The Aaron Rodgers saga hangs over this team's offseason. It also reflects the Miami Dolphins' loss on Thursday night to the Cincinnati Bengals after quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) left the game on a stretcher. Find the most recent updates each day . -- Cameron Wolfe, The Cardinals' defense has been underrated all season, as is evident by its FPI ranking. The offense is broken, yet the Steelers keep trying to force what worked earlier in the season. York pushed his 54-yard field-goal attempt wide right in the final seconds, allowing the Chargers to escape Cleveland with a 30-28 win. With Darnold still shelved by his own high ankle sprain (this team, man), P.J. Key Free Agents: N/A. From 2010-2019, the team never finished higher than 20th in points per game allowed and often finished in the bottom five in the league in scoring defense. They improved in a big way this past season. Thankfully, the defense has kept them in and won them some games. View defense & special teams stats for the 2022 NFL season. Visit ESPN to view 2022 NFL stat leaders. "To me, this is about as bad as it gets, the coach said Sunday. One of this year's most intriguing defensive backs prospects is @AlabamaFTBL 's Brian Branch. Bengals coach Zac Taylor needs to pop the hood on his offense and figure out why that's no longer the case. Transactions | Injuries They are last in the NFL in opponent third-down conversion percentage and touchdown percentage allowed in the red zone. injuries. The pass rush is anemic (16 sacks), DE Josh Allen (2.5 sacks) has had a disappointing season and is now on IR, and injuries have decimated the secondary (at one point, the Jaguars were down four of their top five corners). Below, we checked in with NFL Nation reporters across the league and asked what the biggest issue faced by each team's defense is. Buffalo Bills. Although defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's unit has improved in recent weeks, there are questions about its long-term outlook. Josh Jacobs, who led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards last season, is expected to be given the franchise tag by the Raiders, sources told ESPN. --Tim McManus, Defensive efficiency:57.9 League rank: 29th. We try not to look at what happened the last couple of games and what's ahead. But there's little to pick apart. Not a dynasty in the 1950s Cleveland Browns way, but a dynasty of the modern game, where free agency and a salary cap can eat a team alive. -- Turron Davenport, Offense: 19 The Texans have joined the ranks of the living, with their first win of the season. But they're going to have to rush the passer more effectively if that is going to continue. Whenit was over, the Colts were celebrating in Denver on Thursday night -- even if the result didnt quite make sense. The biggest issue on defense is injuries to the secondary. NFL 2020 defensive rankings. But Garrett is going to have to play through left shoulder and right biceps injuries, at least in the short term. The Niners have Jimmy G. The Bucs have yet to put together four impressive quarters in a row. The Bears and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky have played much better offensively the past three weeks, but their overall body of work is subpar. Honestly, there's very little to nitpick the Bengals' defense about. Fantasy football rankings from Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Daniel Dopp, Eric Karabell, Liz Loza, Eric Moody and Field Yates. TheLions have been a mess on defense all season, but the offense was there to keep the team competitive and afloat. ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN The Browns are quietly having an absurd season. -- Mike DiRocco, Nothing has gone right. All Rights Reserved. New York used a dominant rushing attack and big-play defense to reel off 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, snapping a 12-game losing streak versus AFC East opponents. Football Power Index rankings NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF The result was an average Dolphins attack that all but disappeared in the fourth quarter, when the Jets reeled off 21 unanswered points to turn a tight contest into a laugher for the home team in green. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! -- Nick Wagoner, Offense: 22 Shane Steichen will be their new head coach, but if he doesn't find a quarterback, it won't matter how good he is as a coach. The offense went cold, and Minnesota allowed Chicago to crawl back in the game and even take the lead in the fourth quarter. The focus is solely on Guenther, whose defenses are responsible for two of the eight worst single-season defensive efficiency seasons of the past decade. In the meantime, the Chiefs have made the most of their four turnovers. Special teams: 24, Carson Wentz declined dramatically in 2020, plummeting toward the bottom in most statistical categories for QBs before being replaced in the lineup by rookie Jalen Hurts. Half the conference has had a legitimate claim for the best team in the AFC at some point. Pittsburghs defense -- lost without T.J. Watt -- surrendered a 98-yard touchdown strike from JoshAllen on the third play from scrimmage and rarely looked competitive after that. This team, because of Ryans and draft assets, is trending in the right direction. Selecting between healthy Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush an easy choice, Mike Tomlin open to all remedies after Steelers 'smashed' by Bills in Kenny Pickett's first