After dropping three straight, there are plenty of issues to point to on the defensive side, but the root of it stems from Watt's absence. Special teams: 31, Given how the Vikings' defense started the season, with multiple injuries and a number of rookies called on early, its current FPI ranking is remarkable. The Giants have a top-10 pass defense at the moment. Plus, the Jaguars are suddenly knocking on the door of the top 10! Week 4. Luckily, Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden have done a great job of bringing in talent over the last two seasons and the hope is that players like Maxx Crosby, Clelin Ferrell and Trayvon Mullen can reshape the unit. Below, we checked in with NFL Nation reporters across the league and asked what the biggest issue faced by each team's defense is. Although there is plenty of blame to spread around, the negative plays brought on by Wentz's turnovers (19) and sacks (50) put the Eagles on bad footing all too frequently. Defense: 12 --Turron Davenport, Defensive efficiency: 65.8 That's the biggest issue. 2021 NFL defense rankings espn. -- Todd Archer, Offense: 12 Week 5. Through four games this season, Detroit has allowed 141 points (35.3 points per game), which is the second most in franchise history -- trailing only the 0-16 squad from 2008. You'll now receive the top Raiders Wire stories each day directly in your inbox. 2. Minnesota can't afford for its kicking issues to continue after its playoff chances took a massive hit against Tampa Bay. Reinforcements could be on the way if Ugo Amadi recovers from an ankle injury that held him out of the past two games and Elijah Molden eventually returns from injured reserve. A few other popular sleeper defenses that you might have drafted late are definitely off limits in Week 1 . They had a pile of big gains against the nickel, including a 43-yard run by Josh Jacobs in the third quarter. All of that helps lift a struggling offense that has failed to produce a consistent running game. Brooks was asked if he thought he and Green played a similar game and Brooks . NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. Ryan Clark, an LSU alum, played 13 seasons in the National Football League. View defense & special teams stats for the 2022 NFL season. Revisiting Texas A&M's use of the NCAA transfer portal: Not loading up The quarterback, who had struggled mightily through the first four weeks of his second season, caught fire in the second half, finishing 12 of 13 for 135 yards and a touchdown in the final two quarters. Dallas Cowboys (at Rams) The one to note here is the Cowboys they're on the road in LA, but that pass rush is so good! With his mobility limited some, it was the great scheming by Reid that produced the two second-half touchdowns. --Rob Demovsky, Defensive efficiency:46.2 Special teams: 17, The Colts -- yes, the Colts -- are being led by their defense. 2022 NFL season, Week 5: What We Learned from Sunday's games, Time to panic?! They don't seem as sold on Ryan Tannehill as they used to be. New York used a dominant rushing attack and big-play defense to reel off 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, snapping a 12-game losing streak versus AFC East opponents. --Jordan Raanan, Defensive efficiency: 68.3 Reed and rookie Sauce Gardner are holding up nicely on the outside, but they're giving up too many chunk plays in the middle of the field. They will sign one -- likely Jones -- and tag the other. The biggest issue on defense is . All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. The focus is solely on Guenther, whose defenses are responsible for two of the eight worst single-season defensive efficiency seasons of the past decade. https://raiderswire.usatoday.com/2020/06/18/espn-names-raiders-as-worst-defense-of-decade/, One free agent each NFL team should re-sign in 2023, Ranking the Raiders biggest need positions ahead of free agency, ESPN projects who the Week 1 starter at QB for the Las Vegas Raiders, Aaron Rodgers emerges from 'Darkness retreat' to Raiders reportedly not interested in acquiring him. Level Up Your Fantasy & Betting With FO +. It didn't help that they spotted the Chiefs 14 points with two lost fumbles in Week 4. With an unforgivingschedule ahead, Tomlin appears destined to finally endure his first losing season as head coach. Geno will be without a key piece going forward: Rashaad Penny is done for the year after fracturing his fibula on Sunday. The biggest issue on defense is getting off the field on third down. Minutes earlier -- in a decision that was gutsy at best and reckless at worst -- Staley opted to keep his offense on the field on fourth-and-2 at his own 45-yard line with just over a minute to play. Last week, the Bills felt like a juggernaut that had transcended the accepted bounds of the NFL Power Rankings. Defense: 18 Assessing Browns' FA needs, The Ravens are the only NFL team to rank in the top 10 on offense, defense and special teams. How high can the Lions fly? League rank: 13th. Through four games, Tennessee has given up five plays of 40 yards or more. Check out the full league pecking order, 1-32. The Bears spent most of the season struggling to score points, run the football or convert on third down. Take Sunday, for instance: Cousins completed his first 17 