Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons

Defense wins NFL championships. That’s a tale as old as time. Football fans have heard those words thousands of times whether it’s from their friends discussing the week’s matchups, bettors trying to figure out who is winning it all, or analysts on the TV trying to make picks on Sunday morning. Despite the fact that defense does in fact win championships, the offense is what gets headlines. Every commercial on Sunday seemingly has either Baker Mayfield or Patrick Mahomes on it. Fantasy leagues almost always have singular offensive stars while putting defenses in there as a team.

Looking back at history, there have been some stars who played as one of the 11 greats on the other side of the field. Their job was to make the game less exciting. Their purpose was to keep points off the board unless they were taking an interception the other way.

Which defensive players had the best NFL seasons of all time?

When looking at awards, defenders are not well represented. Two defensive players have won the MVP in the history of the NFL. There have been some amazing talents that came and went who might have deserved the MVP. In the Super Bowl, they are a little better represented. 10 players on the defensive side won MVP honors in the best single game in sports.

That’s why the Defensive Player of the Year award exists. It’s to celebrate the greats on the other side of the ball. There is always a debate about who should win this award every year since there is such a big difference between someone playing defensive tackle and someone else playing cornerback. That’s how someone like Darrell Revis goes his entire career without winning the award. However, there are some great seasons that deserve recognition. These are the best defensive seasons in the history of the NFL that were recognized with a Defensive Player of the Year award.