{"id":260481,"date":"2025-12-27T09:00:46","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T14:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=260481"},"modified":"2025-12-26T18:19:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T23:19:23","slug":"nfl-power-rankings-top-20-defenses-week-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/12\/27\/nfl-power-rankings-top-20-defenses-week-17\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Power Rankings: Top 20 Defenses Week 17"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s that time of the week when we look at which defenses stepped up and which others fell after week 16 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

Week 17 NFL Power Rankings: Top 20 Defenses<\/h3>\n
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Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

20. Miami Dolphins – 339.5 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

It’s crazy to see the Dolphins<\/a> on this list still after giving up 45 against the Bengals, but here we are. This week, they face the Buccaneers<\/a>, who should be able to score at will as well.<\/p>\n

19. Detroit Lions – 335.8 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Lions<\/a> are facing elimination from the playoffs this week after losing to the Rams<\/a> and the Steelers<\/a>. Now they have to go to Minnesota to play the Vikings<\/a>, who have one of the best defenses in the NFL. They can’t seem to catch a break, but was their season doomed from the start<\/a>?<\/p>\n

18. San Francisco 49ers – 332.2 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Niners<\/a> are in the thick of things when it comes to the playoffs and showed that last week against the Colts<\/a> by forcing two turnovers. This week, they get the Bears<\/a>, which could determine if one of them gets a home game in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

17. Carolina Panthers – 329.1 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Panthers<\/a> showed up against the Buccaneers, which kept their playoff dreams alive. This week, they have the NFC-leading Seahawks<\/a> coming to Carolina, which should turn out to be a great defensive game for both teams.<\/p>\n

16. Los Angeles Rams- 327.1 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Rams had a chance to beat the Seahawks and hold on to the number one seed in the NFC, but lost in overtime. This week, they face the Falcons<\/a> in a game that is going to determine a lot of fantasy football championships.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

15. Las Vegas Raiders – 326.1 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Raiders<\/a> couldn’t muster anything against the Texans<\/a>, but they were yet to keep the game close. That’s a task that Ashton Jeanty took on himself as he single-handedly ran all over the Texans defense with no help from his teammates.<\/p>\n

14. Atlanta Falcons – 323.3 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Falcons had a solid game against the Cardinals<\/a> in which they recorded two sacks and one interception. This week, they face the Rams in Monday Night Football, who are looking to avenge their loss to the Seahawks.<\/p>\n

13. Jacksonville Jaguars – 317.6 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Jaguars<\/a> have shown everyone they mean business by hanging with what could be the best team in the NFL, the Broncos<\/a>. This week, they get to put the Colts out of their misery as they get ready to make them channel their inner Jim Mora, as they beat that familiar phrase in their heads, \u201cplayoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n

12. Philadelphia Eagles – 315.7 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Eagles<\/a> had it easy against the Commanders<\/a> once Marcus Mariota was injured in their game last week. However, this week they have the Bills<\/a> to worry about, who will not make this game easy for the already broken and defending champs.<\/p>\n

11. Buffalo Bills – 311.4 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

Speaking of the Bills, they ended up ransacking the Browns<\/a> last week with three sacks and two interceptions. With the Eagles coming to town, they’ll need to keep it together if they expect a chance to win the division.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

10. Kansas City Chiefs – 307.6 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

It’s sad to see the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> miss the playoffs the way they did, but here we are. The defense has played admirably, but the offense has let them down.<\/p>\n

9. New Orleans Saints – 303.5 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Saints<\/a> simply destroyed the Jets by racking up eight sacks and two turnovers. This week, they’ll be facing the Titans, whose offense isn’t really good at all, and should open the door for another beatdown as the Saints come marching to Tennessee<\/a>.<\/p>\n

8. Seattle Seahawks – 303.2 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Seahawks took over first place in the NFC after beating the Rams last week on Thursday Night Football. This week, they’ll face a gritty Panthers team that is fighting with everything they have to make the playoffs.<\/p>\n

7. New England Patriots – 302.1 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Patriots<\/a> came back and beat the Ravens<\/a>, who looked like they were going to win the game before Lamar Jackson was hurt. With the Jets<\/a> next up for them this week, I wouldn’t be surprised to see another beatdown, since the Jets have run out of fuel.<\/p>\n

6. Green Bay Packers – 301.6 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Packers<\/a> defense is finally feeling the effects of losing Micah Parsons, and it shows with no sacks in their last two games. They’ll be playing the Ravens this week, who have already listed Lamar Jackson as doubtful for the game.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Week
Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) and safety Calen Bullock (2) react to a play against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. Minnesota Vikings – 287.7 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Vikings defense has shown why it deserves to be among the top five defenses by accumulating five sacks and one interception against the Giants<\/a>. This week, they played the Lions on Christmas and completely dominated, forcing six turnovers.<\/p>\n

4. Los Angeles Chargers – 283.1 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

Everyone thought that the Cowboys<\/a> would just light up the Chargers<\/a> defense as they do with other teams, and we’re sorely wrong. In fact, out of the last eight opponents the Chargers have had, only the Jaguars scored more than 20 points against them. With the Texans next up, you can expect another low-scoring game when two of the top four defenses in the NFL clash this week.<\/p>\n

3. Denver Broncos – 282.1 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Denver Broncos are in the driver’s seat to be the best team in the AFC and secure a first-round bye. The defense has been one of the key factors in their success.<\/p>\n

2. Cleveland Browns – 277.8 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

The Browns were highly competitive against the Bills last week and even had a chance to beat them. However, this week they play the Steelers, who have a chance to clinch the AFC North title if the Ravens lose on Saturday.<\/p>\n

1. Houston Texans – 272.3 Total Yards Against<\/h4>\n

Barring a massive meltdown against the Chargers, the Texans will end the year as the number one defense in yards against. Not only did they play well all year, but they also always had a player step up each week to help keep opposing offenses in check. With the Colts most likely facing elimination this week, the Texans could rest some of their players as they get ready for another playoff berth.<\/p>\n

For more great 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 16 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5637,"featured_media":260489,"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":[33916],"tags":[2165,2320],"class_list":["post-260481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-power-rankings","tag-defense","tag-nfl-schedule"],"modified_by":"Doug Henderson","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260481","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=260481"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":260493,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260481\/revisions\/260493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/260489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}