start. I trust the Bills, who are loaded with talent and have been through the wars. "We've got a lot of season left," Murray said. While it is currently ranked one of the best in the NFL, the Bengals are trying to figure out what to do at kicker. It's time for Lawrence, touted as a generational talent entering the league, to step up. The Seahawks are an entertaining team, but a consistently overmatched defense might stop them from being anything more than that. They hired DeMeco Ryans as coach, which will be a good thing for this franchise. https://raiderswire.usatoday.com/2020/06/18/espn-names-raiders-as-worst-defense-of-decade/, One free agent each NFL team should re-sign in 2023, Ranking the Raiders biggest need positions ahead of free agency, ESPN projects who the Week 1 starter at QB for the Las Vegas Raiders, Aaron Rodgers emerges from 'Darkness retreat' to Raiders reportedly not interested in acquiring him. Replied the coach: Were nobodys underdog. Indeed. The defense bounced back from Week 4's humbling prime-time loss to the Chiefs, but a fourth-quarter letdown was halted by an absurdly generous roughing-the-passer call that kept Tom Brady on the field and allowed the home team to run out the clock in a 21-15 win over Atlanta. The results were as one-sided as you might expect: a 38-3 Bills victory that put Buffalo back in sole possession of first place in the AFC East. 1 after a dominating Super Bowl victory. Speaking ofMcCarthy, we loved his line from last Thursday when alerted by a reporter that the Rams were favored in Sundays game. League rank: 18th, The Chargers' defense appeared dominant -- on paper -- entering the season. They're currently sixth in the league in that category. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. So why is Baltimore battling for its playoff life? Kansas City dug itself out of a 17-0 first-half hole thanks to a Mahomes-led offense that, when warmed up, operates like a runaway freight train going downhill. But the Niners still have a losing record, despite the generally strong overall rankings, because of the team's inconsistency and turnover problems. Chicago's special teams are better than the rankings indicate. But Sunday? The Jets are allowing opponents to convert 51% of the time on third down, which ranks 31st out of 32 teams. Dan Hanzus updates his league pecking order, 1 to 32. Philly's first loss of the season . The biggest issue on defense is third-down conversions. The offense has been efficient despite injuries, and the special teams, under Brayden Coombs, have been a bright spot. This might be a minor quibble given how well the unit is playing as a whole. Frazier interviewed for head-coaching opportunities in 2020 and 2021 after being interim head coach and then head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2010 to 2013 (21-32-1 record). "We're not nearly at the point of where we're capable of being. They still have a lot of top-level talent. The Eagles are 5-0 for just the third time in franchise history. -- John Keim, It speaks volumes about the 49ers' coaching staff that they have been able to squeeze these types of rankings out of a team that has been ravaged by injury all season. On Sunday, it was a killer end-zone pick with less than three minutes to play in a 30-28 defeat to the Chargers. The Packers survived a scare from Bailey Zappe and the Patriots in Week 4, but Brian Daboll's Giants made them pay with a humbling loss in London. Who led the NFL in passing in 2020? It's a break the Bucs won't apologize for and they shouldn't. The Jets aren't just bad -- they're historically bad. The best teams find ways to win. If they do, this is a team that can push the Bills for the AFC East title. Defense: 14 It won't be Derek Carr, but maybe it's Aaron Rodgers. ", You can flip the calendar and reboot the coaching staff, but some things will never change with a Kirk Cousins-led offense. The biggest issue on defense is soft coverage. Reed and rookie Sauce Gardner are holding up nicely on the outside, but they're giving up too many chunk plays in the middle of the field. They can't ask Josh Allen to do it all. --Adam Teicher, Defensive efficiency:69.1 Frazier interviewed for head-coaching opportunities in 2020 and 2021 after being interim head coach and then head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2010 to 2013 (21-32-1 record). Check. Afterward, McVay shut down the idea of putting the blame at the feet of the quarterback. DE Jadeveon Clowney has missed the past two games with an ankle injury. Ryan Clark, an LSU alum, played 13 seasons in the National Football League. 1. The big offseason talk is whether they can land Aaron Rodgers. The Giants aren't the most talented team in the NFC, and they're far from the healthiest, but they compete like hell and put themselves in the best position to win each week. --Paul Gutierrez, Defensive efficiency: 42.7 Who has the most career 200 receiving yard games? League rank: 28. Injuries, a lack of playmaking talent and poor coaching have all been part of the issue. Find NFL defense rushing stats by team. How far do the Vikings and Jets fall? League rank: 22nd. The special teams have benefited from some big returns lately, but questionable decision-making in key spots has hurt. Turnover Differential is calculated by subtracting the total number of giveaways (interceptions & fumbles lost) from the total number of takeaways (interceptions & opponent fumble recoveries). We've got to get it together. An injury to All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley, highly criticized playcalling and the lack of a dominant wide receiver have all contributed to the Ravens' occasional struggles on offense. With Jameis Winston and Michael Thomas sidelined, Hill got help from Alvin Kamara, who piled up 194 yards of total offense and looked -- for the first time in quite a while -- like, well, Alvin Kamara. Miami currently has the second-worst pass defense in the NFL through its first four games, although that hasn't translated to the scoreboard. But in recent weeks, the offensive line hasn't been physical enough, opposing defenses are blowing up the short passes, and the running game has evaporated. