times. All of their stats were recorded during the fourth quarter, when the Cincinnati offense scored 21 points due to defensive indifference. Before that, they held the ball for around 15 minutes. Things weren’t all bad, as the defense stopped six of Detroit’s eight third-down attempts while posting four sacks, six TFLs, and seven QB hits.

25. Miami Dolphins

This defense spoiled a fantastic effort by allowing two 80+ yard touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. One of those came after Miami’s offense briefly regained the lead, putting the blame for the loss squarely on the defense. There was a silver lining in the loss, as Jaelan Phillips registered two QB hits and his first sack of the season. He is an elite pass rusher who has been hampered by injuries. If he can stay healthy, it would be a massive boost for the Dolphins. 

24. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars' defense did not deserve to win on Monday night against the Chiefs. The pass rush failed to sack Patrick Mahomes, but the bigger concern was the team's inability to stop the run. Kansas City hasn’t been able to run the ball all season, but rushed 22 times for 158 yards (7.2 YPC) and three touchdowns. Their stats against the run over the first four weeks were impressive, but they came against subpar competition. We expect those struggles to continue with the Seahawks, Rams, and Raiders on the schedule. 

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

The Bucs tumble down a few spots after a brutal showing against the Seattle Seahawks. They allowed Sam Darnold to look like an MVP, passing for 341 yards and four touchdowns. The ground game also found success, averaging a whopping 6.1 YPC for 122 yards. Baker Mayfield bailed out the defense, a recurring theme that could persist throughout the 2025 season.

22. Atlanta Falcons 

Atlanta is coming off their Week 5 bye to face the Bills on Monday Night Football. We saw the defense struggle in Weeks three and four, despite playing the Panthers and a Commanders team without Jayden Daniels. While Atlanta is allowing the fewest yards per game (244) in the league, this is still a bad defense that will be exposed for a third-straight game on Monday. 

21. New York Giants

This defense has started to come alive up front, with seven TFLs against the Saints in Week 5. That helped them contain a strong New Orleans backfield, but it wasn’t enough to get the win. The Giants’ offense turned the ball over five times, allowing the Saints' defense to return one for a touchdown. They turned the ball over four times on all four drives in the fourth quarter, wasting a solid defensive effort. 

20. Baltimore Ravens

Don’t tell anyone, but we thought this was going to be the best defense in football this season. That hasn’t been the case, with Baltimore giving up the most points (35.4) and second-most yards (408.8) per game this season. They also rank towards the bottom of the league in turnovers forced (2) and sacks (6). The only reason we don’t have them ranked last is the slew of injuries to the Ravens stars, but that could change if things don’t turn around soon.

19. San Francisco 49ers

Going into LA and holding the Rams to 23 points is fantastic for any defense, but the Niners benefited from some good luck in Week 5. LA fumbled twice in the Niners' own zone, one on the 31-yard line and the other at the two. The Rams also missed a field goal, taking away another 17 points LA could have scored. Given that their NFC West rival allowed 456 yards, we believe some ugly games remain ahead for the Niners

18. Washington Commanders

The Commanders’ defense went on the road to deliver one of their best performances in recent memory. They held Justin Herbert to 166 passing yards while sacking him five times and hitting him nine. They also held electric rookie running back Omarion Hampton in check before his injury, holding him to 44 yards on 12 carries. While their defensive stats aren’t great this season, their 15 sacks are tied for the third-most in the NFL.  

17. New England Patriots

The Patriots make a big jump up our rankings after delivering a stellar performance against the Bills on Sunday Night Football. The success came from three turnovers, which kept this Buffalo offense in check. The pass rush looked better than it has all season, registering four sacks and eight QB hits. The secondary needs work, but this Pats defense has outperformed our low expectations through five weeks.

16. Chicago Bears

After a brutal two weeks, the Bears' defense has been locked down. They were off in Week 5, but moved up a spot due to the Ravens delivering another dud. We believe the first two weeks will appear to be a fluke when the season is over, thanks to their league-best third-down rate (29.3%). Unfortunately, playing in the NFC North means their defensive improvement is likely to be overshadowed in 2025.

15. Arizona Cardinals

After leading 21-6 with just over ten minutes left in the game, the Panthers were able to score 16 points to secure the comeback win against the Cardinals. While that kind of choke is usually due to the defense, that wasn’t the case here. Six points came off an Arizona fumble, while eight more came on a freak play when the Titans fumbled, then forced safety Dadrion Taylo-Demerson to fumble, returning it for a touchdown. We still like this unit, especially the young secondary, though they will be tested against the Colts this weekend.

14. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle’s defense was outstanding against the run on Sunday, holding Tampa Bay to just 56 yards on 24 carries (2.3 YPC). However, they had no answers for Baker Mayfield, who completed 87.9% of his passes for 379 yards and two touchdowns. Seattle hasn’t been strong against the pass this season, despite facing a lot of bad quarterbacks. Through five weeks, the defense is allowing the fifth-highest completion percentage in the NFL (70.3%). 

13. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs’ defense fell apart in a big way against the Jaguars on Monday Night Football. After holding Jacksonville scoreless for the first 27 minutes of the game, they surrendered 31 points. While they did force a key interception in the fourth quarter, they allowed ten points on the Jags’ final two drives of the game. Chris Jones was quiet once again, except for a lackluster play that allowed the game-losing touchdown. 

12. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts bounced back last week to shut down Geno Smith and the Raiders. They intercepted Smith twice while sacking him four times. The secondary defended eight passes, while the defensive front had six TFLs. However, a familiar problem arose once again as the defense struggled to get off the field on third down, allowing Vegas to convert eight of their 14 attempts.

