Ranking the 2010s Championship Defenses

They say “Defense wins championships”, and it’s proven true even in this past decade of offensive-minded football. But out of all the defenses to win championships in the 2010s, which was the best? Let’s rank.

10. 2012 Baltimore Ravens

Although they had some impressive performances in the playoffs, the 2012 Baltimore Ravens won the title on the strength of Joe Flacco’s arm. 17th in total defense and 13th in points allowed, the Ravens D was really an average unit for much of the year. In the divisional round, they let up 35 points to the Denver Broncos and another 31 to the 49ers in the Super Bowl. Of course, they came through when it mattered most, stopping San Francisco four straight times with the season on the line.

9. 2018 New England Patriots

Although they were seventh in points allowed, the Patriots bend-but-don’t-break unit ranked 21st in total defense. They allowed a whopping 59 points in their first two playoff games, including 31 points to the Chiefs in the second half of the AFCCG. Three impressive rushing performances are what really sparked their Super Bowl run, but credit must be given to the defense for shutting down a prolific Rams offense in Super Bowl LIII.

8. 2014 New England Patriots

The Patriots capitalized on one year of Darrelle Revis, finishing that year with the eighth-ranked scoring defense. Three times that season they kept their opponent in single digits, and they did it once again in the AFC Championship. Their signature moment that year (and one of the most significant moments in sports history) came when UFA rookie Malcolm Butler sealed the Super Bowl with an incredible goal-line interception.

7. 2019 Kansas City Chiefs

If this unit had shown up the year before, the Chiefs could’ve been on this list multiple times just like the Patriots. After an abysmal performance throughout the 2018 season, Kansas City made sweeping changes. They began by replacing Dee Ford with Frank Clark, adding Tyrann Mathieu, and picking up 2x champion defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. The results were immediate: they finished seventh in scoring defense and eighth in passing yards allowed.

After their bye in Week 12, the Chiefs allowed only 10.4 PPG during the last five games of the regular season. With QB Patrick Mahomes back from injury, they won all five of those contests. In the Super Bowl, they outscored the 49ers 21-0 in the fourth quarter to win their first title in 50 years.

6. 2016 New England Patriots

It was hard to put a top-ranked scoring defense this low, but the presence of an MVP runner-up QB did help this team a lot, to say the least. After holding the Brock Osweiler-led Texans to 16 points, the Patriots did an absolute number on the explosive Steelers offense in the AFCCG. Pittsburgh boasted both the best RB and WR in the game and got just 97 total yards out of them.

Although they were stellar in the second half, this unit does get penalized a bit for allowing their team to fall into a 25-point hole in the Super Bowl. We all know what happened after that...

5. 2017 Philadelphia Eagles

I was going to put them one rank higher, but a less than stellar performance in the Super Bowl pushed them down. Besides being carved up by Tom Brady in the big game, this defense was actually one of the better ones of the decade. Featuring the league’s closest DT to Aaron Donald, they led the league in sacks and boasted the #1 rushing defense, allowing under 80 yards per game on the ground. After losing their All-Pro QB to a freak injury, the Eagles tightened up even more on the defensive side, allowing just 12.5 PPG in the five games leading up to the Super Bowl.

Even with their rising star MLB Jordan Hicks missing most of the year and their new #1 corner Ronald Darby missing half of the season, they still ranked fourth in total defense and scoring defense. The Eagles allowed 17 points total during their two games in the NFC playoff bracket.

4. 2010 Green Bay Packers

Before Aaron Rodgers set the league on fire, it was Dom Capers’ #2 ranked scoring defense that led this team to the postseason. Six different times this unit held their opponents to seven points or less, and only once in the regular season did an opponent break the 25 point mark.

They maintained their performance into the playoffs, holding the Eagles second-ranked offense to just 16 points. In the divisional round, they allowed just 21 points from the top-seeded Falcons in a 27-point blowout victory. In total, their defense gave up just 19 PPG in four playoff games, culminating in a Super Bowl victory over the Steelers.

LB Clay Matthews (first-team All-Pro), CBs Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams, and S Nick Collins were all selected to the Pro Bowl.

3. 2011 New York Giants

If this ranking took into account regular season only, this Giants squad would rank dead last on the list. They ranked 27th in yards allowed and 25th in points allowed-- not exactly a recipe for success in a year where points were being scored at a higher rate than ever before. After limping into the postseason with a 9-7 record, the Giants defense flipped the switch at a perfect time. First, they held the Atlanta Falcons to just two points in the wildcard round. The following week, they held the historically productive Packers offense to just 20 points. Finally, they held Alex Smith’s 49ers to just 17 in an OT game to move on to the Super Bowl.

Tasked with shutting down another juggernaut in the Patriots, the Giants defense picked up a safety early and never looked back, holding Tom Brady’s offense to just 17 points. Eli Manning receives most of the historical credit for this run, but it was the Giants defense stepping up that allowed New York to collect their fourth Lombardi.

2. 2015 Denver Broncos

Just two seasons before, the Broncos were re-writing the record books… on offense. After that strategy crumbled when it mattered most, Denver went in a new direction and assembled one of the best defenses ever. Even with an obviously past-his-prime Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler at QB, Denver had no trouble locking up the AFC’s top seed.

The Broncos were stacked at every position, starting with their two elite pass rushers in Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware. Behind them were Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan, two exceptional coverage linebackers. Behind those two were Chris Harris and Aqib Talib, the starting corners in Denver’s “No Fly Zone” secondary. Together, they formed the #1 total defense and #4 scoring defense in the league that season.

The Broncos spent the 2015 postseason harassing elite QBs such as Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, the ageless Tom Brady, and league MVP Cam Newton. They allowed just 44 points in three postseason games, including just ten in the Super Bowl. Von Miller won SB MVP honors with his 2.5-sack performance.

1. 2013 Seattle Seahawks

The 2013 Seattle Seahawks are not only the greatest defense of the decade, but one of the greatest in NFL history. Led by the imposing “Legion of Boom” secondary, Seattle held opponents to just 14.4 PPG and 172 passing yards per game. Featured in the LOB were three All-Pros in CB Richard Sherman, S Earl Thomas, and S Kam Chancellor (2nd team). Brandon Browner, the other starting corner, was no slouch either. Standing at 6’4 and 230 pounds, Browner was known for bullying receivers with his extreme physicality. After allowing just 32 points in two postseason games, the Seahawks nearly blanked the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl.

That Denver team was statistically the best offense in league history, averaging an otherworldly 37.9 PPG. They finished the game with eight.