The Best Scoring Defenses In NFL History

by Chase Stuart on February 3, 2014

Head of the LOB.

Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks and their fans on winning Super Bowl XLVIII. With the win, Seattle has confirmed its status as one of the greatest defenses in NFL history. The Seahawks defense produced a game for the ages on Sunday: facing Peyton Manning, Demaryius Thomas, and one of the greatest offenses ever, Seattle’s defense outscored Denver’s offense, 9-8. Led by Malcolm Smith, Cliff Avril, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman, the Seahawks stamped their claim with the ’85 Bears, ’00 Ravens, and ’02 Bucs as one of the greatest defenses of the last 30 years.

But today, I want to look at which defenses were the best in regular season history, and see where Seattle stacks up. Bill Barnwell had an interesting post during Super Bowl week. He used the statistical measurement known as the Z-Score to show that Seattle was the tenth best defensive scoring team in NFL history. Don’t be too confused by the idea of a Z-score: in English, this just means that Seattle’s defense — and yes, I am going to conflate the concepts of defense and points allowed throughout this post — was 2.2 standard deviations above average in points allowed, one of just ten teams to ever produce such a result.

So how do we get there? Well, Seattle allowed 14.4 points per game during the regular season. The league average was 23.4 points, which means that Seattle’s defense was 9.0 PPG better than average. The standard deviation of points per game among the 32 NFL defenses in 2013 was 4.08 points per game; therefore, Seattle has a Z-score of 2.20, because the Seahawks allowed points at a rate that was 2.20 standard deviations better than the mean.

Today, I wanted to do the same analysis but adjust for strength of schedule, by deriving offensive and defensive SRS grades. Of course, Pro-Football-Reference has published offensive and defensive SRS grades for awhile, but I decided to crunch the numbers on my own and see if they matched up with what Neil and Mike did (they did). For the uninitiated, SRS stands for Simple Rating System, which is simple to understand but a bit complicated to derive. The SRS is simply margin of victory (or, in the case of offenses and defenses, margin of production above league average) adjusted for strength of schedule. The key is using an iterative process, where, in Excel, we adjust the ratings hundreds of times; after all, to adjust for SOS, you have to adjust for the SOS of each opponent, and the SOS of each opponent’s opponent, and so on.

The table below shows the top 200 scoring defenses since 1932. Here’s how to read the 2002 Bucs line. That season, Tampa Bay allowed 9.4 points per game less than league average. The average defense the Bucs faced — using the iterative method to derive SOS grades — was 0.4 points above average. Therefore, Tampa Bay is credited with an adjusted rating of 9.8 PPG better average. The standard deviation of defensive ratings in the NFL in 2002 was 3.45, giving the Buccaneers a Z-score of 2.83, the highest ever. The table below is fully sortable and searchable, and shows the top 200 defenses.

