{"id":254751,"date":"2025-11-15T09:00:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T14:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=254751"},"modified":"2025-11-29T10:58:49","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T15:58:49","slug":"nfl-power-rankings-top-20-defenses-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/11\/15\/nfl-power-rankings-top-20-defenses-3\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Power Rankings: Top 20 Defenses"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s that time of the week when we look at which defenses stepped up and which others fell after week 8 in the NFL. That means we could have some new teams on this list,so let’s get to this week’s top defenses in the NFL. Have a great day, everyone, and may the tackles be with you.<\/p>\n

Top 20 NFL Defense Power Rankings<\/h2>\n
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Photo Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> – 334 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Buccaneers are fresh off a game against the Patriots, who did run up the score on them. This week, they’ll be facing the recently punked Bills, which could lead to their exit from this list.<\/p>\n

19. New York Jets<\/a> – 329 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Jets found some success against the Browns with six sacks, but they’ll be hard-pressed to duplicate that this week against the Patriots. Drake Maye is going to run them out of town just as fast as the Jets showed up.<\/p>\n

18. Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> – 327.9 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Eagles needed help on defense, so they made a trade with the Dolphins for defensive end Jaelen Phillips. They’ll need him this week with the Lions coming to town, who can score at will if you let Jared Goff stay clean.<\/p>\n

17. Indianapolis Colts<\/a> – 327.6 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Colts simply ran through the Falcons on the legs of Jonathan Taylor. This week, they have a week off before they head to Kansas City to face the Chiefs.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A'Shawn
Photo Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

16. Carolina Panthers<\/a> – 323.7 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Panthers defense has done the best they could so far this season, with the offense being inept at times. This week, they’ll be taking on the Falcons, who are still trying to get the nightmare of Jonathan Taylor out of their heads.<\/p>\n

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Could Colts’ star running back Jonathan Taylor be one of the top 15 running backs of all time<\/a>?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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15. Las Vegas Raiders<\/a> – 320.8 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

If the Raiders were looking for a break after their boring game against the Broncos, they’ll be sad to know that isn’t happening any time soon. With the Cowboys coming to Vegas this week, you can bet that they’ll be running all over the place.<\/p>\n

14. Buffalo Bills<\/a> – 317.8 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Bills defense came unhinged last week as the Dolphins proved they lay down for no team. After giving up 51 points in the past two games, it’s not going to get any easier when they play the Buccaneers this week.<\/p>\n

13. New Orleans Saints<\/a> – 317.5 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

After a great game against the Panthers, the Saints are ready to go marching home for their bye week. That’s where they’ll stay for week 12 when the Falcons come to town for a tough divisional game.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

12. Minnesota Vikings<\/a> – 317.2 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

Since their bye, the Vikings defense had given up more than 22 points in four straight games, including a 37-point whipping by the Chargers. This week, they get the Bears, who could also score over 20 points on them, which could have them plummeting on this list next week.<\/p>\n

11. Los Angeles Rams<\/a> – 312.9 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Rams knew they had to take care of business against the Niners after losing on Thursday Night Football in Los Angeles. This week, they have the Seahawks coming to Tinseltown for a chance to take over sole possession of first place in the NFC West.<\/p>\n

10. Atlanta Falcons<\/a> – 308.8 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Falcons defense may have been on some wars recently, but recording 13 sacks in the past two weeks is no joke. That keeps them in the top ten for now they look for revenge against the Panthers, who spanked them earlier in the year.<\/p>\n

9. Seattle Seahawks<\/a> – 307.3 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Seahawks annihilated the Cardinals, who have now turned into a team full of backups starting. This week, they head to Los Angeles in what could be one of the highest-scoring games of the week.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Aidan<\/p>\n

8. New England Patriots<\/a> – 306.2 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Patriots proved to everyone that they’re no fluke by showing that they can hang with the best by containing Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers. This week, they get the hapless Jets, who should get run over on Thursday Night Football this week.<\/p>\n

7. Detroit Lions<\/a> – 294 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Lions defense knows they have to step it up if they want to make it to a Super Bowl, and that test will be this week. After beating the Commanders, they now have to head to Philly, where the Eagles are waiting to spoil those dreams they may have.<\/p>\n

6. Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> – 291.8 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Chiefs have moved up on the defensive charts with hard work, dedication, and the commitment they have to their fans. Fresh off a bye week, the Chiefs will be taking on the division-leading Broncos, in what could be another game of the week.<\/p>\n

5. Green Bay Packers<\/a> – 287.2 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

After a so-so game against the Eagles, the Packers get an early Christmas gift in the form of the battered and beaten New York Giants. Even though this game is in New York, you can expect the Packers to take care of business and take advantage of any turnovers Jameis Winston may give them.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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4. Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> – 280.2 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Chargers showed how dominant they could be last week as they held the Steelers to only 10 points. This week, they’re playing the Jaguars in what should be another win for one of the league’s most consistent defenses.<\/p>\n

3. Denver Broncos<\/a> – 270.7 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

Everyone thought that with the injury to Patrick Surtain, the Broncos defense would fall apart. Now they’ll most likely be without Alex Singleton as they get ready for one of the biggest tests they have had this year, with the Chiefs coming to Denver.<\/p>\n

2. Cleveland Browns<\/a> – 264.9 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

No matter how much everyone wants to laugh about the Browns, it’s apparent their defense comes to play. Unfortunately, they face a hungry Ravens team this week, who’s trying to rip the division away from the Steelers, who are falling faster than the Dow Jones on some days.<\/p>\n

1. Houston Texans<\/a> – 261.3 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The league’s best defense resides in Houston, and the Texans are ready for another great game after recording five sacks and two turnovers against the Jaguars. This week, they will be in Tennessee to face rookie quarterback Cam Ward and what could be the league\u2019s worst team in the Titans<\/p>\n

For more entertaining football analysis, check out DrRoto.com<\/a>!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s that time of the week when we look at which defenses stepped up and which others fell after week 8 in the NFL. That means we could have some new teams on this list,so let’s get to this week’s top defenses in the NFL. Have a great day, everyone, and may the tackles be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5637,"featured_media":254756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,27,30,8,24,25,14,12,16,17,18,34,5,6431,33916,32,29],"tags":[2165,33781,2320],"class_list":["post-254751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-falcons","category-panthers","category-browns","category-lions","category-packers","category-texans","category-colts","category-chiefs","category-raiders","category-chargers","category-rams","category-patriots","category-nfl-teams","category-power-rankings","category-seahawks","category-buccaneers","tag-defense","tag-nfl-power-rankings","tag-nfl-schedule"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5637"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254751"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":254758,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254751\/revisions\/254758"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}