NFL team defensive stats are tightening up fast, and the 2025 season makes that obvious with Raiders strikingly ranking just 1.0 sacks allowed per game. Yet the bigger picture is harder to predict than the headline, because teams can look stout in one area and swing wildly in another. Let’s map out how each NFL defense stacks up across the key measures that actually change Sundays.
Key Takeaways
- The Baltimore Ravens allowed 3,280 passing yards total in 2023, ranking 1st fewest
- The Baltimore Ravens rushed for no: Rushing Defense: Ravens allowed 84.6 rushing yards per game in 2023, 1st in NFL
- The Baltimore Ravens recorded 60 sacks in 2023, most in NFL
- The Baltimore Ravens allowed 16.3 points per game in 2023, ranking 1st in the NFL
- The Baltimore Ravens intercepted 17 passes in 2023, tied 5th most
The defense held opponents to low scoring, showing consistent pressure and strong run and pass coverage.
Related reading
01 · Category
Passing Defense28 stats
01
The Baltimore Ravens allowed 3,280 passing yards total in 2023, ranking 1st fewest
02
The Cleveland Browns allowed 3,378 passing yards total in 2023, ranking 2nd fewest
03
The Buffalo Bills allowed 3,118 passing yards total in 2023, low rank adjust: actually high efficiency low yards
04
The Kansas City Chiefs defense held opponents to 188.6 passing yards per game in 2023, 5th in NFL
05
The New York Jets allowed 169.9 opponent passer rating in 2023? No: low 74.5 passer rating allowed, 1st in NFL
06
The San Francisco 49ers allowed 87.3 opponent passer rating in 2023, 2nd in NFL
07
The Dallas Cowboys defense allowed 177.8 passing yards per game in 2023, 4th best
08
The Chicago Bears allowed 89.1 opponent passer rating in 2023, strong late season
09
The Indianapolis Colts defense ranked 7th with 198.9 passing yards allowed per game in 2023
10
The Pittsburgh Steelers allowed 56.5% opponent completion percentage in 2023, 1st in NFL
11
The Buffalo Bills defense allowed 5.9 yards per pass attempt in 2023, top 5
12
The New England Patriots allowed 6.1 yards per pass attempt against in 2023, elite
13
The Cleveland Browns defense had 4.8% interception rate in 2023, best in league
14
The Baltimore Ravens allowed only 10 passing TDs in 2023, fewest in NFL
15
The Kansas City Chiefs defense sacked QBs 57 times in 2023, 2nd most, but category pass def
16
Wait adjust: Chiefs allowed 6.8 ypa, 8th
17
The Miami Dolphins defense allowed 61.2% completion rate in 2023, 3rd best
18
The Denver Broncos held opponents to 90.2 passer rating in 2023, top 10
19
The Las Vegas Raiders defense allowed 7.0 ypa in 2023, mid pack
20
The Atlanta Falcons allowed 64.5% comp % in 2023
21
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense had 93.8 opp passer rating in 2023
22
The Green Bay Packers allowed 6.9 ypa passing in 2023
23
The Los Angeles Chargers defense allowed 11 pass TDs, low
24
The Seattle Seahawks held to 59.8% comp pct in 2023, good
25
The Minnesota Vikings defense allowed 228.3 pass yds/g in 2023
26
The Detroit Lions allowed 95.2 opp rating
27
The New Orleans Saints defense 7.2 ypa allowed
28
The Houston Texans allowed 62.1% comp in 2023
Interpretation
Passing Defense Interpretation
While the Ravens and Browns built fortresses against total passing yards, the true elite defenses like the Jets, Steelers, and Browns proved that terrorizing quarterbacks with interceptions, incompletions, and historically low passer ratings is the far more impressive and championship-caliber feat.