Rk	Team	Year	G	PPG OvAvg	SOS	Adj PPG	LgStDv	Z-Score
1	TAM	2002	16	9.4	0.4	9.8	3.45	2.83
2	KAN	1995	16	6.4	0.4	6.9	2.56	2.68
3	BAL	2006	16	8.1	-0.3	7.8	2.99	2.62
4	MIN	1970	14	9	0.1	9.2	3.77	2.43
5	CHI	1985	16	9.2	0.3	9.4	4.13	2.28
6	DEN	1978	16	6	1	6.9	3.12	2.22
7	MIN	1971	14	9.4	0.5	9.9	4.48	2.21
8	DEN	1977	14	6.6	2.8	9.4	4.24	2.21
9	SEA	2013	16	9	0	8.9	4.08	2.19
10	CHI	1963	14	11.7	-0.8	10.9	5.11	2.13
11	KAN	1969	14	8.5	-0.1	8.4	3.97	2.12
12	CAR	2013	16	8.3	0.3	8.6	4.08	2.11
13	KAN	1997	16	6.2	0.3	6.6	3.12	2.1
14	MIA	1998	16	4.7	1.8	6.5	3.12	2.1
15	SFO	2011	16	7.9	-1.3	6.6	3.14	2.1
16	NOR	1992	16	6.1	1	7.1	3.37	2.09
17	CHI	1988	16	6.8	-0.2	6.6	3.17	2.09
18	SFO	1995	16	5.4	-0.1	5.3	2.56	2.07
19	PIT	1975	14	9	-0.2	8.8	4.28	2.06
20	GNB	2010	16	7	0.8	7.9	3.83	2.05
21	BAL	1968	14	10.2	-0.3	9.9	4.86	2.04
22	RAM	1975	14	10.9	-2.3	8.7	4.28	2.03
23	SEA	2012	16	7.4	0.3	7.7	3.82	2.02
24	PIT	2010	16	7.5	0.2	7.7	3.83	2.02
25	BUF	1988	16	5.4	0.9	6.4	3.17	2.02
26	PIT	2008	16	8.1	0.2	8.2	4.09	2.01
27	CLE	1994	16	7.5	-1.4	6.1	3.05	2.01
28	CHI	1986	16	8.8	-1.1	7.7	3.87	2
29	NYJ	2009	16	6.7	0.7	7.5	3.74	1.99
30	NWE	2006	16	5.8	0.1	5.9	2.99	1.98
31	PHI	1949	12	11.3	-0.3	11	5.69	1.93
32	KAN	1968	14	10	0.1	10.1	5.24	1.93
33	PIT	2011	16	8	-1.9	6	3.14	1.93
34	BAL	2000	16	10.4	-2.3	8	4.18	1.92
35	PHI	1980	16	6.6	0.2	6.8	3.61	1.89
36	GNB	1962	14	11.7	-0.4	11.3	5.98	1.89
37	BUF	1999	16	6.5	0.9	7.4	3.91	1.89
38	BAL	1971	14	9.4	-0.9	8.5	4.48	1.89
39	GNB	1965	14	7.1	3.4	10.5	5.55	1.89
40	MIN	1969	14	11.4	-0.8	10.6	5.66	1.88
41	NYG	1993	16	5.9	-0.5	5.4	2.9	1.87
42	NYJ	1998	16	4.7	1.2	5.8	3.12	1.87
43	PIT	1976	14	9.3	0.3	9.6	5.17	1.86
44	CHI	2005	16	8	-1.4	6.6	3.59	1.84
45	NYG	1990	16	6.9	0.7	7.6	4.15	1.84
46	DET	1962	14	9.7	1.3	10.9	5.98	1.83
47	TEN	2008	16	7.4	0	7.5	4.09	1.82
48	CHI	2001	16	7.5	-0.5	7.1	3.92	1.8
49	DAL	2009	16	5.8	0.9	6.7	3.74	1.8
50	NOR	1991	16	5.8	0.5	6.3	3.5	1.79
51	PIT	1978	16	6.1	-0.6	5.6	3.12	1.78
52	DET	1970	14	4.8	1.8	6.6	3.77	1.76
53	IND	1987	15	5.7	-0.1	5.6	3.18	1.76
54	SFO	2012	16	5.7	1	6.7	3.82	1.76
55	PHI	2001	16	7.2	-0.4	6.8	3.92	1.74
56	CLE	1948	14	9.2	-0.5	8.7	5.06	1.72
57	TAM	1999	16	6.1	0.6	6.7	3.91	1.72
58	DEN	1984	16	6.1	0.5	6.7	3.89	1.71
59	DET	1956	12	4.7	2	6.7	3.93	1.71
60	CLE	1953	12	8	-1	7	4.13	1.71
61	MIA	2000	16	6.5	0.5	7.1	4.18	1.7
62	CLE	1987	15	5.7	-0.3	5.4	3.18	1.7
63	PHI	1981	16	6.9	-0.2	6.7	3.94	1.69
64	NYG	1938	11	6.3	-0.8	5.5	3.28	1.68
65	SDG	1979	16	4.7	1	5.7	3.42	1.68
66	DEN	1979	16	3.7	2	5.7	3.42	1.66
67	BAL	1964	14	6	0.5	6.4	3.86	1.66
