Who has the best NFL defense in 2022? Our weekly NFL defense rankings examine every unit across the league on a weekly basis to determine the best defenses in the NFL.
While it’s important not to overreact too much to Week 1, the first game of the 2022 season provided plenty of useful information to evaluate as we go forward. Some teams with high expectations (Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles) fell short, but others delivered with promising signs for the future.
Bookmark this page throughout the 2022 NFL season for weekly analysis and previews of matchups for the top-20 teams. For fantasy purposes, our Week 2 fantasy defense rankings can be found at the bottom.
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Let’s dive into our NFL defense rankings heading into Week 3.
Stats courtesy Football Outsiders, Pro Football Reference, ESPN and Pro Football Focus.
Dropped from NFL defense rankings: Las Vegas Raiders (20), Indianapolis Colts (19)
20. New England Patriots (UR)
A year removed from being a top-10 team in the NFL defense rankings, the New England Patriots are now fighting their way onto the list. Facing Mitchell Trubisky certainly helps as the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback lacks the ability to test the Patriots’ secondary. With that said, it’s nice to see Christian Barmore and Matthew Judon making plays. As for next week, Lamar Jackson should have no trouble against this team.
19. Houston Texans (UR)
It’s time to take notice of the Houston Texans’ defense. Lovie Smith’s group ruined a debut for Russell Wilson, holding the NFL star to a 66.4 quarterback rating with an ugly 45.2% completion rate on 31 attempts. Houston generated some pressure in this matchup, sacking Wilson three times with seven quarterback hits. Heading into Week 3 against the Chicago Bears, the Texans’ defense is allowing just 18 points per game. Just keep in mind that opponents are also averaging 163 rush ypg.
18. Cincinnati Bengals (18)
Everyone set a higher standard for the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense in this matchup. The Dallas Cowboys started a quarterback who was on their practice squad two weeks ago and he was protected by a backup left tackle with the No. 2 receiver sidelined. Allowing 20 points should be enough on most Sundays for a good offense to win, but Cincinnati’s defense allowing 5.7 yards per play and sacking Cooper Rush once in 31 dropbacks is a problem. We’ll see if this unit improves against the New York Jets.
17. Kansas City Chiefs (UR)
We’ll start with the good news for the Kansas City Chiefs defense. The pass rush (30.9% pressure rate) is excellent through the first two games of the season and it’s not like Kansas City is blitzing all the time (10.6% blitz rate). This unit is also holding its own against the run, surrendering just 3.9 ypr through two games. However, what Mike Williams did to this secondary is a concern moving forward. There’s a little room for the Chiefs to climb in the NFL defense rankings, but there is also a lot more work to be done.
Related: Kansas City Chiefs schedule
16. Carolina Panthers (17)
A defense deserves to win an NFL game when it holds an opponents to 19 points and 265 total yards on 70 plays. Keep in mind, that the New York Giants scored six of its points after the Carolina Panther fumbled at its own 25- and 40-yard line. Each time, Carolina’s defense stepped up with huge stops. The Panthers have allowed just three touchdowns this season, holding opponents to a 40% touchdown conversation rate inside the red zone. This might not be one of the best NFL defenses in 2022, but keep an eye out for it in Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints.
15. Cleveland Browns (11)
The Cleveland Browns’ defense held a 30-17 lead with under two minutes remaining in the game, a 99.3% win probability that made victory a virtual guarantee. Instead, Corey Davis was left wide-open on a busted coverage for a 66-yard touchdown. After New York required the onside kick, 37-year-old Joe Flacco marched downfield and hit Garrett Wilson for the game-winning touchdown. This is also the same unit that left Breece Hall uncovered for his first touchdown. It’s a well-deserved slide down the NFL defense rankings for Cleveland. The only good thing for this team, Mitch Trubisky won’t do much in Week 3.
14. Minnesota Vikings (16)
A revenge game for Za’Darius Smith brought even more juice out of the Minnesota Vikings’ defense. Harrison Smith (90.4 PFF coverage grade) looked like his old self and this pass rush generated the seventh-highest pressure rate (9.3%) in Week 1. It earns a slight bump in the NFL defense rankings for Week 2, but we need to see how Minnesota fares against a unit that isn’t starting three backup offensive linemen.