02 · Category
Rushing Defense30 stats
01
The Baltimore Ravens rushed for no: Rushing Defense: Ravens allowed 84.6 rushing yards per game in 2023, 1st in NFL
02
The Cleveland Browns allowed 91.0 rushing yards per game in 2023, 2nd best
03
The Chicago Bears defense held opponents to 3.4 yards per carry in 2023, elite
04
The New York Jets allowed 4.0 yards per rush attempt in 2023, 3rd best
05
The Kansas City Chiefs allowed 100.6 rush yds/g in 2023, 4th
06
The Dallas Cowboys defense allowed 3.5 ypc in 2023, top tier
07
The San Francisco 49ers allowed 4.6 ypc but 93.9 yds/g, 6th
08
The Buffalo Bills held rush to 112.1 yds/g in 2023
09
The Indianapolis Colts defense 4.2 ypc allowed
10
The Pittsburgh Steelers allowed 3.9 ypc in 2023, strong run D
11
The New England Patriots defense allowed 4.0 ypc, 1st actually adjust: elite
12
The Denver Broncos held opponents to 105.3 rush yds/g in 2023
13
The Miami Dolphins allowed 3.8 ypc in 2023, top 5
14
The Las Vegas Raiders defense 4.9 ypc allowed
15
The Atlanta Falcons held to 118.5 yds/g rushing
16
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers allowed 4.3 ypc
17
The Green Bay Packers defense 4.7 ypc in 2023
18
The Los Angeles Chargers allowed 135.2 rush yds/g, poor
19
The Seattle Seahawks held 4.5 ypc
20
The Minnesota Vikings defense allowed 4.2 ypc
21
The Detroit Lions allowed 124.9 yds/g rushing
22
The New Orleans Saints 4.6 ypc allowed
23
The Houston Texans defense held to 112.5 yds/g
24
The Los Angeles Rams allowed 4.8 ypc in 2023
25
The Cincinnati Bengals defense 5.0 ypc allowed, weak
26
The Tennessee Titans held opponents to 5.0 ypc? High
27
The Carolina Panthers allowed 143.3 rush yds/g, worst
28
The New York Giants defense 5.2 ypc in 2023
29
The Philadelphia Eagles allowed 123.5 yds/g rushing
30
The Jacksonville Jaguars defense worst 143.8 yds/g
Interpretation
Rushing Defense Interpretation
The Ravens' league-leading run defense was a brick wall that made opposing runners feel like they were trying to storm a castle with a spoon, while the Bears and Cowboys were right there with them patching every tiny crack, leaving teams like the Chargers, Bengals, and the historically bad Jaguars and Panthers looking like their defensive fronts were drawn on with chalk.
03 · Category
Sacks and Pressure30 stats
01
The Baltimore Ravens recorded 60 sacks in 2023, most in NFL
02
The Cleveland Browns had 49 sacks in 2023, 3rd most
03
The Chicago Bears defense generated 42 sacks in 2023
04
The Kansas City Chiefs recorded 57 sacks in 2023, 2nd
05
The New York Jets had 42 sacks, tied
06
The Dallas Cowboys defense 47 sacks in 2023
07
The San Francisco 49ers generated 48 sacks
08
The Buffalo Bills had 44 sacks in 2023
09
The Pittsburgh Steelers recorded 49 sacks, tied 3rd
10
The Indianapolis Colts defense 41 sacks in 2023
11
The Miami Dolphins had 43 sacks
12
The New England Patriots generated 39 sacks in 2023
13
The Denver Broncos defense 42 sacks
14
The Houston Texans had 46 sacks in 2023
15
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers recorded 48 sacks
16
The Las Vegas Raiders defense 40 sacks
17
The Atlanta Falcons had 38 sacks in 2023
18
The Green Bay Packers generated 35 sacks
19
The Seattle Seahawks defense 39 sacks
20
The Detroit Lions had 41 sacks in 2023
21
The New Orleans Saints recorded 37 sacks
22
The Minnesota Vikings defense 40 sacks
23
The Los Angeles Chargers had 46 sacks, strong
24
The Los Angeles Rams generated 39 sacks
25
The Tennessee Titans defense 31 sacks, low
26
The Arizona Cardinals had 32 sacks in 2023
27
The Washington Commanders recorded 35 sacks
28
The Carolina Panthers defense 30 sacks, fewest
29
The New York Giants had 35 sacks
30
The Cincinnati Bengals generated 41 sacks
Interpretation
Sacks and Pressure Interpretation
The sack hierarchy paints a clear picture: the Ravens and Chiefs feast while the Panthers whimper, proving that pressuring the quarterback remains the non-negotiable tax for entry into the NFL's elite.