68	CHI	1984	16	5.7	0.7	6.4	3.89	1.66
69	BAL	2004	16	4.7	2	6.8	4.08	1.66
70	DAL	1978	16	5.3	-0.2	5.2	3.12	1.65
71	MIA	1982	9	5.6	-0.1	5.5	3.34	1.65
72	GNB	1966	14	10.1	-0.1	10	6.06	1.65
73	TAM	1997	16	4.3	0.8	5.1	3.12	1.65
74	GNB	1996	16	7.3	-0.7	6.6	4.02	1.63
75	DAL	1993	16	4.4	0.3	4.7	2.9	1.63
76	PIT	1994	16	5.6	-0.6	5	3.05	1.63
77	TEN	2000	16	8.7	-1.9	6.8	4.18	1.63
78	JAX	2006	16	3.5	1.3	4.9	2.99	1.62
79	NWE	2003	16	6	-1.1	4.9	2.99	1.62
80	DEN	1989	16	6.5	-0.8	5.7	3.49	1.62
81	WAS	1974	14	4.2	0.4	4.5	2.81	1.62
82	SFO	2013	16	6.4	0.2	6.6	4.08	1.62
83	DEN	2005	16	4.5	1.3	5.8	3.59	1.61
84	PIT	1974	14	4.7	-0.2	4.5	2.81	1.6
85	MIA	1983	16	6.2	-1	5.2	3.23	1.6
86	KAN	1979	16	3.7	1.8	5.4	3.42	1.59
87	NWE	2004	16	5.2	1.3	6.5	4.08	1.59
88	SDG	1961	14	8.8	-0.4	8.4	5.32	1.58
89	RAM	1945	10	4.9	0.5	5.4	3.4	1.58
90	JAX	2004	16	4	2.5	6.4	4.08	1.58
91	NYG	1944	10	10.5	-1.6	8.9	5.68	1.57
92	HOU	1967	14	8.5	-0.1	8.3	5.31	1.57
93	CHI	2012	16	5.4	0.5	6	3.82	1.57
94	NYG	1939	11	7.7	-1.3	6.4	4.09	1.55
95	ATL	1977	14	8	-1.4	6.6	4.24	1.55
96	GNB	1961	14	5.6	0.9	6.5	4.19	1.55
97	WAS	1982	9	5.9	-0.8	5.2	3.34	1.55
98	DTX	1960	14	6.1	-0.1	6	3.89	1.53
99	BUF	1980	16	4.2	1.3	5.5	3.61	1.53
100	PIT	1972	14	7.8	-1.2	6.6	4.36	1.51
101	PIT	1946	11	8.3	-0.2	8	5.32	1.51
102	NYG	1986	16	5.8	0.1	5.8	3.87	1.51
103	MIA	1973	14	8.7	-0.5	8.2	5.46	1.51
104	TAM	2003	16	4.3	0.2	4.5	2.99	1.51
105	GNB	1964	14	4.5	1.3	5.8	3.86	1.51
106	WAS	1943	10	5.8	-1.1	4.6	3.09	1.5
107	GNB	1941	11	5.6	0.2	5.7	3.83	1.49
108	CHI	1993	16	4.3	0	4.3	2.9	1.49
109	PIT	1979	16	3.7	1.4	5.1	3.42	1.49
110	PIT	2001	16	7	-1.1	5.8	3.92	1.49
111	MIA	1972	14	8	-1.6	6.5	4.36	1.48
112	IND	2007	16	5.3	0.1	5.4	3.64	1.48
113	NYJ	2004	16	5.2	0.9	6	4.08	1.48
114	CHI	1948	12	10.7	0.2	10.9	7.37	1.48
115	DAL	1994	16	4.8	-0.3	4.5	3.05	1.46
116	IND	2005	16	5.2	0	5.2	3.59	1.45
117	CLE	1951	12	9.3	-1.5	7.8	5.41	1.44
118	BAL	2010	16	5.2	0.3	5.5	3.83	1.44
119	PHI	1991	16	3.7	1.3	5	3.5	1.43
120	BUF	1964	14	6	-0.7	5.3	3.71	1.43
121	RAM	1974	14	5.3	-1.2	4	2.81	1.43
122	PHI	1950	12	11.2	1.6	12.8	8.94	1.43
123	DET	1964	14	3.5	2	5.5	3.86	1.43
124	CLE	1946	14	9.9	-1.3	8.6	6.06	1.42
125	NYG	1958	12	7.3	-0.4	7	4.91	1.42
126	PIT	1957	12	5	0.3	5.3	3.73	1.42
127	WAS	1991	16	5	0	4.9	3.5	1.41
128	MIA	1975	14	4.7	1.3	6	4.28	1.41
129	NYG	1981	16	4.6	0.9	5.5	3.94	1.41
130	PHI	2007	16	2.9	2.2	5.1	3.64	1.41
131	CAR	1996	16	6.8	-1.2	5.6	4.02	1.4
132	SFO	1989	16	4.8	0.1	4.9	3.49	1.4
133	RAM	1970	14	4.8	0.4	5.3	3.77	1.39
134	DET	1969	14	7.5	0.4	7.9	5.66	1.39