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nfl | pageType: stories | With his mobility limited some, it was the great scheming by Reid that produced the two second-half touchdowns. Josh McDaniels' team was once again on the wrong side of a coin-flip game, this time an excruciating 30-29 defeat to the Chiefs at Arrowhead that dropped Vegas into the AFC West cellar. The biggest issue on defense is getting pass rush from someone other than Maxx Crosby. Aaron Rodgers leads list of players on the fantasy football hot seat for 2023, Fantasy football season recap, key stats and look ahead to 2023, Fantasy football 2023 offensive depth charts, Fantasy football 2023 defensive depth charts, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. It's always that way with franchise quarterbacks. Third-string QB Skylar Thompson performed admirably on short notice,but struggled to take advantage of Miami's explosive playmakers. Frank Reich is in as the head coach, but he has to find a quarterback or it won't matter who coaches this team. He said Branch's versatility makes him a 'day one starter' in the NFL. The results were as . Check. Make Your Picks, The Falcons have lost six games by a touchdown or less, in large part because their defense has struggled in the red zone (29th of 32 teams) and can't consistently force late-game stops. The Eagles keep answering the bell in different ways. 2023 NFL combine: Top draft prospect workouts, risers, fastest 40s Crosby has four of the Raiders' five sacks -- cornerback Nate Hobbs has the other -- and while that's a good early return on Las Vegas' four-year, $98.98 million investment via the extension Crosby got this offseason, the Raiders need more from the defensive line in general, Chandler Jones in particular. 1 team: Jump to a team: -- Brady Henderson, Although the Titans are 9-4, their defense has been subpar. All 2022 NFL futures odds are courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook unless otherwise noted and are current as of Thursday, Dec. 8, at 1 p.m. Rally from multiple scores down? After Baltimore totaled 126 yards in the second half in Week 3, and Green Bay totaled 199 yards on 35 carries overall in Week 4, it has exposed a vulnerability for the Patriots. Exclusive Premium Content For Subscribers The Bills' defense is ranked in the top five of almost every . See how each team defense ranks against the rest and see updated stats and rankings throughout the year. The Chiefs are doing a nice job of pressuring the quarterback, so it figures the turnovers will come. Special teams: 12, While the Texans overhauled their offense -- minus quarterback Deshaun Watson -- this season, they didn't make many changes on defense. The Jaguars have to figure out what went wrong because they faceDameon Pierce, Jonathan Taylor and Saquon Barkley the next three weeks. Previous rank: No. NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF As if getting gashed by Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon wasn't enough to have the Bears licking their wounds after a Week 2 loss at Green Bay, Giants running back Saquon Barkley totaled 145 yards on 31 carries and earned 94 of his rushing yards after first contact in Week 4. Win a shootout? League rank: 1st. Pie-in-the-sky fantasy football landing spots for NFL free agents, cut/trade candidates, Top 2023 NFL free agents at key fantasy football positions, Clay: Updated dynasty fantasy football rankings, Early fantasy football PPR rankings for 2023 by position, Tom Brady retires as GOAT in fantasy and betting, too, Fantasy Improv: Daniel and Liz look ahead to the 2023 season. TheDolphins have cooled off after their hot start, and injuries at the games most important position help to explain why. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. Past weeks could have been Chiefs, Chargers, or Raiders as well. "I'm not going to say dynasty yet, we're not done," Mahomes said. The guy that bettors are scrambling to back for Most Valuable Player threw for an average of 149.5 yards per game in 2022. The defense has allowed 34 or more points seven times. Discover NFL team overall stats and rankings throughout the season. Dan Hanzus updates his Power Rankings, with a notable boost for the surging Green Bay Packers. The Chiefs have taken the ball from their opponent just four times. Injuries have impacted the defense at times, but it has kept the Cardinals in games as the offense continues to figure itself out. They don't seem as sold on Ryan Tannehill as they used to be. The defense has its own injury problems to contend with, in addition to a roster that still needs upgrades. What are we doing here, man?" His Week 1 rankings and tiers for all of the NFL defenses. The Eagles are first in sacks (16), tied for first in takeaways (10), third in yards allowed (277.3 per game) and 10th in points allowed (17.8). Neither has a sack