NFL Defensive Rankings #27-22

It sure seems as if every year, people tend to forget how bad some defenses were and give them the benefit of the doubt due to their poor offensive play.  Teams with dominant defenses can, and do, win games with defense.  They can win playoff games, and they can win Super Bowls.  The reason I sit here and tell you this is that some of these teams we're about to talk about are bad teams, not all, but some.  Some of these teams were talked about it high regard and let us down.  Others were poor defenses that were masked by an offense led by an MVP.  (Spoilers: Maybe if the Falcons hadn't ranked 27th in points allowed, they wouldn't have collapsed in the most important game of their lives.)

Anyways, let move on to the important stuff.

27. New York Jets – Even with the Jets in full tank mode this season there’s no denying that their defense has its redeeming qualities. The Jets were 4^th in the league in opponents rushing yards per attempt.  That points to you their defensive line which their trio of vets in Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, and Leonard Williams dominates the run game.  The problems start when we begin to talk about the secondary.  Darrelle Revis, a previously dominant cornerback, did not have the speed or athleticism to take on the WR1 in just about any scenario.  The Jets hope for Mo Claireborn (whom they acquired from the Cowboys) to become a helpful piece in an otherwise swiss-cheese like secondary.

26.  Washington Redskins – The Redskins have a number of young exciting defenders who are just waiting to prove themselves in regular season games.  Players such as Ryan Anderson, a 22 year-old outside linebacker, who was picked in the 2^nd round out of Alabama.  During his senior year he recorded, 18.5 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks and will look to continue his work for the Redskins.  To talk about Washington’s secondary without mentioning Josh Norman would be a disservice. Norman had 3 picks and a handful of passes defended, but the Redskins are looking for an elite 2nd year out of him.

25. Buffalo Bills – Unlike their divisional rivals who we talked about earlier, the Bills will have to rely on their secondary to slow down teams rather than their defensive line.  The Bills ranked 4th in fewest passing yards allowed in the NFL.  This will be harder to replicate with Stephon Gilmore being signed by the Patriots in the offseason, but they have a young CB group, led by Tre'Davious White and Ronald Darby, who can still help their team win games.

24. Tennessee Titans – The Titans have are yet another young team with plenty of talent, but with little experience.  They have a few vets, and Pro-Bowlers like linebacker Brian Orakpo and defensive end Derrick Morgan (who combined for 19.5 sacks in 2016). They are also developing budding players like 1^st round pick Adoree Jackson, a cornerback who had 5 INTs and 2 punts returned for TDs in his final year at USC.  Jackson is poised to make an immediate impact in the Titans secondary.

23. Atlanta Falcons – Before we get up in arms, let me defend myself by saying this is a stats based ranking.  And the Falcons were ranked 27^th in points allowed, 25^th in total yards allowed, and 16^th in turnovers.  All around mediocre to bad.  This year the Falcons defense is expected to take another step forward.  Cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford are continually developing and will need to step up if the Falcons want to avoid being the 28^th ranked passing defense, especially in the wake of Jalen Collins 10-game suspension.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars – The Jags were supposed to be THE defense to beat in 2016.  They added Malik Jackson to the line and drafted linebacker Myles Jack in 2016.  Yet after the dust had settled the Jags ended with a 3-13 record and ranked 25^th in points allowed.  They also were 30^th in turnovers.  In 2017, the Jags are still THE defense to beat.  With Jalen Ramsey coming back healthy and with a full offseason of preparation he’s ready to be a dominant force in the Jags secondary. The word “potential” is floated perhaps too often around this Jags defense, and 2017 will be the deciding year.  This defense may actually be good enough to overcome some of the Jags offensive woes.