It is not cliche to say that defenses win championships. We did just see that in the 2025 NFL Season, as the Seattle Seahawks defense was able to shut down the New England Patriots en route to a Super Bowl title.
Of the 10 best scoring defenses in the NFL last year, eight of them made the playoffs, and nine of 10 finished with a winning record. Both Seattle and New England were top-4 units in points allowed per game. Simply put, having a top defense almost always guarantees some level of success in a given season.
Ahead of the bulk of preseason action beginning, let's rank the best defenses in the NFL.
Ranking the best defenses in the NFL ahead of preseason beginning
8. Kansas City Chiefs
I do have serious questions about the Kansas City Chiefs defense, as all of Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and Bryan Cook are no longer in the secondary. Their former athletic linebacker, Leo Chenal, is now on the Washington Commanders as well.
This is more of a ranking showing top confidence in Steve Spagnuolo, their battle-tested defensive coordinator who is constantly throwing different looks at opposing offenses. Personnel-wise, though, this unit has been a lot better in prior seasons.
7. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings ranked seventh in points allowed per game in 2025. The unit did see some transition along the defensive line, but rookies in Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange have made a ton of noise and are trending toward having some roles for Brian Flores in 2026.
Flores is definitely one of the more aggressive coordinators in the NFL, and if the Vikings can field competent quarterback play, that will take some pressure off the defense, so this unit, despite the personnel shifting, could be even better in the 2026 NFL Season.
They land at No. 7 in our rankings.
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