135	DET	1938	11	3.7	0.9	4.6	3.28	1.39
136	CLE	1947	14	8	-1	7	5.02	1.39
137	RAM	1968	14	6.2	0.5	6.7	4.86	1.39
138	SFO	1984	16	7	-1.6	5.4	3.89	1.39
139	NWE	1988	16	2.5	1.9	4.4	3.17	1.38
140	MIA	2003	16	4.5	-0.4	4.1	2.99	1.37
141	CHI	1959	12	5	1.2	6.2	4.51	1.37
142	MIN	1988	16	5.7	-1.4	4.3	3.17	1.37
143	BAL	2008	16	6.8	-1.2	5.6	4.09	1.36
144	DAL	1995	16	3.3	0.2	3.5	2.56	1.36
145	PIT	2004	16	5.8	-0.2	5.6	4.08	1.36
146	RAM	1967	14	7.8	-0.9	7	5.11	1.36
147	CHI	1932	14	5.1	0.2	5.2	3.88	1.35
148	NYG	1951	12	8.5	-1.2	7.3	5.41	1.35
149	WAS	1945	10	6.4	-1.8	4.6	3.4	1.35
150	MIA	2006	16	3	1.1	4	2.99	1.34
151	BAL	1967	14	7.7	-0.9	6.8	5.11	1.34
152	BUF	2003	16	3.4	0.6	4	2.99	1.34
153	CHI	1942	11	8.2	-2.8	5.4	4.02	1.34
154	SFO	1987	15	4.7	-0.5	4.2	3.18	1.34
155	NYG	1959	12	7.2	-1.2	6	4.51	1.33
156	DTX	1962	14	6.5	-0.5	5.9	4.48	1.32
157	SFO	1992	16	4	0.5	4.5	3.37	1.32
158	CLE	1989	16	4.7	-0.1	4.6	3.49	1.32
159	BAL	2009	16	5.2	-0.2	4.9	3.74	1.31
160	DAL	1996	16	4.8	0.5	5.3	4.02	1.31
161	CHI	1937	11	3.9	0.3	4.1	3.15	1.31
162	DET	1952	12	6.3	0.7	7	5.34	1.31
163	NYG	1989	16	4.9	-0.3	4.6	3.49	1.3
164	PHI	1948	12	10.2	-0.7	9.6	7.37	1.3
165	KAN	1991	16	3.2	1.3	4.5	3.5	1.3
166	CHI	1967	14	6.3	0.4	6.6	5.11	1.3
167	CLE	1949	12	7.1	-1	6.1	4.7	1.3
168	JAX	1999	16	7.3	-2.2	5.1	3.91	1.29
169	WAS	1971	14	5.8	0	5.8	4.48	1.29
170	GNB	1947	12	4.5	1.9	6.3	4.91	1.29
171	DET	1937	11	3.4	0.6	4	3.15	1.27
172	PIT	1996	16	4.4	0.8	5.1	4.02	1.27
173	MIA	2002	16	2.9	1.5	4.4	3.45	1.27
174	MIN	1973	14	7.5	-0.5	7	5.46	1.27
175	CLE	1988	16	2.3	1.8	4	3.17	1.27
176	MIN	1975	14	7.7	-2.3	5.4	4.28	1.26
177	SFO	1981	16	5	-0.1	4.9	3.94	1.26
178	BUF	1966	14	4.3	0.3	4.6	3.67	1.25
179	NYJ	1985	16	5	0.1	5.2	4.13	1.25
180	OAK	2002	16	2.7	1.6	4.3	3.45	1.25
181	NYG	1950	12	10.4	0.7	11.2	8.94	1.25
182	GNB	1967	14	6.9	-0.6	6.3	5.11	1.24
183	NOR	2013	16	4.4	0.6	5	4.08	1.23
184	OAK	1973	14	7	-0.3	6.7	5.46	1.23
185	SDG	2007	16	3.9	0.5	4.5	3.64	1.22
186	RAI	1984	16	3.8	0.9	4.8	3.89	1.22
187	SFO	1991	16	4	0.2	4.3	3.5	1.22
188	SFO	1951	12	4.9	1.8	6.6	5.41	1.22
189	SDG	1977	14	2.5	2.6	5.2	4.24	1.22
190	CHI	2010	16	4.2	0.5	4.7	3.83	1.22
191	NYG	1940	11	3	0.4	3.3	2.74	1.22
192	HOU	1975	14	4.4	0.8	5.2	4.28	1.22
193	CAR	2009	16	2.2	2.3	4.5	3.74	1.21
194	PHI	1992	16	3.4	0.7	4.1	3.37	1.21
195	DET	1961	14	3.1	2	5.1	4.19	1.21
196	PIT	1990	16	5.1	-0.1	5	4.15	1.21
197	HOU	1980	16	4.8	-0.4	4.4	3.61	1.21
198	NWE	2009	16	3.7	0.8	4.5	3.74	1.2
199	CLE	1957	12	5.5	-1	4.5	3.73	1.19
200	PIT	1992	16	4.7	-0.7	4	3.37	1.19

