Best NFL Defenses in 2024-25: NFL Defense Rankings

Defense wins championships, they say, and the logic behind that mantra is pretty clear: A team can’t win against you if it can’t score points. And that’s where each of the 32 NFL teams’ defensive squads come in.

Some of the NFL’s defenses have essentially been porous this season, allowing upwards of 350 average yards per game, while others are downright elite, shutting down their opponents’ momentum week after week.

So, which teams currently have the best defense in the NFL as we head into the postseason? Let’s take a look.

Don’t forget: You can watch all of the NFL action on the gridiron with DIRECTV.

---

2024-25 NFL Season Defensive Rankings

An NFL defense’s performance can vary from week to week, depending heavily on each team’s particular matchup. Even top defenses can find themselves hard-pressed to stop the likes of dynamic and aggressive offenses from teams who play well against their weak spots.

To get a sense of which teams have had the best defense in the NFL across the season, we’ll look at four key categories of defense performance statistics: average total yards allowed per game, average passing yards allowed per game, average rushing yards allowed per game and total touchdowns allowed.

The Philadelphia Eagles (14-3), Tennessee Titans (3-14) and New York Jets (5-12) currently have the best defenses in the NFL. The Denver Broncos, Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers also fared well on the defensive side of the line this season, and all three of those teams made the playoffs.

On the other end of the defensive spectrum, the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13), Carolina Panthers (5-12) and the New Orleans Saints (5-12) defenses have struggled through the season. Unsurprisingly, these teams are also near the bottom of the league’s overall standings.

Also notably struggling more than usual in overall defense: the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, New York Giants and New England Patriots. The Patriots, specifically, have been in the spotlight this season, their first without legendary, defensively minded head coach Bill Belichick on the sideline. Jerod Mayo took the team’s reins in 2024, only to be fired after just a single season.

Here’s a complete look at the top NFL defenses right now (as of January 7, 2024).

Total Defense (Allowed per Game, Sorted by Total Yards)

Team	Defense Yards	Pass Yards	Rush Yards	TDs
Philadelphia Eagles	278.4	174.2	104.2	33
Tennessee Titans	311.2	177.3	133.9	55
New York Jets	313.7	192.6	121.1	42
Miami Dolphins	314.4	210.7	103.7	36
Green Bay Packers	314.5	215.2	99.4	39
Houston Texans	315	201	114	42
Denver Broncos	317.1	220.7	96.4	32
San Francisco 49ers	317.4	192.8	124.6	50
Kansas City Chiefs	320.6	218.8	101.8	37
Baltimore Ravens	324.2	244.1	80.1	39
Los Angeles Chargers	324.4	206.9	117.5	31
Pittsburgh Steelers	326.7	228	98.7	39
Washington Commanders	326.9	189.8	137.1	45
Seattle Seahawks	332.7	211.9	120.8	40
Las Vegas Raiders	333.1	216.2	116.9	46
Minnesota Vikings	335.4	242	93.4	37
Buffalo Bills	341.5	226.1	115.5	44
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	341.8	243.9	97.8	41
Cleveland Browns	342.1	212.4	129.7	53
Detroit Lions	342.4	244	98.4	37
Arizona Cardinals	342.5	216.1	126.4	40
New England Patriots	342.9	211.5	131.4	47
Atlanta Falcons	345.1	224.5	120.6	47
New York Giants	346.8	210.6	136.2	47
Cincinnati Bengals	348.3	223.5	124.8	53
Los Angeles Rams	353.1	223.1	130	43
Chicago Bears	354.2	217.9	136.3	37
Dallas Cowboys	355.2	218.1	137.1	55
Indianapolis Colts	361.2	229.4	131.8	48
New Orleans Saints	379.9	238.5	141.4	43
Jacksonville Jaguars	389.9	257.4	132.6	48
Carolina Panthers	404.5	224.7	179.8	61

Passing Defense: Pass Yards Allowed per Game

Team	Pass Yards Allowed Per Game
Philadelphia Eagles	174.2
Tennessee Titans	177.3
Washington Commanders	189.8
New York Jets	192.6
San Francisco 49ers	192.8
Houston Texans	201
Los Angeles Chargers	206.9
New York Giants	210.6
Miami Dolphins	210.7
New England Patriots	211.5
Seattle Seahawks	211.9
Cleveland Browns	212.4
Green Bay Packers	215.2
Arizona Cardinals	216.1
Las Vegas Raiders	216.2
Chicago Bears	217.9
Dallas Cowboys	218.1
Kansas City Chiefs	218.8
Denver Broncos	220.7
Los Angeles Rams	223.1
Cincinnati Bengals	223.5
Atlanta Falcons	224.5
Carolina Panthers	224.7
Buffalo Bills	226.1
Pittsburgh Steelers	228
Indianapolis Colts	229.4
New Orleans Saints	238.5
Minnesota Vikings	242
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	243.9
Detroit Lions	244
Baltimore Ravens	244.1
Jacksonville Jaguars	257.4

Rushing Defense: Rush Yards Allowed per Game

Team	Rush Yards
Baltimore Ravens	80.1
Minnesota Vikings	93.4
Denver Broncos	96.4
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	97.8
Detroit Lions	98.4
Pittsburgh Steelers	98.7
Green Bay Packers	99.4
Kansas City Chiefs	101.8
Miami Dolphins	103.7
Philadelphia Eagles	104.2
Houston Texans	114
Buffalo Bills	115.5
Las Vegas Raiders	116.9
Los Angeles Chargers	117.5
Atlanta Falcons	120.6
Seattle Seahawks	120.8
New York Jets	121.1
San Francisco 49ers	124.6
Cincinnati Bengals	124.8
Arizona Cardinals	126.4
Cleveland Browns	129.7
Los Angeles Rams	130
New England Patriots	131.4
Indianapolis Colts	131.8
Jacksonville Jaguars	132.6
Tennessee Titans	133.9
New York Giants	136.2
Chicago Bears	136.3
Washington Commanders	137.1
Dallas Cowboys	137.1
New Orleans Saints	141.4
Carolina Panthers	179.8

---

Watch NFL on DIRECTV

You can watch all of these NFL defenses try to sack, tackle and intercept their way to the NFL Playoffs on DIRECTV. Don’t have DIRECTV yet? Let’s change that.

DIRECTV Insider brings you our views on what’s happening in streaming, t.v., movies and sports. Companies and persons mentioned are not necessarily associated with and do not necessarily endorse DIRECTV. We will disclose sponsored content on our site when we show it to you, and some of the links on the site may be ads or affiliate links which means DIRECTV may earn compensation from your purchases.