Best NFL Defenses in 2026-27

It’s a saying as old as the sport itself: Defense wins championships. Last year that held utterly true. The Seattle Seahawks, who led the league in points allowed per game and in expected points contributed by their defense, captured their second Super Bowl in franchise history in large part thanks to their dominant defense.

But this season, they will have competition among the league’s best, whether that’s within their own division or in a potential Super Bowl matchup. Plenty of teams upgraded their defense this offseason trying to capture the same magic Seattle found last year. Here’s where the league’s top defensive units stack up heading into the 2026 season.

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2026-27 NFL Season Defensive Rankings

1. Los Angeles Rams

The Rams had a solid top 10 defense last year and ended up playing in the NFC Championship Game, where they lost to the aforementioned Seattle Seahawks. But as has been the case with the Rams for quite some time, coming up short means drastic moves are on the way.

The first move was trading for cornerback Trent McDuffie. The All-Pro corner from Kansas City instantly boosted a secondary that had let the Rams defense down at times.

Then, in the biggest move of the offseason, the Rams signed one of the best defensive players in all of football: Myles Garrett. The 30-year-old edge rusher set the NFL record for sacks in a single season a year ago, to go along with 33 tackles for loss. He finished first team All-Pro for the fifth time and won his second Defensive Player of the Year award. The Rams swap him in for Jared Verse, who while dominant does not provide the same level of playmaking that Garrett does.

This Rams unit has its eyes on the prize: Taking down their division rival, the Seattle Seahawks, by following the same blueprint of starting on defense.

2. Houston Texans

The Texans’ defense was one of the league’s best units all year long, finishing just three total points behind Seattle for the league lead in points allowed per game. Key to their success was edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. and cornerback Derek Stingley emerging into first team All-Pro superstars.

DeMeco Ryans’ defense had five defensive players make the Pro Bowl: Anderson Jr., Stingley, Azeez Al-Shaair, Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock. With a team that also made key upgrades on offense, this squad that was carried by its defense all season gets some much needed help as the Texans look to make a deeper playoff run in 2026.

3. Denver Broncos

The Broncos were one of the best rush defenses in the league and blew away the rest of the 31 teams in sacks per game, finishing with 68 sacks on the season. Zach Allen finished first team All-Pro, Nik Bonitto finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and Patrick Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga finished second team All-Pro.

This band is back together this year and ready to terrorize the AFC West for another season.

4. Seattle Seahawks

It feels wrong to have the Super Bowl champion defense this far down the list, but that’s what happens when you lose some key members of your unit. Seattle lost edge rusher Boye Mafe, a starting safety and cornerback Riq Woolen to free agency and will need to recapture their elite play with a slightly diminished group.

Still, much of their core remains in place, with Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence, Nick Emmanwori and Devon Witherspoon. This is a defense that will still be among the league’s best, but they might not even be the best in their own division.

5. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles finished fifth in points allowed per game, allowed just 6.4 yards per attempt and feature playmakers at all three levels. Jordan Davis was re-signed to an extension and Jonathan Greenard was brought in to add to a middling pass rush unit.

This pass coverage unit has first team All-Pro corners on each side of the field, Pro Bowlers on the defensive line and Jalen Carter and Zack Baun at linebacker. Now that secondary gets an added boost from Riq Woolen, formerly of Seattle. This is far and away the best defense in the NFC East, and they will need to once again be among the league’s best to keep the Eagles in playoff contention.

6. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings finished third in the NFC and had a disappointing season, but they pulled off five straight wins to end the year in large part thanks to their defense. They shut out the Commanders 31 to nothing, forced a turnover in a win against the Lions in Week 17, and allowed just 121 yards to the Packers in the regular season finale.

Brian Flores’s defense once again showed the league why he is one of the most fearsome defensive coordinators around. But this year’s job gets a little harder with the organization trading Jonathan Greenard away, losing valuable pass rush ability. In hopes of making up for some of that loss up front, they drafted Caleb Banks, a 6’6 defensive tackle out of Florida, at number 18 overall in the draft. It’s another piece for Flores to play with.

7. New England Patriots

The Patriots shocked the NFL with a 14-3 regular season record, which won them the AFC East and brought them all the way to the Super Bowl. There’s a lot of talk about how Drake Maye might be the second coming of Tom Brady, but not enough talk about how the New England defense was core to their run. A potential generational talent at quarterback and a top-notch defense in New England? Where have we heard this story before…

Christian Gonzalez put together a healthy Pro Bowl season and Marcus Jones finished second team All-Pro. The Patriots finished top 10 against the pass and against the run. With another year for Mike Vrabel to scheme for this defense, they will look to stay atop the AFC East.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars finished second in the NFL with 31 turnovers forced and were the league’s best team against the run. Devin Lloyd finished second team All-Pro and the pass rush chipped in as well. But they did lose Lloyd and cornerback Greg Newsome in free agency, which means this team will need to reorient itself if it wants to repeat as AFC South champions.

9. Los Angeles Chargers

Anytime you have a Jim Harbaugh-led football team, you’re going to have a stout, disciplined defense. That was exactly the case last year in Los Angeles. The Chargers finished fifth in passing yards allowed, seventh in sacks, third in interceptions and eighth in rushing yards allowed, and were the only team to intercept more passes than they allowed touchdowns.

After losing a piece of their front seven in free agency, they signed a linebacker out of Miami to boost their above average pass rush in a division dominated by elite quarterback play.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers, for as long as they exist, will almost certainly be a top defense. Though they finished 17th in points allowed per game, this is a team that was fourth in sacks and has young talent knocking on the door. That’s in addition to perennial Pro Bowler T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, who finished second team All-Pro, and Jalen Ramsey, who made another Pro Bowl.

Pittsburgh feels good about Joey Porter Jr. on one side and adds Nick Herbig, who signed a four-year, $100 million deal and is seen as a future cornerstone player. Adding to their secondary is cornerback Jamel Dean, who will shore up the other side of the field across from Porter Jr.

2025 NFL Defenses Ranked by Points Against (Lowest to Highest)

Here is where all 32 teams ranked by scoring defense in the 2025-26 season.

2025 NFL Defenses Ranked by Total Yards Against (Lowest to Highest)

2025 NFL Defenses Ranked by Passing Yards Against (Lowest to Highest)

2025 NFL Defenses Ranked by Rushing Yards Against (Lowest to Highest)

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