49ers, Saints rise up team defense rankings after Week 17 wins, here's where things stand heading into the final week of the NFL's regular season.
Ayrton OstlyUSA TODAY
The final weekend of the NFL regular season is here. Sixteen games across Saturday and Sunday will finalize the playoff picture in both conferences.
At this point in the season, the league's best defenses have been fully established. The likes of the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Francisco 49ers have borne out as the best on defense this year. Ahead of the season finale, here's how the top defenses rank in points and yards allowed per game:
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NFL top defenses: Fewest points allowed per game
- Baltimore Ravens (16.4) (last week: 1)
- San Francisco 49ers (17.3) (last week: 3)
- Kansas City Chiefs (17.6) (last week: 2)
- Buffalo Bills (18.6) (last week: 4)
- Dallas Cowboys (19.1) (last week: 5)
- New Orleans Saints (19.4) (last week: 9)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (19.6) (last week: 7)
- Las Vegas Raiders (19.8) (last week: 8)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20.3) (last week: 12)
- Atlanta Falcons (20.3) (last week: 6)
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NFL top defenses: Fewest yards allowed per game
- Cleveland Browns (266.6) (last week: 1)
- Kansas City Chiefs (285.8) (last week: 2)
- Carolina Panthers (298.1) (last week: 5)
- Baltimore Ravens (302.1) (last week: 6)
- New York Jets (303.1) (last week: 3)
- New England Patriots (304.6) (last week: 8)
- San Francisco 49ers (306.8) (last week: 12)
- Dallas Cowboys (307.2) (last week: 7)
- Miami Dolphins (308.6) (last week: 4)
- Buffalo Bills (310.2) (last week: 10)
NFL top defenses: Points versus yards
These two metrics have different leaders. Here's how the 15 teams making up the best of those categories compare to each other:
