2. Seattle Seahawks
There is very little you can say negative about the Seattle Seahawks' defense at this stage of the season.
The Seahawks ranked 1st in points allowed per game this season, they were downright dominant in two games against Kyle Shanahan's 49ers at the end of the season, allowing just nine total points in two games. They ranked 6th in the NFL in takeaways (25), and were outstanding on third down, ranking 1st in the NFL in that category.
They have playmakers at every level of the defense, and had five guys with 13 or more quarterback hits this season. Mike Macdonald has these guys playing elite football right now, and as I mentioned, there's really not much negative you can say about this unit.
They've come through for this team at just about every juncture, and should be expected to do so once again in the NFC Championship Game. We've got a situation of best-on-best in that matchup with the likely NFL MVP Matthew Stafford going up against this Seattle defense for a third time.
1. Denver Broncos
It was really a toss-up between the Seahawks and Broncos for the top overall spot on this list. The Broncos ranked 3rd in the NFL overall this season with 18.3 points allowed per game, 2nd in total yards allowed, and 1st in net yards per pass attempt.
Most impressively, the Broncos ranked 1st in the NFL (by far) and set a franchise record with 68 sacks in the regular season. They followed that up with three more sacks in the Divisional Round against Josh Allen and the Bills.
What's been the most impressive for the Broncos this season is how elite and consistent they've been in the most important situations. Their red zone defense was the best in the NFL this season. Their third-down defense ranked 2nd in the NFL as well.
The Denver defense had 12 players this past season with at least two sacks. They have four players with seven or more.
The Broncos have the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Pat Surtain II anchoring the secondary along with Talanoa Hufanga at safety. Even with this team struggling with penalties on that side of the ball this season, they've got the most well-rounded and dangerous defense in the playoffs, and they just turned the Bills over five times in the Divisional Round.