Related: Takeaways from NFL Week 1
One thing to keep in mind, quarterback Jalen Hurts (97.7 QB rating and 90.8 PFF run grade) handled the blitz well last season. Minnesota only blitzed Aaron Rodgers on 18.6% of his dropbacks in Week 1, a number that should be slightly higher on Monday Night Football. Two issues for Minnesota; First, they allowed 6.2 ypr against Green Bay and now face a more explosive ground game. Second, the Vikings lack the standout talent at corner to contain A.J. Brown.
13. Philadelphia Eagles (6)
It’s a steep drop in the NFL defense rankings for the Philadelphia Eagles heading into Week 2. D’Andre Swift (144 yards, 1 TD) and Jamaal Williams (2 TDs) ran for whatever they wanted, with Swift averaging 9.6 ypr. Frankly, the Detroit Lions offense might have scored even more than 35 points if Jared Goff was even a marginal quarterback.
Related: Philadelphia Eagles schedule
There is talent for days at every level of this defense but it didn’t translate to a quality performance in Week 1. Philly gets a few days to figure things out before a daunting matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. We’re most intrigued to see how often Darius Slay gets lined up vs Justin Jefferson.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (9)
As we mentioned coming into Week 2, making a fair evaluation of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense without T.J. Watt is going to take time. Sunday didn’t answer any real questions. Despite Mac Jones dropping back 35 times to pass, the Steelers recorded just three quarterback hits and failed to record a sack. There is a positive in that Pittsburgh only surrendered 17 points, but the 5.7 yards per play allowed and 53% third-down conversion rate suggests things would be far worse against a better offense. Expect Nick Chubb to get plenty of carries against a run defense that allowed 257 yards through its first two games.
11. Miami Dolphins (7)
A year after erasing Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, the Miami Dolphins defense found itself on the other end of the spectrum in Week 2. Jackson delivered an MVP-caliber performance, eviscerating Miami for 318 passing yards, 119 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Just as alarming, the Dolphins had zero answers for Rashod Bateman (108 yards) nor Mark Andrew (104 yards) and they didn’t record a sack. None of this bodes well for a Week 3 draw against JoshAllen, Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis.
10. Baltimore Ravens (5)
For three quarters, this looked like one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Baltimore Ravens only allowed 14 points to Miami through the first three quarters and they generated a pair of takeaways. Holding a three-score lead, it looked like Baltimore would cruise to victory with an elite offense and a top-five defense making them a Super Bowl contender. Tua Tagovailoa then completed 13-of-17 passes for 199 yards and four touchdowns while Tyreek Hill burned the Ravens’ secondary for 48- and 60-yard touchdowns.
While Baltimore’s secondary was banged-up on Sunday, this fourth-quarter collapse raises red flags. It won’t be an issue in Week 3 (New England Patriots), but it could be a huge problem on Oct. 2 against the Buffalo Bills. We’ll just have to see if Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey are 100% for that meeting.
9. Los Angeles Rams (15)
While the Atlanta Falcons might be one of the worst teams in the NFL, their offense flies under the radar. Arthur Smith knows how to design a system that utilizes a diverse cast of weapons (Cordarrelle Patterson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts). It’s why the Los Angeles Rams earn some praise in Week 2. The true standout on Sunday wasn’t who you would expect. Rookie cornerback, a fourth-round pick out of South Carolina State, recorded his first interception and sack. As Los Angeles prepares to face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3, keep in mind that Kyler Murray threw four interceptions with a 76.3 QB rating in three games against the Rams last season.
8. Denver Broncos (12)
It’s starting to come together for the Denver Broncos’ defense. Since allowing 17 first-half points to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, the mix of young talent and veteran experience on this roster is starting to gel. Pat Surtain is becoming the No. 1 cornerback everyone believed he could become in his second year and the pass-rushing duo of Randy Gregory and Bradley Chupp helps make life interior for the interior defensive line. It certainly helps to face the Seahawks and Houston Texans, so we’ll hold off on moving the Broncos up higher in the NFL defense rankings until they prove it against Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers.
Related: Week 3 NFL schedule
7. Green Bay Packers (8)
Not allowing Jaire Alexander to shadow Justin Jefferson far more often was foolish and the Green Bay Packers top defender was right to call out the decision. Green Bay did a nice job pressuring Kirk Cousins, Minnesota just schemed things up so he could dump the football quickly. The Packers should fare much better against the Chicago Bears in Week 2, but it’s clear this isn’t one of the best NFL defenses right now.
Week 2 is an opportunity for Green Bay to really turn things around. The field conditions will be ideal to attack Chicago’s offensive line, creating a lot of pressure from different angles on Justin Fields. The Packers also have the secondary to match up perfectly against one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL. We have high expectations for the Packers’ defense on Sunday.
