Ranking NFC North defenses
By: Jake Rajala
The NFC North has a few prominent defenses. There are aggressive, versatile, and stingy defenses. With that said, I’m going to rank the NFC North defenses.
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are last on this list. They don’t rank in the Top-10 in any of these categories. They don’t have any freaks on their defense. Overall, they are average. They rank 14th in PPG and 16th in sacks. I’d love to see more blitzing from the Bears. They also rank 17th in passing yards allowed and 27th in rushing yards allowed!
Detroit Lions
The Lions have a clutch edge rusher in Aidan Hutchinson, but they can’t stay healthy. Their defense is very low class. They find a way to hold their offense in the game just long enough, as they’re 11th in PPG allowed. They are 31st in passing yards allowed. I hated their move to pardon CGJ.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are second on this list. They are fourth in PPG allowed, they are also sixth in sacks, and second in rushing per game allowed. Their pass defense (29th in passing YPG allowed) holds them back from being first on this list. Saquon Barkley is the best RB in the NFL and the road to the Super Bowl will likely go through Philly next season. Hence, it’s perfect that the Vikings have a Top-5 run defense.
Green Bay Packers
It may come as a surprise that the Packers rank Top-10 in many of the categories on defense. They have an elite defense when it comes to PPG allowed, which is most important. They are also eighth in sacks, which is key in taking down the likes of Jalen Hurts and even A.J. McCarthy. I also love that they are seventh in rushing yards per game allowed.
The NFC North arguably showcases the best group of defenses among all NFL divisions. There will certainly be a lot of blood-baths and dogfights among these division contests. The mighty question is: who will win the division. I expect it to be the team with the best defense.
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