Analysis
11/3/22
3 min read
Week 9: Top-10 NFL Defenses Right Now
The 33rd Team’s weekly top-10 defensive rankings are derived through an evaluation by our scouting department, led by former NFL team executive T.J. McCreight and assisted by scouts Justin Casey, Kevin Cohn and Evan Pritt.
>>> Other Week 8 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | Offense
1. Philadelphia Eagles
PPG: 16.9 (4th) | YPG: 298.1 (T-3rd) | Prev: 2
Comment: The Eagles have taken take over the top spot for the first time this season. Philadelphia held the Steelers to 13 points and sacked quarterback Kenny Pickett six times in their win.
2. Buffalo Bills
PPG: 14 (1st) | YPG: 298.1 (3rd) | Prev: 1
Comment: The Bills gave up 208 yards rushing vs Green Bay but held Packers QB Aaron Rodgers to only 203 yards passing. They lead the league in points per game allowed with 14.
3. Denver Broncos
PPG: 16.5 (2nd) | YPG: 288.4 (2nd) | Prev: 3
Comment: Trevor Lawrence only passed for 133 yards, but the Broncos' did give up 156 yards rushing to Travis Etienne. Denver is No. 1 in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game as they're only allowing 165 yards per game.
4. Dallas Cowboys
PPG: 16.6 (3rd) | YPG: 313.5 (7th) | Prev: 4
Comment: The Cowboys were ordinary versus the run (240 yards) in Week 8, but they sacked Bears QB Justin Fields four times in their win. Overall, they have 13 takeaways this season.
5. San Francisco 49ers
PPG: 18.4 (5th) | YPG: 285.9 (1st) | Prev: 6
Comment: They held the Rams to 56 yards rushing and Rams QB Matthew Stafford to 187 yards passing in their big divisional win vs Los Angeles. They are No. 1 in the NFL giving up only 86 yards rushing per game.
6. Cincinnati Bengals
PPG: 20.5 (13th) | YPG: 336 (14th) | Prev: 5
Comment: They couldn’t stop the run or pass against Cleveland. Cincinnati's defense allowed the Browns to record 440 yards of total offense and score 32 points.
7. New York Giants
PPG: 19.6 (8th) | YPG: 345.6 (17th) | Prev: 7
Comment: The Giants held Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker to only 51 yards, but QB Geno Smith was efficient with a rating of 104. They are still giving up less than 20 points per game.
8. New York Jets
PPG: 19.9 (11th) | YPG: 311.4 (6th) | Prev: 9
Comment: The Jets held Patriots QB Mac Jones to 194 yards passing and sacked him six times, but it was not enough as their offense failed to match New England's.
9. Green Bay Packers
PPG: 21.6 (16th) | YPG: 316 (8th) | Prev: 10
Comment: They could not beat the Buffalo, but they did limit Bills QB Josh Allen to 13 completions, 218 yards and picked him off twice.
10. Tennessee Titans
PPG: 19.7 (9th) | YPG: 343.9 (15th) | Prev: NR
Comment: They have allowed the fewest points per game (13.5) during the last five weeks. They have taken advantage of playing some less-than-impressive offenses during that span.
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