With the steadily increasing popularity of fantasy football, NFL fans tend to pay more attention to offenses, neglecting the defensive side of the ball, but I’m here to help.
On this page, I’ve created NFL defense power rankings, ranked from 1 to 32, giving you a better sense of the best and worst defenses in football.
To put together this list, I considered coaching, roster, and recent performance.
NFL Defense Power Rankings
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Green Bay Packers |
| 2 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 3 | Houston Texans |
| 4 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 5 | Buffalo Bills |
| 6 | Baltimore Ravens |
| 7 | Denver Broncos |
| 8 | Los Angeles Rams |
| 9 | Minnesota Vikings |
| 10 | Seattle Seahawks |
| 11 | San Francisco 49ers |
| 12 | Arizona Cardinals |
| 13 | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 14 | New England Patriots |
| 15 | Detroit Lions |
| 16 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 17 | New York Giants |
| 18 | Chicago Bears |
| 19 | Atlanta Falcons |
| 20 | New York Jets |
| 21 | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 22 | Dallas Cowboys |
| 23 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 24 | Washington Commanders |
| 25 | Indianapolis Colts |
| 26 | Cleveland Browns |
| 27 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 28 | Tennessee Titans |
| 29 | New Orleans Saints |
| 30 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 31 | Miami Dolphins |
| 32 | Carolina Panthers |
NFL Defense Power Rankings are updated as of September 14, 2025.
NFL Defenses Ranked 32-21
32. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers haven’t shown any improvements on defense so far. We saw them get gashed on the ground by Travis Etienne in Week 1.
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31. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins defense has been an absolute dumpster fire through two weeks, getting shredded by both Daniel Jones and Drake Maye.
30. Cincinnati Bengals
We just saw the Bengals get picked apart by Trevor Lawrence in a shootout. This defense is still a work in progress.
29. New Orleans Saints
We just saw the Saints get picked apart by Mac Jones. This team is going to be involved in several shootouts this year.
28. Tennessee Titans
The Titans have some moments on defense — just like at what they did to Bo Nix in Week 1 — but then they go and get shredded by the Rams.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are still a work in progress on defense. They’re consistently in shootouts, which is why they find themselves at the bottom of this list.
26. Cleveland Browns
The Browns are led by generational edge rusher Myles Garrett, but this is a rebuilding team that will still give up a ton of points.
25. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are dealing with injuries right now, but there’s some talent in this group, including second-year edge-rusher Laiatu Latu.
24. Washington Commanders
The Commanders just got picked apart by Jordan Love, but there’s upside with this defense, especially if Marshon Lattimore can rediscover his form.
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs have a vulnerable pass defense, but it remains to be seen if they have improved this year. They were able to hold the Falcons in check in Week 1.
22. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have done a good job stopping the run, but they’ve been shredded through the air. This team clearly misses Micah Parsons.
21. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are led by stud pass-rusher Maxx Crosby, but they need more consistency if they’re going to move up this list.
NFL Defenses Ranked 20-11
20. New York Jets
The Jets defense has gotten off to a slow start this season, getting shredded by the Steelers and Bills, but there’s still talent here and good coaching with Aaron Glenn.
19. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons invested premium draft capital into their pass rush, which could allow this team to fly up the ranks in short order.
18. Chicago Bears
The Bears have gotten off to a poor start this season, but we have to acknowledge that they’re dealing with injuries in the secondary.
17. New York Giants
The Giants defense has a lot of upside, led by a stacked group of pass rushers that includes Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers defense has gotten off to a poor start this season, but they have the talent to get back on track sooner than later.
15. Detroit Lions
The Lions defense could fly up these ranks if they could start to gel like they did last year, as Aidan Hutchinson is a major problem.
14. New England Patriots
The Patriots defense should get back on track once top cornerback Christian Gonzalez is back healthy.
13. Los Angeles Chargers
As long as stud defensive back Derwin James is healthy, the Chargers have a stout defense that could get this team an AFC West division title.
12. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have the most underrated defenses in the NFL. They had a terrific draft bringing in Walter Nolen and Will Johnson.
11. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers defense has stepped up in the last two weeks, allowing the team to get off to a 2-0 start despite being riddled with injuries on offense.
NFL Defenses Ranked 10-1
10. Seattle Seahawks
Head coach Mike Macdonald is building a terrific defense here, filled with young and talented players in this terrific scheme.
9. Minnesota Vikings
As long as Brian Flores is coaching up this defense, they should remain as one of the top defenses in the NFL.
8. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams have an imposing pass rush, led by emerging superstar Jared Verse. Players like this can get this team back to the Super Bowl.
7. Denver Broncos
The Broncos had a letdown game on defense against the Colts, but this is still one of the best defenses in the NFL, led by stud cornerback Pat Surtain II.
6. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens bounced back against the Browns after a poor performance vs the Bills. I love what they did in the draft in getting Malaki Starks, so look out for this group.
5. Buffalo Bills
The Bills have an improving group — don’t let the shootout against the Ravens fool you. We just saw them completely shut down the Jets in Week 2.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have been one of the most consistent defenses in the NFL in the last couple of years. Despite the slow start, there’s still an elite unit.
3. Houston Texans
The Texans have an elite pass rush led by Will Anderson Jr, along with a stud cornerback in Will Stingley. This group just keeps getting better.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
The defending Super Bowl champions have an absolutely stacked defense, loading with young talent like Jalen Carter and Quinyon Mitchell.
1. Green Bay Packers
The Packers defense has become a major problem now that they traded for generational edge rusher Micah Parsons. This unit could get Green Bay back to the Super Bowl.