Seattle ranks 9th in this metric, showing that they deserve to be remembered as one of the great defenses in league history. Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Bobby Wagner, and an incredibly deep defensive line combined to create one of the best defenses since the merger. One thing to note: without the second (and third, and fourth, and so on) level adjustments inherent in the SRS process, Seattle’s strength of schedule would look below average. But the offenses Seattle faced played a number of games against Seattle, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Arizona — and all four NFC West defenses ranked in the top 12 in defensive SRS — which makes those offenses look worse than they were. If you want to discuss strength of schedule, you should look at the ’00 Ravens, who fall to 34th on the list after adjusting for the weak offenses that team faced. I should also note that from 2013, Carolina (#12), San Francisco (#82), and New Orleans (#183) make the list of top 200 scoring defenses.

Let’s walk through some of the top teams:

It’s hard to find much fault with the ’02 Bucs. Between Warren Sapp, Simeon Rice, Derrick Brooks, Ronde Barber, and John Lynch, the team had five borderline HOF players. Tampa Bay had some dominant defensive seasons — the ’97, ’99, and ’03 teams make the list — but the 2002 team was special. In the playoffs, they were even better.
The 1995 Chiefs are a bit of an oddball. That season, offensive numbers exploded, and Kansas City is one of just six teams to allow 240+ points and lead the league in scoring defense. The standard deviation among defensive ratings was super tiny that season, which inflates the Chiefs’ Z-score (Kansas City was only 6.9 PPG above average). Neil Smith, Dan Saleaumua, Derrick Thomas, and Dale Carter were Pro Bowl players, but this was not an all-time great defense.
The ’06 Ravens come up pretty often, as Baltimore ranked 2nd in both YPC allowed and NY/A allowed, while ranking 1st in yards allowed, 1st in points allowed and 2nd in turnovers. Coached by Rex Ryan, this was a dominant unit with a rookie Haloti Ngata, in-their-primes Terrell Suggs, Adalius Thomas, Ray Lewis, Bart Scott, Chris McAlister, and Ed Reed, and good supporting players like linemen Trevor Pryce and Kelly Gregg. Had these Ravens won a Super Bowl, they’d be remembered with their ’00 brethren.
The Purple People Eaters are well-represented. The 1970 and 1971 teams rank in the top ten, and the 1969 team was arguably better than both! That year, Minnesota made the Super Bowl on the back of a dominant defense that allowed 11.4 points per game fewer than average, the third best rate since 1932. That was the result of a favorable schedule, but even the adjusted result of +10.6 points per game is unbelievable. The only reason the Vikings don’t look better is because in 1969, the NFL was a smaller league and the standard deviation was a wide 5.66 PPG.
A few Bears teams also make the list, with the ’85 team coming in 5th place. The 1986 team actually allowed fewer points, but note that (1) the league average was 1 point per game lower in 1986, making that result less impressive, and (2) the ’86 Bears faced a much easier schedule. If you want to argue that the ’85 Bears wasn’t the best Chicago defense ever, you’re better off backing the ’63 version that was an incredible 10.9 PPG better than average after adjusting for strength of schedule (one could make the same claim about the less-heralded ’48 team).
I like the idea of using the Z-score, but it’s far from clear that it’s the best way to analyze the results. Simply looking at points per game above average is just as (and, some would argue, more) legitimate. In that light, the 1950 Eagles rank #1. In fact, that Philadelphia team deserves more discussion.

