Who Had the Best Defense in the NFL Last Year?

It’s a question that every football fan wants to know the answer to. Who had the best defense in the NFL last year? We take a look at the stats to find out.

Introduction

In the National Football League, success is often determined by which team has the best defense. A great defense can make a good team great, and a good defense can make a mediocre team competitive.

There are many ways to measure the success of a defense, but one of the most important is defensive efficiency. This metric measures how well a defense prevents points from being scored, and it’s a good way to compare defenses across different teams and different seasons.

So, which NFL team had the best defense in 2019?

The Case for the Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams had the best defense in the NFL last year. They were first in the league in points allowed, yards allowed, and takeaways. They also had the best pass defense and the best run defense. The Rams’ defensive success was due to their talented defensive line, their good linebackers, and their great secondary.

The Rams’ defensive line is one of the best in the NFL. They have two All-Pro defensive linemen in Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh. Donald is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, and Suh is one of the best run stoppers. The Rams also have a good group of linebackers. Their starting middle linebacker, Alec Ogletree, was second in the NFL in tackles last year. Their outside linebackers, Robert Quinn and Connor Barwin, are both good pass rushers. And their backup linebacker, Mark Barron, is a good coverage linebacker.

The Rams’ secondary is one of the best in the NFL. They have two All-Pro cornerbacks in Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters. Talib is one of the best cover cornerbacks in the NFL, and Peters is one of the best ballhawks. The Rams also have a good safety tandem in Lamarcus Joyner and John Johnson III. Joyner is a good coverage safety, and Johnson is a good run stopper.

The Case for the Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears were the best defense in the NFL last year. Here’s why:

They had the fewest points allowed, the fewest yards allowed, and the fewest first downs allowed.

They forced the most turnovers, and they had the best turnover differential.

They had the most sacks, and they were tied for the lead in sack yardage.

They allowed the fewest rushing yards, and they were second in yards per carry allowed.

They were first in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric, which measures a team’s performance on a play-by-play basis.

All of this adds up to a clear-cut case for the Bears as the best defense in the NFL last year.

The Case for the Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens had the best defense in the NFL last year, and it wasn’t particularly close. The Ravens allowed the fewest points, the fewest yards, and generated the most turnovers of any team in the league. They were dominant against the run, allowing just over three yards per carry, and they were one of the best teams in the league at getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

The Ravens have a great mix of veterans and young players on defense, and they should be even better this season with a full season of pass-rusher Matt Judon. The Ravens also added safety Earl Thomas in free agency, which should help them against the pass. If anyone is going to challenge the Ravens for the title of best defense in the NFL this season, it’s going to be a tall task.

Conclusion

It’s no secret that defense wins championships. A great defense can cover up a lot of deficiencies on the other side of the ball and give a team a chance to win even if they’re not scoring a lot of points.

So who had the best defense in the NFL last year? That distinction belongs to the San Francisco 49ers, who gave up an average of only 17.7 points per game. The 49ers were followed by the New England Patriots (18.5 points per game), the Baltimore Ravens (19.4 points per game), and the Denver Broncos (19.8 points per game).

All four of those teams made it to at least the Divisional Round of the playoffs, and three of them (the 49ers, Patriots, and Ravens) made it all the way to the Conference Championships. That just goes to show that having a great defense is one of the keys to success in the NFL.