Regular season totals, playoffs not included
Revised as of 9/24/2020
This page lists DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) for total defense as well as rushing and passing defense separated. The DVOA system is explained here. All numbers below are adjusted to an average schedule of opponents and an average percentage of fumbles recovered by the defense. The exceptions are the three columns marked NON-ADJUSTED. Quarterback scrambles are counted as passing plays rather than rushing plays.
LAST YEAR represents 2001 rank. WEIGHTED DEFENSE is adjusted so that earlier games in the season become gradually less important. It better reflects how the team was playing at the end of the season.
VARIANCE measures the statistical variance of the team's weekly DVOA performance. Teams are ranked from most consistent (#1, lowest variance) to least consistent (#32, highest variance). SCHEDULE represents the average offensive DVOA of all opponents, with teams ranked from hardest schedule to easiest schedule.
Remember, since positive numbers represent more scoring, defense is better when it is NEGATIVE.
| RK | TEAM | DEFENSE DVOA |
LAST YEAR |
WEI. DEFENSE |
RK | PASS DEF |
RK | RUSH DEF |
RK | NON-ADJ TOTAL |
NON-ADJ PASS |
NON-ADJ RUSH |
VAR | RK | SCHED | RK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TB | -31.2% | 2 | -29.8% | 1 | -49.1% | 1 | -9.4% | 10 | -32.8% | -50.3% | -11.5% | 5.6% | 18 | -6.6% | 32 |
| 2 | MIA | -15.0% | 10 | -16.8% | 2 | -18.1% | 3 | -11.1% | 7 | -11.4% | -11.9% | -10.7% | 10.1% | 28 | 5.5% | 6 |
| 3 | CAR | -13.2% | 23 | -12.1% | 3 | -12.5% | 4 | -14.1% | 3 | -16.2% | -16.5% | -15.7% | 7.2% | 22 | -6.0% | 30 |
| 4 | PHI | -10.3% | 3 | -11.0% | 5 | -6.0% | 8 | -17.0% | 1 | -15.8% | -9.0% | -26.1% | 8.2% | 27 | -6.0% | 29 |
| 5 | GB | -8.5% | 8 | -11.6% | 4 | -18.3% | 2 | 3.0% | 28 | -11.2% | -22.8% | 2.6% | 7.9% | 25 | -3.9% | 22 |
| 6 | STL | -7.8% | 1 | -7.1% | 10 | -8.2% | 7 | -7.3% | 11 | -5.0% | -4.4% | -5.7% | 8.1% | 26 | 4.2% | 8 |
| 7 | BAL | -7.4% | 5 | -7.2% | 9 | -8.6% | 6 | -5.9% | 13 | -4.8% | -3.0% | -7.0% | 3.9% | 5 | -2.7% | 15 |
| 8 | ATL | -7.2% | 24 | -7.8% | 8 | -9.2% | 5 | -4.7% | 19 | -10.9% | -12.6% | -8.8% | 11.2% | 31 | -6.3% | 31 |
| 9 | OAK | -5.5% | 19 | -8.5% | 6 | -1.6% | 13 | -11.0% | 8 | 1.1% | 6.4% | -6.4% | 6.7% | 21 | 10.0% | 1 |
| 10 | CLE | -4.4% | 4 | -6.5% | 11 | -4.0% | 11 | -4.8% | 18 | -1.6% | 0.5% | -3.8% | 5.2% | 16 | -0.8% | 14 |