6. Dallas Cowboys (10)
We pushed the Dallas Cowboys outside the top 10 in our initial NFL defense rankings entering the season. As stated in the past, it all tied back to a unit that relied heavily on takeaways and that luck always regresses. This is a different version of the Cowboys’ defense and no one can argue that it has to do with playing weak opponents. Dallas boasts one of the best pass rushes in the NFL, getting to both Joe Burrow and Tom Brady. This is a defense that can win several games on its own, including upcoming matchups against the New York Giants (Week 3) and Washington Commanders (Week 4). All of this, of course, is a credit to Dan Quinn, Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs.
NFL defensive rankings: Top 5 defenses in 2022
5. New Orleans Saints (6)
Ownage is ownage. In the last five regular-season starts against Tom Brady, the New Orleans Saints defense held the future Hall of Famer to a 60.2% completion rate with a 67.2 passer rating, 14 sacks and a 7-8 TD-INT ratio. No team is better at causing Brady so much frustration that he damages equipment on the sideline. We also must note that the Saints’ run defense bounced back nicely in Week 2, holding Leonard Fourntte to 2.7 ypr and limiting Tampa Bay to 72 yards on 30 rushes. All of it pushes New Orleans back up the NFL defense rankings and it will eat in Week 3 vs Carolina.
4. Los Angeles Chargers (7)
Getting J.C. Jackson back provided the Los Angeles Chargers defense with a huge boost and he helped contain the Chiefs’ passing offense. If not for penalties and a questionable replay decision, Los Angeles would have picked off Patrick Mahomes at least once. Overall, the Chargers deserve credit for containing Travis Kelce (51 yards on seven targets) and bottling up Mahomes for the most part. Moving forward, this should be one of the best NFL defenses in 2022.
3. San Francisco 49ers (2)
This is one of the best NFL defenses in 2022, not the group that fought through awful field conditions in Week 1. The San Francisco 49ers’ defense pressured Geno Smith, snuffed the Seahawks’ run game and allowed their defensive line to eat all Sunday. After dominating late in the 2021 season purely off the play of the front seven, San Francisco’s secondary is now in a better place. The 49ers vs Broncos matchup looks outstanding on paper, but the edge goes to San Francisco’s defense.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the best defense in the NFC. They did precisely what you’d expect from an elite unit, sacking Jameis Winston six times with nine quarterback hits and three interceptions. While Tampa Bay ceded some yardage on the ground, allowing 5.1 ypr, that’s not as glaring of an issue based on the talent and size on the defensive line. Facing one of the best NFL defenses in Week 3, Aaron Rodgers is in serious trouble against a unit with 19 quarterback hits, 10 sacks and a 53.35 passer rating allowed through the first two games.
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1. Buffalo Bills (1)
The Buffalo Bills proved why they are the best defense in the NFL. Even without No. 1 cornerback Tre’Davious White, Leslie Frazier’s group made it a miserable Week 1 for Los Angeles. Buffalo didn’t need to blitz, with its four-man rush generating an astonishing 15 quarterback hits and seven sacks. Credit to the likes of Jordan Phillips (1.5 sacks), AJ Epenesa (1.5 sacks), Von Miller (2 sacks) and Greg Rousseau. If Buffalo’s pass rush is this dominant, they’ll be the No.1 NFL defense in 2022 throughout the year.
Also and feedback on the NFL defense rankings can be sent to @MattJ_Sports on Twitter
Week 2 D/ST rankings
- San Francisco 49ers D/ST vs Seattle Seahawks
- Buffalo Bills D/ST vs Tennessee Titans
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST vs New Orleans Saints
- Cleveland Browns D/ST vs New York Jets
- Cincinnati Bengals D/ST vs Dallas Cowboys
- Denver Broncos D/ST vs Houston Texans
- Green Bay Packers D/ST vs Chicago Bears
- Los Angeles Rams D/ST vs Atlanta Falcons
- Baltimore Ravens D/ST vs Miami Dolphins
- New Orleans Saints D/ST vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Carolina Panthers D/ST vs New York Giants
- Indianapolis Colts D/ST vs Jacksonville Jaguars
- Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST vs New England Patriots
- New York Jets D/ST vs Cleveland Browns
- Los Angeles Chargers D/ST vs Kansas City Chiefs
This article was originally published on Sportsnaut.com and is republished here with permission.