this season. "I'm not talking today," Jarrett said after the game. Seattle is still second in offensive scoring, even with Wilson coming back down to earth. Bill Belichick made a smart decision to bring in Bill O'Brien as offensive coordinator. The linebacker play has struggled too, leading to veteran Jamie Collins' return to the team on Monday. Jones has occupied double-teams and affected the passer, but for Crosby to remain effective, the Raiders would love for Jones, who signed a three-year, $51 million free agent deal with Las Vegas this spring, to start getting home, too. Our 2022 fantasy defense rankings will help you navigate one of the toughest positions during your fantasy football draft. The coaching search will end this week, but the biggest issue is Kyler Murray. Guess we just need to sit back, eat some popcorn and wait for it to make sense. "I love Matthew Stafford. He also secured five of six targets . TheSteelers were overmatched by a vastly superior Bills team on Sunday, falling behind by four touchdowns by halftime in an eventual 38-3 loss in Western New York. Since losing Dak Prescott, they have averaged 16.9 points per game. Of the 97 pass completions against them, 69 have come by receivers who have at least three yards of separation at the time of the throw, the fourth-highest total in the league. Check out the full league pecking order, 1-32. The Saints didn't have much of a pass rush to speak of to start the season, but they did get after Kirk Cousins on Sunday, finishing with three sacks. At season's start, coach Ron Rivera said it might not be until 2021 that the offense really starts humming. Any length of absence for Bosa will be felt: The two-time Pro Bowler entered Sunday leading the NFL in sacks and pressures. Defense: 18 9. The unit that gave up 51 points to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the playoffs in January has not improved this season, and even a healthy J.J. Watt can make only so much of a difference. Sustainable success comes from having "that" guy at quarterback. --Jamison Hensley, Defensive efficiency: 68.2 Get updated NFL defense rankings for the 2022 season. The Steelers showed up to Western New York with a rookie quarterback making his first start and a defense playing without T.J. Watt. They will most likely bring back Geno Smith at quarterback, which they should do. Mampt. NOTE: Up/down arrows below reflect team movement from the Week 5 Power Rankings. 8. The offensive star was Tony Pollard, whose 57-yard touchdown run gave Dallas the lead back for good and served as the latest reminder that Ezekiel Elliott is not the best running back on Mike McCarthys team. Luckily, Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden have done a great job of bringing in talent over the last two seasons and the hope is that players like Maxx Crosby, Clelin Ferrell and Trayvon Mullen can reshape the unit. Los Angeles is a defending Super Bowl champion with a broken offense. The biggest issue on defense is allowing explosive plays. There is Justin Herbert with the Chargers and Trevor Lawrence on his way in Jacksonville. . Even that's a reach, as corners Darius Slay (forearm) and Avonte Maddox (right ankle) are expected back soon. Did the Raiders make one of the best offseason moves in 2022? New Orleans Saints (10-3). "Personally, I have mixed emotions about the game itself, but we found a way." Russell Wilson and the Broncos' offense delivered another anemic performance under the prime-time lights, a 12-9 overtime loss that fully exposed to the football-viewing public how broken Denvers attack appears to be five weeks intothe season. The Colts have dropped a bit because they've struggled in giving up yards. --Kevin Seifert, Defensive efficiency: 76.1 Check. Find the best projected stats of the 2022 NFL season and build the best Fantasy Football team. Pass-rushing is the key to great defense in the NFL. The Chiefs traded away Tyreek Hill before the season and the offense evolved. Geno will be without a key piece going forward: Rashaad Penny is done for the year after fracturing his fibula on Sunday. Check out Dan Hanzus' full league pecking order, 1 to 32. Kansas City owns the most efficient offense in the NFL with . But they do need much more than what they've gotten thus far. After rallying from 10 down at the half -- scoring 17 fourth-quarter points -- to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in a thrilling 38-35 victory, there is no other way to describe this team. Roger Goodell allegedly knew about $55 million bank fraud committed by Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder and refused to investigate. Tampa started No. Sign up for the Raiders Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. This was especially so when Denver was forced into its nickel package on defense and the Raiders then pounded away at it. There is a lot of young talent on the roster. --Nick Wagoner, Defensive efficiency:51.0 -- Mike Triplett, Sean McVay took a risk when he hired unknown and unproven defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, who served three previous seasons in the NFL as an outside linebackers coach. They're losing one-on-one matchups and committing too many penalties on the back end, where they're playing three young corners plus a backup at safety in Josh Jonesbecause of the serious knee injury Adams suffered in the opener. The Cardinals have been able to get to the quarterback and get their hands on him at times, as was the case against Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, but getting opposing quarterbacks down has been a struggle. Despite having the first pick in the draft, they will build around Justin Fields. 