32 teams · 2026 · 4 games
NFL defense rankings.
Every defence ordered by points allowed per game this season, with net yards allowed beside it and the PPR fantasy points each gives up by position below — the three different questions people mean by “best defence”, on one page.
What this measures, and what it does not. Points allowed is a team result rather than a pure defensive one: a pick six thrown by your own offence and a punt return against you both land in it. It is scoring defence specifically, so NET yards allowed per game sits beside it — that is the conventional “total defence” ranking, net of sack yardage the way the league gamebook counts it, and it is a genuinely different list: 29 of 32 teams rank differently on the two, twenty of them by more than three places. Below them, fantasy points allowed by position is built only from what the defence itself gave up. Through 4 games, one blowout moves a team several places.
Fewest points allowed per game
| Rank | Team | W–L | Net yards allowed / game (rank) | Points allowed / game | Points scored / game | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Vikings | 4–0 | 289.3 (5) | 12.8 | 21.5 | 4 |
| 2 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 3–1 | 354.5 (25) | 13.3 | 26.0 | 4 |
| 3 | San Francisco 49ers | 4–0 | 308.8 (7) | 16.0 | 30.5 | 4 |
| 4 | Chicago Bears | 3–1 | 282.3 (3) | 16.3 | 28.0 | 4 |
| 5 | Seattle Seahawks | 3–1 | 246.8 (1) | 18.3 | 26.3 | 4 |
| T-6 | Kansas City Chiefs | 4–0 | 317.8 (12) | 19.3 | 29.5 | 4 |
| T-6 | New England Patriots | 2–2 | 293.8 (6) | 19.3 | 16.3 | 4 |
| 8 | New York Giants | 3–1 | 314.3 (9) | 19.8 | 20.5 | 4 |
| T-9 | Los Angeles Rams | 2–2 | 247.5 (2) | 20.8 | 21.3 | 4 |
| T-9 | Tennessee Titans | 0–4 | 332.5 (15) | 20.8 | 13.8 | 4 |
| T-11 | Las Vegas Raiders | 3–1 | 337.3 (19) | 21.0 | 28.8 | 4 |
| T-11 | New York Jets | 1–3 | 316.8 (11) | 21.0 | 19.0 | 4 |
| 13 | Cincinnati Bengals | 2–2 | 347.5 (22) | 21.3 | 24.3 | 4 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 2–2 | 322.3 (13) | 21.8 | 19.3 | 4 |
| 15 | Atlanta Falcons | 2–2 | 313.0 (8) | 23.0 | 24.0 | 4 |
| 16 | Philadelphia Eagles | 2–2 | 344.0 (21) | 23.3 | 18.8 | 4 |
| 17 | Denver Broncos | 2–2 | 375.0 (28) | 23.5 | 18.5 | 4 |
| 18 | Cleveland Browns | 3–1 | 348.5 (23) | 23.8 | 20.3 | 4 |
| T-19 | Baltimore Ravens | 3–1 | 315.3 (10) | 24.0 | 29.0 | 4 |
| T-19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0–4 | 282.8 (4) | 24.0 | 19.0 | 4 |
| 21 | Miami Dolphins | 0–4 | 335.5 (17) | 25.3 | 11.5 | 4 |
| 22 | Indianapolis Colts | 2–2 | 392.3 (31) | 26.0 | 25.5 | 4 |
| 23 | Green Bay Packers | 2–2 | 324.3 (14) | 26.3 | 18.3 | 4 |
| 24 | Los Angeles Chargers | 0–4 | 333.5 (16) | 26.5 | 16.8 | 4 |
| 25 | Buffalo Bills | 3–1 | 372.3 (27) | 26.8 | 31.8 | 4 |
| T-26 | Carolina Panthers | 2–2 | 387.3 (29) | 27.3 | 30.3 | 4 |
| T-26 | Houston Texans | 0–4 | 343.8 (20) | 27.3 | 21.0 | 4 |
| 28 | Dallas Cowboys | 2–2 | 389.5 (30) | 28.0 | 30.5 | 4 |
| 29 | Arizona Cardinals | 1–3 | 351.3 (24) | 29.3 | 21.8 | 4 |
| 30 | Washington Commanders | 1–3 | 336.0 (18) | 30.5 | 22.0 | 4 |
| 31 | Detroit Lions | 2–2 | 423.8 (32) | 31.8 | 29.8 | 4 |
| 32 | New Orleans Saints | 1–3 | 360.3 (26) | 32.0 | 26.3 | 4 |
Fantasy points allowed, by position
PPR points per game the defence gives up to each position — the teams listed are the ones you want your players facing. These are the five softest of 32; the full matchup grid carries every team and the toughest end, and start/sit turns it into a weekly call.
Quarterbacks — softest
- Detroit Lions 27.9 pts/game
- Dallas Cowboys 23.4 pts/game
- Washington Commanders 22.5 pts/game
- Buffalo Bills 21.3 pts/game
- Arizona Cardinals 21 pts/game
Running backs — softest
- New Orleans Saints 33.8 pts/game
- Miami Dolphins 29.7 pts/game
- Green Bay Packers 29 pts/game
- Carolina Panthers 28 pts/game
- Buffalo Bills 27.9 pts/game
Wide receivers — softest
- Houston Texans 44.6 pts/game
- Detroit Lions 44 pts/game
- Buffalo Bills 41 pts/game
- Washington Commanders 40.3 pts/game
- Atlanta Falcons 38.4 pts/game
Tight ends — softest
- Detroit Lions 28.4 pts/game
- Kansas City Chiefs 22.6 pts/game
- Miami Dolphins 18.6 pts/game
- Arizona Cardinals 18.6 pts/game
- Washington Commanders 18.3 pts/game
Where this comes from. Points allowed and scored come from the live league standings. Net yards allowed and fantasy points allowed both come from nflverse weekly data, net of sack yardage the way the league counts total defence, refreshed 2026-10-06. The two refresh on different clocks, so a game played between them can be in one table and not yet the other. Our longer-run defensive profile — pass and rush EPA allowed, pressure rate — covers 2024 and 2025 and is used in matchup grades rather than here, because a ranking under this heading should be about this season.