11. Los Angeles Chargers

The Charges drop a few spots after a rough Week 5 showing against the Commanders. The pass rush was weak, but the bigger problem was their inability to stop the run. Washington rushed 28 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns (5.8 YPC). LA is now allowing 4.8 YPC this season, which places them in the bottom ten of the league.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers had their bye in Week 5, but poor play by other defenses jumps them into our top ten. We expect their elite play to continue over the coming weeks, with the Browns and Bengals coming up on the schedule. We’ll get a better feel for where this defense stands in Week 8 when they welcome an excellent Green Bay Packers team to town. 

9. Buffalo Bills

The Bills suffered their first loss of the season against the Patriots in Week 5, but that wasn’t the defense's fault. They stood tall and shut down New England’s run game, though they struggled against Drake Maye and the pass attack, allowing 273 yards on 22 completions. The unit ultimately faltered in the fourth quarter, including a 90-yard touchdown drive that gave the Pats the lead late. 

8. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings didn’t have to do much to shut the Browns’ offense down. While rookie Dillon Gabriel looked decent, he only averaged 5.8 yards per play. The run game found plenty of success behind Quinshon Judkins, who rushed 23 times for 110 yards (4.8 YPC). That continues a trend of poor run defense from Minnesota, which now ranks twenty-fifth in rush yards per game (132.2).

7. Los Angeles Rams

The Rams tumble a few spots down our rankings after allowing NFC West rival Niners to gain 407 yards and score 26 points on Thursday Night Football. The pass rush managed to hit Mac Jones 10 times, and the rush defense allowed just 2.2 YPC. Unfortunately, the secondary failed in a big way, allowing 342 receiving yards. That could be a problem again this weekend if Lamar Jackson is able to suit up for the Ravens.

6. Detroit Lions

Don’t let the final score of the Lions' Week 5 win fool you; they completely dominated the Bengals on the road. They intercepted Jake Browning three times and shut down Chase Brown and Cincinnati’s run game. They let off the gas late to allow for the Bengals to score 21 points, but did enough to help ensure the Lions earned their fourth win of the season.

5. Houston Texans 

The Texans' defense shut down a Ravens team missing Lamar Jackson, continuing their impressive start to the 2025 season. They are allowing the fewest points (12.2) and third-fewest yards (265.8) per game in the NFL. Those stats are made even more impressive when you consider that the pass rush hasn’t been as effective as it was in the last couple of years, highlighting the growth of the rest of this Houston defense. 

4. Green Bay Packers

The Packers are coming off a badly needed bye week. The last two games saw them lose to the Browns and tie the Cowboys, ending the hype from their 2-0 start to the season. They still rank fourth in the league in yards allowed per game (283.3) and third-down percentage (32.7%). We have questions about Green Bay’s secondary depth, but still believe this is an elite defense. 

3. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles' pass defense was effective against the Broncos, creating a significant amount of pressure on Bo Nix. That helped rattle the young quarterback and kept the game close. Unfortunately, the run defense struggled once again, allowing 130 yards and a touchdown (4.5 YPC). They now rank in the bottom half of the NFL in rush yards per game (126.8), TDs (4), and YPC (4.7).

2.  Cleveland Browns

The Browns' defense was solid against the Vikings last weekend, putting the team in position to pull off an upset win. The offense wasn’t able to take advantage of that, leading to the Browns' fourth loss of the season. We continue to be impressed with this unit, and we believe it will only improve as the offense progresses this season.

1. Denver Broncos

The Broncos stay atop our rankings after an incredible effort in Philadelphia in Week 5. The defensive front was great once again, posting six sacks, five TFLs, nine PDs, and eight QB hits. They also stopped the Eagles on nine of their 11 third-down attempt, which helped sway this game into the Broncos' favor.

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Top Five NFL Passing Defenses

5. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons enter our top five thanks to ranking first in pass yards per game (135) and fourth in opposing passer rating (78.3).

4. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles' pass defense shook Bo Nix last week, though the effort was undone by their inability to stop the run. 

3. Denver Broncos

The Broncos sacked Jalen Hurts six times in Week 5 while defending nine passes. They now lead the NFL with 21 sacks and rank sixth with 27 PDs.

2. Cleveland Browns

The Browns ultimately fell victim to a Justin Jefferson in Week 5, but didn’t allow any other Vikings to finish with more than 41 yards. 

1. Houston Texans

Cooper Rush never had a chance against this impressive pass defense, passing for just 179 while throwing three interceptions. 

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Top Five NFL Rushing Defenses

5. New England Patriots

The Pats struggled to stop James Cook and the Bills on the ground, but so have everyone else they’ve played. Despite the tough showing, New England is fourth in the NFL in rush yards per game (85.6) and YPC (3.5)

4. Los Angeles Rams

The Rams dominated the Niners' backfield in their Week 5 loss, with Christian McCaffrey managing 2.6 YPC. 

3. Green Bay Packers

The Packers were off in Week 5, but rank second in rushing yards allowed per game (77.5) and fifth in YPC average (3.6).

2. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle couldn’t stop Baker Mayfield and the pass attack, but they limited the Bucs to just 56 yards on 24 carries (2.3 YPC). 

1. Cleveland Browns

Jordan Mason found some running room against the Browns on Sunday, but the Vikings still finished with under 100 rushing yards. They lead the league with 75.6 rushing yards allowed per game.

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NFL Defense Rankings 2025