2 overall pick in Chase Young, that's how it should be. The interception total, even with none against the Panthers on Sunday, is five more than that of the next-worst team. The Steelers showed up to Western New York with a rookie quarterback making his first start and a defense playing without T.J. Watt. Take Sunday, for instance: Cousins completed his first 17 passes against the Bears, leading the Vikings to touchdowns on their first three possessions while building a 21-3 lead. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. --Courtney Cronin, Defensive efficiency: 54.3 The Rams do have four interceptions this season. From the top D/STs to the biggest sleepers and potential breakouts . Its never a comfortable watch with Carson Wentz. Since the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year tore his pectoral at the end of regulation in Week 1, the Steelers have given up an average of 23 points per game and recorded just three total sacks. He wouldn't say it. On paper, the Eagles were the better team, but Mahomes was the great equalizer. Week 2. Deshaun Watson will have a full season with the Browns in 2023, which makes them a better team. -- Michael Rothstein, Compete for $275,000 of prizes, including $15,000 for the top score each week. "We've got a great team, great locker room. The Broncos are last in the league in turnover margin, at minus-18, and their quarterbacks have thrown the most interceptions, with 21. Players the Jaguars could target Per The Athletic, Quenton Nelson had this to say after the 12-9 overtime conquest: Awins a win, but Im kinda also like how?The Colts can thank their defense for keeping the team above water during a brutal opening stretch for an offense that has averaged a league-worst 13.8 points per game. He completed 13 of his 14 passes in the second half with two touchdowns. The special-teams coverage has been good, and punter Tress Way has been terrific. San Francisco also finished the game without star pass rusher Nick Bosa (groin) and kicker Robbie Gould (knee). Detroit will use itsbye to examine everything, including fourth-down decision making: The Lions went for it on fourth down six times on Sunday and failed to convert even once. -- Courtney Cronin, The passing offense has been a disappointment, which highlights myriad issues: Cam Newton's inaccuracy on short passes, a major void at tight end (the Patriots rank last in the NFL in production from that spot) and a receiving corps that hasn't been respected by opposing defenses and thus allows foes to load up against the run. Wentzs deciding turnover overshadowed a 359-yard passing day that included two long touchdown tosses to Dyami Brown. The biggest issue on defense is finishing the game. League rank: 26th. Sometimes inexperience has led to the big plays, but other times it's just corners getting beat, whether outright or because they anticipated help that didn't arrive. Dallas Cowboys (at Rams) The one to note here is the Cowboys they're on the road in LA, but that pass rush is so good! New coordinator Brian Flores will bring a much more aggressive approach. The biggest issue on defense is the run defense. A scrambling Kyler Murray went into a protection slide just short of the first-down marker, setting in motion a chain of events that ended with fill-in kicker Matt Ammendola badly pushing a 43-yard field goal attempt wide right. And even with that subpar stat, he currently has more bets to win NFL MVP . Rankings are refreshed every Friday to take out players from Thursday's game(s). The problem is the coverage, specifically the safeties and linebackers. Returns have been exceedingly positive on a 2022 draft class that includes instant-impact starters in Hall, cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson. After two straight losses, New England will probably look at this game as a chance to get right before a crucial division . But the defense is why Detroit is in a hole at the moment, getting ready for a complete regime switch in the offseason. -- Mike Wells, What will define Eric Bieniemy's success? Special teams: 22, The Browns' offense has been spearheaded by arguably the top rushing attack in the league, powered by the running back duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt and one of the NFL's most improved offensive lines. TeamRankings.com is not affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or March Madness Athletic Association, neither of which has supplied, reviewed, approved or endorsed the material on this site. The Niners' defense has been mostly dominant for the season's first month, but the win column doesn't reflect just how good it has been. Itsnot too early to panic. After dropping three straight, there are plenty of issues to point to on the defensive side, but the root of it stems from Watt's absence. It might work against the quarterbacks they faced, but life is about to get much more difficult with Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawrence and Geno Smith on deck. It's Sean McVay's responsibility to figure out how to fix it before it's too late. Veteran Randy Bullock was benched in favor of Austin Seibert for the Bengals' Week 14 loss to the Cowboys. --Rob Demovsky, Defensive efficiency:46.2 They've allowed 415 yards off play-action, which is the fourth most in the NFL.
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