Sometimes it is really hard to take a gander at statistics and get anything out of them. This comes to light when doing research about fantasy football, especially looking at defensive rankings.
For your help, and my own, I have decided to do a ton of research to see where some of the "top defenses" in the NFL stand through the first seven weeks of the season.
Top 5 Pass Defenses | Team | Yards | TD/INT | QB Rating | 20+ | 40+ | AVG Pass |
| San Francisco 49ers | 173.4 | 6/5 | 73.6 | 13 | 2 | 5.9 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 181.6 | 6/1 | 97.7 | 16 | 1 | 7.6 |
| St. Louis Rams | 207.8 | 4/8 | 72.8 | 12 | 2 | 6.5 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 212.3 | 6/6 | 74.2 | 17 | 2 | 6.2 |
| New York Jets | 209.3 | 6/7 | 71.1 | 18 | 1 | 6.7 |
Opponents
The following is a list of pass offenses each team has played thus far this season and where they stand in terms of rankings. The rankings will be in paranthesis.
San Francisco 49ers: Packers (10), Lions (2), Vikings (25), Jets (28), Bills (30), Giants (3), Seahawks (31) AVG: 18.4
Dallas Cowboys: Giants (3), Seahawks (31), Buccaneers (15), Bears (26), Ravens (14), Panthers (22) AVG: 18.7
St. Louis Rams: Lions (2), Redskins (20), Bears (26), Seahawks (31), Cardinals (27), Dolphins (21), Packers (10) AVG: 19.6
Seattle Seahawks: Cardinals (27), Cowboys (7), Packers (10), Rams (24), Panthers (22), Patriots (6), 49ers (29) AVG: 17.9
New York Jets: Bills (30), Steelers (6), Dolphins (21), 49ers (29), Texans (18), Colts (11), Patriots (5) AVG: 17.1
Top 5 Rush Defenses | Team | Yards | AVG | TD | 1st Down % |
| Chicago Bears | 65.8 | 3.6 | 1 | 22.0 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 75.0 | 3.1 | 2 | 18.9 |
| San Diego Chargers | 71.2 | 3.5 | 2 | 15.7 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 85.0 | 3.7 | 2 | 19.3 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 98.9 | 3.8 | 2 | 16.4 |
Opponents
Chicago Bears: Colts (22), Packers (24), Rams (16), Cowboys (20), Packers (25), Lions (19) AVG: 21.0
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Panthers (13), Giants (12), Cowboys (20), Redskins (1), Chiefs (3), Saints (32) AVG: 13.5
San Diego Chargers: Raiders (31), Titans (28), Falcons (29), Chiefs (3), Saints (32), Broncos (23) AVG: 26.0
Seattle Seahawks: Cardinals (27), Cowboys (20), Packers (24), Rams (16), Panthers (13), Patriots (5), 49ers (2) AVG: 15.3
San Francisco 49ers: Packers (24), Lions (19), Vikings (7), Jets (14), Bills (4), Giants (12), Seahawks (8) AVG: 12.6
Top Five Overall Defenses | Team | PPG | Total Yards | 1st Downs | Turnovers | 3rd Down % |
| San Francisco 49ers | 14.3 | 272.3 | 16.0 | 11 | 34 |
| Chicago Bears | 13.0 | 299.3 | 18.3 | 21 | 29 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 15.1 | 297.3 | 18.4 | 10 | 38 |
| Houston Texans | 18.3 | 283.0 | 16.7 | 12 | 28 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 16.9 | 312.1 | 17.6 | 15 | 31 |
Opponents
San Francisco 49ers: Packers (14), Lions (4), Vikings (22), Jets (29), Bills (20), Giants ( 2), Seahawks (30) AVG: 17.3
Chicago Bears: Colts (15), Packers (14), Rams (28), Cowboys (10), Jaguars (32), Lions (4) AVG: 17.2
Seattle Seahawks: Cardinals (31), Cowboys (10), Packers (14), Rams (28), Panthers (24), Patriots (1), 49ers (9) AVG: 16.7
Houston Texans: Dolphins (21), Jaguars (32), Broncos (6), Titans (26), Jets (29), Packers (14), Ravens (17) AVG: 20.7
Arizona Cardinals: Seahawks (30), Patriots (1), Eagles (7), Dolphins (21), Rams (28), Bills (20), Vikings (22) AVG: 18.4