| 11 | PIT | -4.3% | 11 | -3.9% | 13 | -3.7% | 12 | -5.3% | 15 | -5.4% | -4.0% | -7.8% | 5.3% | 17 | -4.0% | 23 |
| 12 | WAS | -4.2% | 7 | -8.4% | 7 | -4.7% | 9 | -3.5% | 20 | -5.5% | -8.1% | -2.3% | 6.3% | 19 | -3.2% | 18 |
| 13 | DAL | -3.2% | 21 | -2.3% | 15 | 4.6% | 18 | -13.2% | 4 | -5.5% | 3.8% | -17.1% | 4.1% | 7 | -4.0% | 24 |
| 14 | NO | -1.9% | 14 | -3.1% | 14 | 1.8% | 14 | -6.9% | 12 | -6.9% | -2.9% | -12.3% | 4.7% | 11 | -5.5% | 28 |
| 15 | NE | -0.8% | 13 | 2.5% | 21 | -4.0% | 10 | 2.6% | 27 | 2.4% | -1.5% | 6.7% | 6.4% | 20 | 6.8% | 5 |
| 16 | NYG | -0.6% | 18 | -1.6% | 16 | 3.4% | 17 | -5.8% | 14 | -4.3% | -2.1% | -7.3% | 4.7% | 10 | -4.4% | 26 |
| 17 | IND | -0.2% | 30 | 0.1% | 18 | 2.5% | 15 | -2.9% | 21 | 0.4% | 2.3% | -1.5% | 5.0% | 12 | -3.9% | 21 |
| 18 | DEN | 0.6% | 20 | -1.6% | 17 | 4.8% | 19 | -5.0% | 17 | 4.3% | 7.8% | -0.4% | 2.8% | 1 | 9.4% | 2 |
| 19 | TEN | 1.1% | 26 | -4.3% | 12 | 13.4% | 25 | -16.5% | 2 | -0.6% | 12.5% | -19.4% | 10.2% | 29 | -4.6% | 27 |
| 20 | HOU | 1.9% | X | 1.7% | 20 | 2.7% | 16 | 1.0% | 25 | 2.7% | 5.3% | 0.2% | 5.2% | 15 | 0.3% | 13 |
| 21 | SF | 2.6% | 15 | 4.5% | 22 | 12.4% | 24 | -10.3% | 9 | 3.2% | 13.1% | -9.8% | 3.3% | 3 | 1.5% | 12 |
| 22 | CHI | 2.6% | 6 | 4.9% | 23 | 14.4% | 26 | -11.2% | 6 | -0.7% | 9.3% | -12.3% | 2.9% | 2 | -2.7% | 16 |
| 23 | SD | 3.1% | 12 | 8.0% | 27 | 8.8% | 20 | -5.2% | 16 | 7.8% | 13.1% | 0.1% | 7.2% | 24 | 8.7% | 3 |
| 24 | BUF | 5.9% | 28 | 1.6% | 19 | 10.2% | 23 | 1.2% | 26 | 7.1% | 9.5% | 4.4% | 10.2% | 30 | 3.6% | 9 |
| 25 | JAX | 8.1% | 22 | 8.7% | 28 | 15.3% | 27 | 0.0% | 24 | 5.4% | 14.5% | -4.9% | 4.4% | 9 | -2.9% | 17 |
| 26 | NYJ | 9.1% | 9 | 6.0% | 25 | 8.8% | 21 | 9.4% | 31 | 11.0% | 11.5% | 10.3% | 4.0% | 6 | 4.5% | 7 |
| 27 | SEA | 9.1% | 16 | 6.8% | 26 | 9.6% | 22 | 8.5% | 30 | 11.3% | 11.6% | 11.0% | 4.1% | 8 | 3.2% | 10 |
| 28 | MIN | 10.4% | 29 | 5.3% | 24 | 26.1% | 30 | -12.7% | 5 | 7.2% | 22.4% | -15.3% | 7.2% | 23 | -3.7% | 20 |
| 29 | DET | 13.6% | 25 | 10.9% | 30 | 25.3% | 29 | -1.4% | 23 | 10.1% | 20.1% | -2.7% | 3.5% | 4 | -3.5% | 19 |
| 30 | CIN | 14.1% | 17 | 12.0% | 31 | 30.9% | 32 | -2.0% | 22 | 12.5% | 30.3% | -4.5% | 5.2% | 13 | -4.2% | 25 |
| 31 | KC | 15.1% | 27 | 9.7% | 29 | 20.7% | 28 | 7.5% | 29 | 15.6% | 20.3% | 9.3% | 11.4% | 32 | 7.6% | 4 |
| 32 | ARI | 20.3% | 31 | 23.1% | 32 | 28.9% | 31 | 11.3% | 32 | 20.9% | 28.2% | 13.2% | 5.2% | 14 | 2.4% | 11 |