2024 NFL Team Defense Rankings: Ranking the Top Defenses in the NFL Heading Into Week 1
The first week of the 2024 NFL season is here, and every defense will look to prove themselves early. Peter Alexis is here with his NFL team defensive power rankings heading into Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. Where does your team lie on the rankings? Read on to find out.
Peter Alexis - September 5, 2024, 6:00 PM EDT
5 min2024 NFL Team Defense Rankings: Ranking the Top Defenses in the NFL Heading Into Week 1
It's been a long offseason after some of the best defenses led their teams deep in the playoffs last year. Who will step up early and prove they are still a unit to be reckoned with?
Here are the defensive team power rankings as we head into Week 1.
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NFL Defensive Team Rankings Heading Into Week 3
32. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers were atrocious last year, and don't have much to look forward to. Both side of the ball are weak
31. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals will try to improve in Jonathan Gannon's second season in charge. They were 31st in scoring last year, and that's where they sit once again. They showed some flashes of ability towards the end, and will try to find that in the early season.
30. Washington Commanders
The Commanders lost a plethora of stars to trade last season, especially their lone bright spot on the D-line. They have a lot to replace and are in a rebuild.
29. Denver Broncos
The Broncos are expected to struggle this year on both sides of the ball, which will put further pressure on the defense. They had the 27th ranked scoring defense last year.
28. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers have their work cut out for them, and Jim Harbaugh's new staff will have to figure some things out quick. They had some disastrous games towards the end of last year and don't have many talents to work with.
27. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams lose Aaron Donald, their franchise defensive star, as he retired this offseason. Kobie Turner and the other youngsters will have to step up, but they have a lot of holes to fill.
26. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons have a new head coach and a fresh offense, which will hopefully help this unit. The held some opponents to low scores, but struggled to get off the field a year ago.
25. New York Giants
The New York Giants were 26th in scoring defense last year, and were absolutely shredded by several high-powered opponents.
24. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts made it close to the playoffs last year before a tough loss to the Texans in Week 17. They showed signs of good defense, but overall have a lot to work on.
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers continue to trend away from the top defense they had in 2023
22. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have Maxx Crosby up front, but there isn't much help for him in the rest of this unit. They also will spend a lot of time on the field with a very inexperienced offense run by Gardner Minshew.
21. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are stuck with Sam Darnold on offense after J.J. McCarthy went down, and will have to spend a lot of time on the field this year. That may weigh on this group.
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20. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the biggest question marks this season, after an atrocious end to 2023. Their secondary was very weak, and they will try to figure it out with new rookie defensive backs.
19. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have a mediocre defense, and trend towards the back with the 20th ranked scoring defense.
18. New Orleans Saints
The Saints are a bit further back than normal, but have a chance to work their way back up with a hot start. They had the sixth best scoring defense last year, and return many pieces.
17. Seattle Seahawks
Mike Macdonald comes over from Michigan to coach the Seahawks this year, after masterminding some of the best defenses in college football over the past few years. He has Devon Witherspoon at his disposal, and will put together some great gameplans for this team.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars will face a strong schedule in 2024 but have a nice defensive line to help them out. Arik Armstead and Josh Allen are beasts up front, and will try to stop the run and force turnovers.
15. Buffalo Bills
The Bills are typically pretty stingy and athletic, but are dealing with continued injuries once again to start the season, and we will have to see how some of the replacements pan out. They will miss Matt Milano at LB very much after a torn bicep in the preseason.
14. Green Bay Packers
The Packers will start their season in Brazil against the Eagles, and have to fix up their third down defense. They also struggled against the run a year ago, but have taken some steps to improve this and will look to return back to the playoffs as an NFC power.
13. Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans have climbed up higher on this list thanks to offseason acquisitions. They added Chidobe Awuzie and L'Jarius Sneed, the star corner from the Chiefs. Keep an eye on this unit as they build some chemistry.
12. Detroit Lions
The Lions made it to the NFC Championship game and built a double-digit lead before crumbling down the stretch against the Niners. The defense will look to shake that off and get back to work in 2024 with high expectations.
11. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins performed pretty well a year ago, and just inked Jalen Ramsey to a massive $72 million deal, making him the highest paid CB in the league. It pays to have a superstar like that to anchor your secondary, and will continue to help out the other stars on this squad.
10. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears came on strong at the end of last season and helped Matt Eberflus keep his job. They will need to start fast to help boost Caleb Williams and the new-look offense.
9. New England Patriots
The Patriots aren't sure how their offense will look under Drake Maye, but new head coach Jerod Mayo has some stars to work with as this squad tries to hold it together.
8. Houston Texans
DeMeco Ryans' squad burst onto the scene last year, propelling this defense into the top-10. A mini run in the playoffs supplies some optimism for another big year after the breakout season.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a good group returning led by T.J. Watt, and will need to step up with many uncertainties on offense.
6. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys had a great year on defense last year until running into the Green Bay Packers buzzsaw in the playoffs. They have a lot to prove this time around, and Micah Parsons is hungry to get over the hump.
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5. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are looking for revenge after letting the Super Bowl slip away last year. They were top-five in most defensive categories including points allowed, and will expect a similar performance with Fred Warner and Nick Bosa at the helm.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are coming off a second-consecutive Super Bowl, largely thanks to their defensive efforts in the playoffs. Nick Bolton and Chris Jones are the leaders of this crew, and have veteran experience all over the field.
3. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are going to be near the top of the rankings until proven otherwise. They led the league in scoring defense a year ago at under 17 points per game, and are anchored by Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton.
2. Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are one of the most talented defenses in football. With Myles Garrett dominating up front and Jim Schwartz scheming on the sideline, no offense wants to go against this unit.
1. New York Jets
The Jets are exciting about Aaron Rodgers back on offense, but their true strength lies in the star-studded defense. They held it together last year despite horrendous quarterback play, and will look to prosper this time around led by C.J. Mosley and Sauce Gardner.
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