passes against the Bears, leading the Vikings to touchdowns on their first three possessions while building a 21-3 lead. -- Ben Baby, Through conversations with former players, coaches and key figures, Peyton Manning gets to the heart of football history and its cultural impact. In an NFL bereft of consistent playmaking at tight end, Kelce is a cheat-code outlier. His final touchdown, a breakaway 60-yard jaunt with less than six minutes to play, was the difference-maker, as New Orleans snapped its three-game losing streak. The defense has its own injury problems to contend with, in addition to a roster that still needs upgrades. Miami Dolphins (at Jets) 9. Here is a look at how all 32 teams stack up with this EDGE rushing power ranking. A scrambling Kyler Murray went into a protection slide just short of the first-down marker, setting in motion a chain of events that ended with fill-in kicker Matt Ammendola badly pushing a 43-yard field goal attempt wide right. What is the NFL pecking order heading into the final week of the regular season? 2021 FANTASY FOOTBALL D/ST RANKINGS: WEEK 17. There was more good news for the rookie class on the other side of the ball: Dameon Pierce rushed for 99 yards and his third touchdown of the season. The biggest issue on defense is run defense. Guess we just need to sit back, eat some popcorn and wait for it to make sense. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have regressed from an unstoppable force to an inconsistent attack. "I think we took a step forward, for sure," Fields said. The Niners' defense has been mostly dominant for the season's first month, but the win column doesn't reflect just how good it has been. This was an issue last year, and it continues to be one this season. They still have a lot of top-level talent. That's been costly for a team that continues to lose close games, and fatigue might be a problem. Visit ESPN to view 2022 NFL stat leaders. From injuries to defending the run, every team has something it can improve on. Panthers impressed by Derek Carr visit 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. Wilks will begin his run without Mayfield, out indefinitely after suffering a high anklesprain against the Niners. The former Super Bowl champion is an ESPN analyst who is excited about Branch. Per NFL Media research, Rodgers finished 0-for-6 on deep attempts of at least 20 air yards. -- Jeff Legwold, Offense: 26 Watch on ESPN+, Offense: 24 Unfortunately for Atlanta, a flag (for unnecessary roughness) was thrown on Grady Jarrett's pivotal fourth-quarter sack, and the opportunity to complete a stirring comeback was taken from Arthur Smith's bunch. Sebastian Joseph-Day was brought in to help with rush defense. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. Case in point, theLions, who showed up Sunday with the highest-scoring offense in football but headed back to Detroit as 29-0 losers. --Courtney Cronin, Defensive efficiency: 54.3 -- Jake Trotter, The Bucs surrounded quarterback Tom Brady with an offense that rivals a championship fantasy roster from 2017. With Mahomes reinjuring his right ankle Sunday night, it looked like the Chiefs were in trouble. They converted each into a touchdown. There's respect, but little love, between the Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies since their rivalry heated up last season. This is a team on the rise with Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson. Fantasy Football: Week 17 Defense Rankings - RSN Bengals coach Zac Taylor needs to pop the hood on his offense and figure out why that's no longer the case. McVay's bet paid off, as Staley took over a good defense that included Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, maintained a base 3-4 scheme and added several wrinkles to make it great. On the Cowboys' opening drive, one pass went for 31 yards while the other five plays managed a combined 9 yards. --Michael Rothstein, Defensive efficiency: 42.4 We've got to get it together. Roger Goodell allegedly knew about $55 million bank fraud committed by Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder and refused to investigate. Check out the full order, 1-32. 2022 NFL Defense & Special Teams (DST) Statistics - FantasyPros CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND Check. The Aaron Rodgers saga hangs over this team's offseason. The Titans' secondary hasn't helped either, especially when it plays off the ball, even in third-and-short situations. --Rich Cimini, Defensive efficiency: 59.0 -- Brady Henderson, Although the Titans are 9-4, their defense has been subpar. With the 2022 regular season in the books, Dan Hanzus provides a full rundown of the league hierarchy, 1-32. He wouldn't say it. But what has also stood out is how many injuries the Bills have accumulated, especially in the secondary. There are twists, there are turns, theres joy, theres terror. Fantasy football rankings from Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Daniel Dopp, Eric Karabell, Liz Loza, Eric Moody and Field Yates. In this edition of the Power Rankings, Dan Hanzus has a brand new team in the top five. The problem is the coverage, specifically the safeties and linebackers. Jaguars won't spend big, but here are five players they could target in free agency, 2023 NFL