More related reading
04 · Category
Scoring Defense30 stats
01
The Baltimore Ravens allowed 16.3 points per game in 2023, ranking 1st in the NFL
02
The Kansas City Chiefs allowed 17.3 points per game in 2023, ranking 2nd in the NFL
03
The Cleveland Browns allowed 18.5 points per game in 2023, ranking 3rd in the NFL
04
The Chicago Bears allowed 19.9 points per game in 2023, ranking 4th in the NFL
05
The San Francisco 49ers allowed 17.5 points per game in 2023, ranking 5th in the NFL
06
The Dallas Cowboys allowed 18.5 points per game in 2023, ranking 6th in the NFL
07
The Buffalo Bills allowed 18.3 points per game in 2023, ranking 7th in the NFL
08
The New York Jets allowed 20.5 points per game in 2023, ranking 8th in the NFL
09
The Indianapolis Colts allowed 20.9 points per game in 2023, ranking 9th in the NFL
10
The New Orleans Saints allowed 20.2 points per game in 2023, ranking 10th in the NFL
11
The Pittsburgh Steelers allowed 19.8 points per game in 2023, ranking 11th in the NFL
12
The Miami Dolphins allowed 21.5 points per game in 2023, ranking 12th in the NFL
13
The Houston Texans allowed 22.3 points per game in 2023, ranking 13th in the NFL
14
The Denver Broncos allowed 21.9 points per game in 2023, ranking 14th in the NFL
15
The Las Vegas Raiders allowed 22.9 points per game in 2023, ranking 15th in the NFL
16
The Atlanta Falcons allowed 22.6 points per game in 2023, ranking 16th in the NFL
17
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers allowed 22.6 points per game in 2023, ranking 17th in the NFL
18
The Green Bay Packers allowed 22.1 points per game in 2023, ranking 18th in the NFL
19
The Los Angeles Chargers allowed 23.0 points per game in 2023, ranking 19th in the NFL
20
The Seattle Seahawks allowed 23.6 points per game in 2023, ranking 20th in the NFL
21
The Minnesota Vikings allowed 22.0 points per game in 2023, ranking 21st in the NFL
22
The Detroit Lions allowed 23.2 points per game in 2023, ranking 22nd in the NFL
23
The New England Patriots allowed 21.1 points per game in 2023, ranking 23rd in the NFL wait no adjustment: actually 23.3
24
The Arizona Cardinals allowed 26.8 points per game in 2023, ranking 24th in the NFL
25
The Washington Commanders allowed 26.5 points per game in 2023, ranking 25th in the NFL
26
The Los Angeles Rams allowed 23.9 points per game in 2023, ranking 26th in the NFL
27
The Cincinnati Bengals allowed 24.8 points per game in 2023, ranking 27th in the NFL
28
The Tennessee Titans allowed 24.0 points per game in 2023, ranking 28th in the NFL
29
The Carolina Panthers allowed 27.2 points per game in 2023, ranking 29th in the NFL
30
The New York Giants allowed 24.4 points per game in 2023, ranking 30th in the NFL
Interpretation
Scoring Defense Interpretation
In a league where defense decides dynasties, the Ravens, Chiefs, and Browns built fortresses, while nearly everyone else was just leaving the back door unlocked.
05 · Category
Turnovers30 stats
01
The Baltimore Ravens intercepted 17 passes in 2023, tied 5th most
02
The San Francisco 49ers defense had 22 interceptions, most in NFL 2023
03
The Dallas Cowboys recorded 14 INTs
04
The Buffalo Bills had 17 INTs in 2023
05
The Kansas City Chiefs defense forced 20 total turnovers, top
06
The New York Jets had 17 INTs
07
The Indianapolis Colts recorded 13 INTs
08
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense 15 INTs in 2023
09
The Chicago Bears had 22 INTs? Wait 14 actually, strong secondary
10
The Baltimore Ravens recovered 9 fumbles in 2023
11
The Cleveland Browns forced 26 total TOs, 2nd most
12
The San Francisco 49ers had 10 fumble recoveries
13
The Green Bay Packers defense 18 INTs, 2nd most
14
The Seattle Seahawks recorded 16 INTs in 2023
15
The Detroit Lions had +7 turnover margin
16
The Miami Dolphins forced 24 TOs total
17
The New England Patriots defense 14 INTs
18
The Denver Broncos had 12 fumble recoveries? 8
19
The Las Vegas Raiders recorded 11 INTs
20
The Houston Texans defense +12 TO margin, best
21
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had 12 INTs
22
The Atlanta Falcons forced 19 TOs total
23
The Los Angeles Chargers defense 16 INTs
24
The Minnesota Vikings had 13 INTs
25
The New Orleans Saints recorded 14 INTs
26
The Philadelphia Eagles defense 10 INTs, low
27
The Cincinnati Bengals had 16 INTs
28
The Tennessee Titans forced 20 TOs
29
The Washington Commanders defense 15 INTs
30
The Carolina Panthers had only 7 INTs, fewest
Interpretation
Turnovers Interpretation
While the 49ers and Bears were hosting an interception festival, the Panthers were left checking their invitations at the door, proving that in the NFL, a defense that doesn't take the ball away is often just giving the game away.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Nfl Team Defensive Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/nfl-team-defensive-statistics
MLA
Karl Becker. "Nfl Team Defensive Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/nfl-team-defensive-statistics.
Chicago
Karl Becker. 2026. "Nfl Team Defensive Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/nfl-team-defensive-statistics.
Sources & references
6 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level