Who Has The Worst Passing Defense In The NFL?

The answer may surprise you. The team with the worst passing defense in the NFL is actually the New England Patriots.

The Worst Passing Defense In The NFL

The worst passing defense in the NFL right now is the Oakland Raiders. They are giving up an average of 320 passing yards per game. The Raiders have also given up the most passing touchdowns in the league with 25. They will need to improve their secondary if they want to turn their season around.

The New England Patriots

The New England Patriots have the worst passing defense in the NFL. They have given up an average of 297.6 passing yards per game, and have only interceptedd 10 passes all season. Their opponents have completed 67% of their passes, and have a quarterback rating of 100.8 against them.

The Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers have the worst passing defense in the NFL. They have given up 4,369 yards through the air, and they have only intercepted nine passes. This is a far cry from their league-leading performance of a year ago, when they only gave up 2,383 yards and intercepted 25 passes.

The Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers have the worst passing defense in the NFL. They have given up 31 passing touchdowns and have only intercepted 7 passes. They have given up an average of 280 passing yards per game.

Why Do These Teams Struggle Against The Pass?

In the NFL, there are a few teams that struggle against the pass more than the others. The league average for passing yards allowed is 2,756, but some teams are way below that. The Cincinnati Bengals, for example, have given up an average of 3,433 passing yards per season over the last three years. Why do these teams struggle against the pass? Let’s take a look.

Lack Of A Pass Rush

The pass rush is one of the most important aspects of a good defense. A good pass rush can make the quarterback uncomfortable in the pocket, leading to sacks, interceptions, and incompletions. A bad pass rush can allow the quarterback to sit back and pick apart a defense.

This season, there are a few teams that are struggling to get to the quarterback. As a result, they have some of the worst passing defenses in the NFL.

The New York Giants, for example, have only 13 sacks this season. That’s tied for 28th in the NFL. The Giants are also allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 70% of their passes, which is the second-worst mark in the NFL.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also struggling to get to the quarterback. They have only 11 sacks this season, which is tied for 32nd in the NFL. The Buccaneers are also allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 68% of their passes, which is the fourth-worst mark in the NFL.

The Houston Texans are another team that is having trouble getting to the quarterback. They have only 15 sacks this season, which is tied for 26th in the NFL. The Texans are also allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 66% of their passes, which is ninth-worst in the NFL.

These three teams all have one thing in common: they are struggling to generate a pass rush. As a result, they have some of the worst passing defenses in the NFL.

Injuries In The Secondary

One of the biggest factors in a team’s ability to defend the pass is the health of its secondary. This was evident last season when the Baltimore Ravens lost cornerback Jimmy Smith to a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 12. The Ravens had been allowing an average of 194 passing yards per game before Smith’s injury, but they gave up an average of 285 passing yards per game over the final four weeks of the regular season.

If a team’s starting cornerbacks or safeties are out with injuries, it will often have to rely on backups or players who are new to the defense. This can lead to communication problems and confusion on the back end, which can result in big plays for the opposing offense.

Injuries are always a difficult thing for NFL teams to overcome, but they can be especially damaging to a team’s passing defense.

Poor Scheme Fit

The scheme a team runs can have a big impact on how effective they are against the pass. For example, a team that runs a lot of man coverage is going to give up more big plays than a team that sticks to zone coverage.

But it’s not just about the scheme. It’s also about how well the players fit into that scheme. A team can have great cornerbacks, but if they’re not good at playing man coverage, they’re going to struggle.

That’s what seems to be happening with these teams. They’re not necessarily running bad schemes, but their players just don’t seem to fit well in those schemes. As a result, they’re giving up a lot of big plays through the air.

How Can These Teams Improve Their Passing Defense?

The NFL is a passing league and teams with a bad passing defense will struggle. The teams with the worst passing defenses in the NFL are the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Oakland Raiders. These teams need to improve their pass defense if they want to be successful.

Improve The Pass Rush

In the NFL, the best way to improve your passing defense is by creating pressure on the quarterback. Teams that can get to the QB with just their front four defensive linemen are in a great position, because they can drop seven defenders back in coverage and make it very difficult for opposing offenses to move the ball.

The worst passing defenses in the NFL are usually the ones that can’t generate any kind of pass rush, because they have to blitz (send extra defenders) to get pressure on the QB, and that leaves more players in coverage.

Get Healthy In The Secondary

At the end of the day, the best way for a team to improve its passing defense is to get healthy in the secondary. The unit was without its two best players, Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters, for large chunks of last season, and it really showed. If those two can stay on the field together, and if young safeties Lamarcus Joyner and John Johnson III can take another step forward, this could be one of the best secondaries in the NFL.

Change The Scheme

In the NFL, there are generally two types of passing defenses: man-to-man and zone. In man-to-man, each defensive back is assigned to cover a specific receiver, regardless of where that receiver lines up on the field. In zone, each defensive back is responsible for defending a specific area on the field.

Which one is better? It depends on who you ask. Some coaches and analysts will tell you that man-to-man is better because it allows defensive backs to use their individual strengths to match up against receivers. Others will tell you that zone is better because it keeps all the defensive backs on the same page, making it easier to defend against quick passes and reads by the quarterback.

The reality is that both schemes have their pros and cons, and the best teams are usually the ones who can execute both well. That said, there are some teams who seem to be stuck in one scheme or the other, and they often struggle as a result.

If your team has a bad passing defense, one of the first things you should look at is whether they’re running a scheme that doesn’t fit their personnel. If they’re trying to play man-to-man with slow linebackers or zone with small cornerbacks, it’s time for a change.