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With the 2020-2021 NFL Season coming to a close after February 7th, 2021. It is time to look at how the NFL team defensive rankings ended up. There were five defenses that stood out during the 2020-2021 NFL Season.
It is crazy to think that the phrase "offense wins games, but defense wins championships" does not apply to this season, with both teams in the Super Bowl being outside of the top five. Kansas City Chiefs are looking to make it back-to-back years winning a Super Bowl without a top ten defense. It will be the second year in a row that they face a defense ranked in the top ten.
With all five teams being eliminated from the playoffs. Is it possible that defense does not win championships anymore? There are five teams that would argue that the statement of "defense wins championships" still holds it value. Lets take a look at the top five defenses at the end of the 2020-2021 NFL Season.
2020-2021 Final NFL Defense Rankings
#1 Los Angeles Rams (281.9 total yards given up per game)
Los Angeles Rams would lead the NFL in majority of the defensive categories. Defensive lineman Aaron Donald would be a big help and he came in second in the sack category. With the way the Rams defense was playing at the end the year, a lot of NFL fans thought the defense would carry them to a Super Bowl appearance.
Lets take a look at the Key contributors to the Los Angeles Rams' number one defense in the NFL.
Los Angeles Rams Key Defensive Players:
-- DT/DE: Aaron Donald
-- CB: Jalen Ramsey
-- LB: Leonard Floyd
-- FS: John Johnson III
-- CB: Troy Hill
The Rams are looking to return majority of their defensive starters for the 2021-2022 NFL Season. With that being said it would not be surprising if the Rams repeat as the number one defense in the NFL.
#2 Washington Football Team (304.6 total yards given up per game)
Washington's number two ranked defense may come as a surprise for some NFL fans. Especially since Washington finished the 2020-2021 NFL Season with a record of (7-9). Washington is coached by one of the best defensive minds in the NFL in Ron Rivera.
His coaching led the young Washington defense to the second ranked defense in the NFL. Here are the key contributors to the Washington Football Team being the second ranked defense to end the 2020-2021 NFL Season.
Washington Football Team's Key Defensive Players:
-- DE: Chase Young
-- DT: Jonathan Allen
-- DT: Daron Payne
-- CB: Kendall Fuller
-- CB: Ronald Darby
With the Washington defense being extremely young, it is likely that they will also be in the top five in all defensive categories for the 2021-2022 NFL Season. Washington has set themselves up for a good run in the near future on the defensive side of the football.
#3 Pittsburgh Steelers (305.8 total yards given up per game)
Pittsburgh Steelers would start the 2020-2021 NFL Season 11-0 and a lot of that had to do with the play on the defensive side of the ball. The Steelers have a great core group of defensive players that are still young. Pittsburgh has always been known for their defense and the 2020-2021 Pittsburgh defense lived up to that reputation.
Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff made all the right adjustments to make sure that the Steelers would sit in the top five of the defensive rankings. Here are the key players that led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the third ranked defense to end the 2020-2021 NFL Season.
Pittsburgh Steelers Key Defensive Players:
-- FS: Minka Fitzpatrick
-- LB: T.J. Watt
-- DE: Cameron Heyward
-- CB: Mike Hilton
-- DE: Stephon Tuitt
Pittsburgh will look to add more depth to their already stacked defense during the NFL Draft. With Ben Roethlisberger willing to cut down his salary, the Steelers could add key pieces to their secondary for the 2021-2022 NFL Season.
#4 New Orleans Saints (310.9 total yards given up per game)
With the New Orleans Saints mostly known for their offensive play, it is nice to see that their defense can hold their own as well. The Saints come in at number four in the 2020-2021 NFL Defensive rankings. New Orleans defense came at opposing teams in all directions during the season.
The Saints have a stacked secondary and an even better front seven. For them to be ranked in the top five in defense speaks volumes to the work head coach Sean Payton has put in. Lets take a look at the key players that lead the Saints defense.
New Orleans Saints Key Defensive Players:
-- DE: Cameron Jordan
-- DE: Trey Hendrickson
-- LB: Demario Davis
-- CB: Marson Lattimore
-- SS: Malcolm Jenkins
-- CB: Janoris Jenkins
With Drew Brees set to retire, the Saints will need their defense to continue their success. The Saints will look to add depth on defense during free agency and during the draft to ensure that they have a top five finish again defensively.
#5 San Francisco 49ers (314.4 total yards given up per game)
With all the injuries that the San Francisco 49ers suffered on the defensive side of the football, it is amazing that they finished in the top five in the NFL when it comes to defense. The 49ers suffered injuries on both offense and defense during the 2020-2021 NFL Season.
Some of the key defensive injuries were Solomon Thomas, Nick Bosa, Richard Sherman, and Jaquiski Tartt. Lets take a look at the defensive players that helped the 49ers to the fifth ranked defense in the NFL.
San Francisco 49ers Key Defensive Players:
-- DE: Arik Armstead
-- LB: Fred Warner
-- FS: Jimmie Ward
-- DT: Javon Kinlaw
San Francisco will welcome back almost all of their injured defensive players. They will have an obstacle of resigning Richard Sherman. Sherman is set to be a free agent during the 2021 NFL Season.
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