TOP 10 DEFENSES IN NFL HISTORY

in this video I'm going to name the 10 best defenses in NFL history what makes a defense the best well a multitude of things you got points you got yards you got turnovers there's different eras I did my best to try and capture all those things and put them into one quantitative set of 10 I understand that there's going to be a lot of disagreements but all the defenses on this list were great there's no debating that first let's start out with some honorable mentions who just missed the cut now on to the list number 10 the 19 77 Atlanta Falcons the grit splits as they were known were the number one ranked defense in the league allowing just 9.2 points per game they were also second in yards allowed per game and second in turnovers in 14 games they allowed just 14 touchdowns and actually scored three touchdowns of their own for 21 points looking even further Falcon special teams allowed a touchdown which means that in reality the defense surrendered more like 7.6 points per game as opposed to 9.2 but again everything is relative to the era even relative to their era Falcons were 8.1 points per game better than the rest of the league which averaged 17.3 points per game unfortunately for the 77 Falcons their offense was complete dog and they went seven and seven and missed the playoffs and never came close to duplicating their defensive success again in any season for or after number nine the 1991 Philadelphia Eagles now this is where stats can be a little bit misleading because the 91 Eagles finish fifth in points allowed per game which is still great but you wouldn't say that's historically dominant right well take a deeper look and you'll understand why they allowed the fewest yards per game in the league and they were first in turnovers in 16 games they allowed 20 touchdowns and scored four touchdowns of their own their points per game total was inflated by two pick sixes a fumble six a safety and a special teams touchdown so really they allowed more like 13.4 points per game their points per game allowed was only 3.8 points per game better than the rest of the league which averaged 19.1 points per game but they still remain the only team to be first in both pass yards allowed and rush yards allowed obviously I wish they had more in-depth stats from 91 because if there's any team whose defense might have been over by their offense giving them short Fields it was probably this one they finished 106 but despite finishing 10 and six much like the 77 Falcons they missed the playoffs and therefore I can't put them much higher on this list but obviously Reggie White Dron Brown Clyde Simmons they were absolutely loaded number eight the 1986 New York Giants the 86 Giants finished second in points allowed with 14.8 per game and second in yards allowed per game both behind Chicago they were fourth in turnovers in 16 games they allowed 25 touchdowns and scored one touchdown the offense threw one pick six for seven points so really the Giants gave up more like 14.3 points per game on defense they were 5.9 points per game better than the rest of the league which averaged 20.7 points per game that season the Giants make this list because of what they did in the playoffs they went 14-2 and they won Super Bowl 21 they allowed just 23 points in three playoff games an average of 7.7 per game they held the powerful 49ers offense to three points and then they shut out Washington in the conference Championship they did give up 20 points in the Super Bowl but most of those points came in garbage time so I can forgive that simply put this was a unit that was at their best when they needed to be at their best and that's a common theme throughout the rest of this video number seven the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers the 70 Steelers won for Super Bowls but it's a unit that didn't win the Super Bowl that makes the cut here 76 Steelers allowed 9.9 points per game first in the league and they were also first in yards allowed and fifth in turnovers in 14 games they allowed 14 touchdowns and the real kicker is over the final nine games of the season after starting the year 1- four they went 9-0 because they allowed just 28 points over the final nine games that's 3.1 points per game they were 9.6 points per game better than the rest of the league which averaged 9 18.5 points per game that season they finished 10 and four as I said and made it all the way to the AFC Championship game but the reason that they aren't higher on this list is because they allowed 24 points in the AF championship game loss and they allowed 19 points per game in their two playoff games they didn't win the Super Bowl so I can't rank him much higher but for that nine game stretch at the end of the season allowing 3.1 points per game that's just unheard of and worthy of being included on this list here number six the 2000 Tennessee Titans no not the 2000 Baltimore Ravens I said the 2000 Tennessee Titans that's right it is possible for two alltime historic defenses to happen in the same year and not just in the same season and not just in the same conference but in the same division the AFC Central the 2000 Titans were second in points allowed per game behind Only You gu it the Ravens and believe it or not the 2,000 Titans not the Ravens were first in yards allowed per game Titans were second in points allowed per drive and first in yards allowed per Drive although they did rank just 14 in turnovers in 16 games they allowed 17 touchdowns but their defense scored five touchdowns of their own their offense had three pick sixes so in reality the Titans defense gave up about 10.6 real points per game compared to League average they were 9.1 points per game better than the rest of the league which averaged 21 points that season the Titans went 13 and3 and they lost in the divisional round two you guessed it the Baltimore Ravens but it wasn't their defense's fault the defense allowed just 10 points on 10 drives in their divisional round loss to Baltimore and the Titans are still the only team they can say they scored a playoff touchdown against the 2000 Ravens defense the score was tied at 1010 but the Ravens scored off of a blocked field goal return and a pick six to win 24 to 10 but that shouldn't throw any mud on the 2000 Titans defense and how dominant they were unfortunately they're always going to be second fiddle to the 2000 Ravens number five the 2013 Seattle Seahawks ah the good old legion of boom they finished first in points and yards per game they finished first in points allowed per Drive they were first in yards allowed per drive and they were first in turnovers pretty damn good they allowed 20 touchdowns and scored four touchdowns and two safeties of their own the Hawks offense had a fumble six and special teams gave up a block field goal return so the Seahawks defense really gave up 13.6 points per game in reality which is amazing for the last decade or so in the NFL they were 9.3 points per game better than the rest of the league which averaged 23.7 points that's season they finished 13 and3 and of course we all know they ended up winning the Super Bowl in dominating