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The modern NFL is all about offense, but as this year's Super Bowl proved, a great defense can stop almost any offensive unit.
The great college football head coach Bear Bryant once said:
"Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships."
In the NFL's illustrious history, there have been some famous defensive squads - the 1985 Chicago Bears, 1986 New York Giants, the "Gang Green" in Philadelphia, and in more modern times the "Legion of Boom" in Seattle.
Many individual NFL players have shown that one man can make a game-changing difference on defense. A key tackle late in the fourth quarter can win a championship for a franchise. For example, the Rams' Mike Jones tackle on Titans' Kevin Dyson at Super Bowl 34.
Let's take a look at which three players have the most tackles in NFL history.
Who has made the most combined tackles in NFL history?
#1 - Ray Lewis - 2,059
Baltimore Ravens' legendary linebacker Ray Lewis played 17 years in the NFL and made an astonishing 2,059 combined tackles during that time.
Lewis would lead the team in tackles in 14 of his 17 seasons in Baltimore. The hard-hitting linebacker won two Super Bowls with the Ravens.
The first came in 2000 against the New York Giants when he also won the Super Bowl MVP award after recording three tackles, two assists and four passes defended. Lewis became just the second player to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP in the same season.
He won his second Super Bowl in his final season in 2012, where the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers.
The Ravens linebacker is the only player in NFL history with at least 40 career sacks (41.5) and 30 career interceptions (31).
#2 - London Fletcher - 2,039
"Iron Man" London Fletcher comes in second with 2,039 combined tackles in his 16 NFL seasons. Fletcher played for the Rams, Bills, and Washington Redskins.
The linebacker never missed a game in his career, being one of only five players in NFL history to play in over 250 consecutive games, and he holds the record for consecutive starts at the linebacker position.
He was a part of the St Louis Rams team that won Super Bowl XXXIV in the 1999 season.
#3 - Junior Seau - 1,847
The player with the third-most combined tackles in NFL history is the late, great Junior Seau. The iconic linebacker played for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots during 20 seasons in the National Football League.
Seau was a 12-time Pro Bowler, the defensive player of the year in 1992, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. In the 1994 season, Seau recorded an amazing 154 tackles.