franchise tag tracker: Raiders tag Josh Jacobs, the NFL's rushing leader. He had a top-10 defense in points allowed in four . They improved in a big way this past season. Special teams: 19, The Giants' worst unit is their offense? Don't forget to check out the NFL Power Rankings Podcast with Dan Hanzus and Colleen Wolfe. NFL 2022 defenses, ranked: Fantasy football Week 5 Eh, I don't know. Sam Darnold was a bust in 2021, and Baker Mayfield has beenjust as bad (if not worse) as QB1 this year. Aaron Rodgers leads list of players on the fantasy football hot seat for 2023, Fantasy football season recap, key stats and look ahead to 2023, Fantasy football 2023 offensive depth charts, Fantasy football 2023 defensive depth charts, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. On the ensuing possession, Davante Adams had a sideline reception to put the team in field-goal range in the final seconds wiped away by an official review. Two titles in four years and three Super Bowl appearances in that same time makes them a dynasty. With an Eagles team that runs the ball effectively in their division, the Cowboys have to get better. But you tend to get these kinds of breaks when things are going good. Mac Jones has to be happy after what happened last season. CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND We try not to look at what happened the last couple of games and what's ahead. They're currently sixth in the league in that category. The defense struggles in yards per rush, red zone efficiency and third-down conversions -- ranking last in all categories. Defensive efficiency, powered by ESPN's Football Power Index, is rated on a 0-100 scale, based on the defense's contribution to scoring margin on per-play basis and adjusted for strength of opposing offenses faced. The biggest issue on defense is finishing the game. -- Jenna Laine, Everything you need this week: Since the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year tore his pectoral at the end of regulation in Week 1, the Steelers have given up an average of 23 points per game and recorded just three total sacks. The pass rush is anemic (16 sacks), DE Josh Allen (2.5 sacks) has had a disappointing season and is now on IR, and injuries have decimated the secondary (at one point, the Jaguars were down four of their top five corners). "I love Matthew Stafford. The interception total, even with none against the Panthers on Sunday, is five more than that of the next-worst team. Four of them came through the air, which has sparked questions about the secondary. League rank:15th. On paper, the Packers would appear to have a dominant defense. JAX | KC | LV | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN Lawrence got a pass for a rocky rookie year marred by Urban Meyers malfeasance, but the five-game sample Lawrence has submitted in Year 2 under Doug Pederson hasbeen frustratingly inconsistent. They've allowed 34 first downs on the ground, the third most in the NFL. They don't have an edge rusher with more than one sack and have called the third-most blitzes (57) so far this season. New England Patriots (vs. Jaguars) The Patriots have routinely destroyed rookie quarterbacks under Bill Belichick and Trevor Lawrence has been a turnover machine this season. But Garrett is going to have to play through left shoulder and right biceps injuries, at least in the short term. Full playoff schedule | More content , The disparity between Chicago's offense and defense is huge. NFL 2020 Defensive Rankings | StatMuse The Vikings lost to the Bucs on Sunday in large part because of Dan Bailey's four missed kicks that left 10 points on the table. There is a lot of young talent on the roster. They can't ask Josh Allen to do it all. The script is beyond tired for the Raiders. "To me, this is about as bad as it gets, the coach said Sunday. This was especially so when Denver was forced into its nickel package on defense and the Raiders then pounded away at it. That also has been a factor in the team's failure to convert seven game-winning or tying drives. League rank: 22nd. More NFL coverage , The Dolphins have been great on defense and special teams, scoring a combined three touchdowns with those units this season. But he didn't look great when he played last season. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Seattle's special teams have been strong the whole time, led by Jason Myers going 18-for-18 on field goal tries. The Bolts are also having to adjust without Pro Bowl edge rusher Joey Bosa, who was placed on injured reserve after tearing his groin in Week 3. 2023 NFL combine: Top draft prospect workouts, risers, fastest 40s Opponent Punts per Play. Kansas City is totaling 115.9 rushing yards per game on offense, which ranks the team 20th in the NFL. They are Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Daniel Dopp, Eric Karabell, Liz Loza, Eric Moody and Field Yates. NFL world reacts to horrible Roger Goodell allegations NFL Power Rankings, Week 7: Giants, Jets fly up the board; Buccaneers 32. After the loss, the team announced the trade of Pro Bowl linebacker Deion Jones and a seventh-round draft pick to the Browns in exchange for a sixth-round pick. 2022 NFL Stat Leaders | ESPN The defense has returned a takeaway for a touchdown in the past three games.