fashion they allowed just 40 points in three playoff games 13.3 points per game but it's their Super Bowl performance that makes them legendary they held the highest scoring team ever which was averaging 36.4 points per game in their first 18 games the Broncos to just eight points in Super Bowl 48 in fact the Seahawks defense outscored the Broncos offense in the Super Bowl 9 to8 thanks to a safety and a Malcolm Smith pick six number four the 20 to Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2002 Buccaneers was the first year of famously good email user John Gruden his head coach although most of his players were from Tony dunie 2002 bucks finished first in points per game allowed and yards per game allowed they also finished first in points and yards allowed per Drive they were third in turnovers in 16 games they allowed 18 touchdowns and scored five touchdowns and two safeties of their own the Bucks offense had three pick sixes so in reality the Bucks defense gave up about just 11 points perame game they were 9.7 points per game better than the rest of the league which averaged 22 points per game that season they finished 12 and four and they won Super Bowl 37 over the Raiders they allowed 31 points in three playoff games 10.3 points per game much like with the 2013 Seahawk the Buccaneers defense actually outscored their opponent's offense in the Super Bowl the Bucks defense had three pick sixes in Super Bowl 37 off of R Ganon five interceptions in total to outscore Oakland's offense 21- 15 in a game Who final score was 48-21 so they were really dominant until the final whistle of the season number three the 1985 Chicago Bears number three I know a lot of you are saying well guess what I'm not an old-timer and this is my list so shut the up the 85 Bears were a alltime great defense they were first in points per game allowed they were first in yards per game allowed they were first in turnovers they allowed 22 touchdowns they scored five touchdowns of their own and had three safeties contributing 41 points their offense threw a pick six and had a safety so in reality the 85 Bears gave up 11.8 points per game defensively they were 9.5 points per game better than the rest of the league which averaged 21.9 points per game that season this is obviously great but there are other defenses so far on this list that were just as good if not better but the 85 Bears wi 151 and one Super Bowl 20 make this list because in three playoff games they gave up just 10 points all of which came in the Super Bowl allowing 10 points in three playoff games 3.3 points per game and as I said all 10 came in the Super Bowl and the only touchdown they gave up was in garbage time so basically when the Bears were being serious on defense in the postseason they didn't give up a single touchdown or at least a single meaningful touchdown in the entire postseason but I do think they benefited from a tactical Advantage because offenses at the time hadn't seen the 46 defense yet and hadn't adjusted for it so you got to credit the Bears for it and Buddy Ryan but at the same time it's also like Wilt averaging 50 you got to have some context number two 2015 Denver Broncos 2015 Denver Broncos didn't finish Finish First in points allowed they didn't finish second or third they finished fourth in points per game allowed so why are they this High well they were first in yards allowed per game they were first in points allowed per Drive they were first in yards allowed per Drive they allowed 29 touchdowns and scored five touchdowns and a safety the offense had three pick sixes and gave up a safety so in reality they gave up 17.3 points per game it was a defense that was consistently set up in terrible field position because their offense led by pton Manning was one of the worst in the league they only had a 4.5 points per game better rating than the rest of the League average which was 23 points per game that season but the reason the Broncos make it this high is because they probably have the most impressive postseason run when using contact ever they finished 12- four and they won Super Bowl 50 they held three opponents who in all their other games the Steelers Patriots and Panthers averaged 29.1 points per game to just 14.7 points per game in the playoffs defeating future Hall of Fame quarterback and women respector Ben rothberger then the consensus goat Quarterback Tom Brady quote unquote in the AFC Championship game and then dominating that season's MVP Cam Newton in the Super Bowl when the only year he was actually good basically it's this though the 2015 Broncos above all else they won the Super Bowl arguably the worst quarterback in the league and that's something that has really maybe only been done once they're probably the only team to do it and the only other team that even has an argument is the team that's number one on my list I think today's NFL is so slanted towards the offense and all the rules are so geared towards the offense that the 2015 Broncos are going to be the last truly great defense and the last team that truly won a Super Bowl because of their defense not because of their offense I know they say defense wins championships but that's not the case in the current NFL but it was the case in 2015 and finally number one you probably guessed it 2000 Baltimore Ravens 2000 Baltimore Ravens allowed 10.3 points per game 165 points which is still the fewest ever allowed in a 16 Game season they didn't finish first in yards per game allowed which I talked about earlier which is really the only in their armor but they were still a historically low number in terms of yards allowed they were first in points allowed per Drive they were second in yards allowed per Drive behind the 2000 Titans who were also on this list they were first in turnovers they allowed 16 touchdowns they scored a touchdown and a safety their offense had two pick sixes on the season so in reality the 2000 Ravens defense allowed 9 and 1 12 points per game that's it they were 9.1 points per game better than the rest of the league which are for 21 points that season but much like the 2015 Broncos they saved their best for the postseason the Ravens went 12-4 but were only a wild card so they had to play Four playoff games the Ravens defense in those four playoff games allowed 16 points that's four points per game including the Super Bowl where they allowed zero points on 16 drives in a 34 to7 win the only touchdown coming for the Giants that is on a kickoff return there are some questions about the level of comp competition that the Ravens played and it probably could have been better but they were just so dominant They Carried Trent dfur to a Super Bowl I don't think dfur was the worst quarterback in the league like you could say 2015 pton Manning was but he certainly was a lower tier quarterback and 2000 Ravens defense was better when adjusting to era in the regular season than the 2015 Broncos were which is why they get the nod over them in my opinion as the greatest defense in NFL history

Channel: Barry McCockiner

Views: 83,108

Keywords:

Id: S8asbxhslZI

Length: 13min 3sec (783 seconds)

Published: Fri May 17 2024