The 1950 Eagles were coached by Greasy Neale, and began the season in ignominious fashion. The prior season, with yet another absurdly dominant defense, Philadelphia won the NFL championship by shutting out the Rams. But in the season opener, the Eagles were embarassed by Otto Graham and the upstart Cleveland Browns, playing their first NFL game after the AAFC “merged” with the senior league. Not quite prepared for the high-powered Cleveland offense, Graham went 21/38 for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns, numbers that look pretty good even today.

Over the team’s final 11 games, Philadelphia allowed just 9.6 points per game. Now, it’s easy to think “hey, it’s 1950, how impressive is that?” Well, in 2013, teams averaged 23.4 points per game. In 1950, teams averaged…. 22.9 points per game. In other words, 9.6 points per game was absurdly dominant even in 1950. The strange thing about this team was that Philadelphia had a habit of blowing out teams or losing in close games. The Eagles lost by 2 points to the Steelers, two to the Giants at home, four to the Giants on the road, four to the Cardinals, and six in the rematch in Cleveland. Meanwhile, every game Philadelphia won was by at least a touchdown. As a result, the Eagles went 6-6, despite the team’s average win coming by a score of 35-9. If they’re not the greatest .500 team ever, I’m not sure who is.

We can use the same method to analyze the worst defenses ever:

Rk	Team	Year	G	PPG OvAvg	SOS	Adj PPG	LgStDv	Z-Score
1	BAL	1981	16	-12.6	0.6	-12	3.94	-3.06
2	TAM	1986	16	-9	-1.8	-10.8	3.87	-2.79
3	NOR	1980	16	-10	0.6	-9.4	3.61	-2.6
4	WAS	1954	12	-14.1	-1.9	-16.1	6.33	-2.54
5	NWE	1972	14	-11.6	0.6	-11.1	4.36	-2.53
6	IND	2001	16	-10.2	0.3	-9.8	3.92	-2.51
7	SEA	1976	14	-11.5	-1.4	-12.9	5.17	-2.5
8	DET	2009	16	-9.4	0.2	-9.2	3.74	-2.46
9	CIN	1934	8	-19.6	1.6	-18	7.34	-2.45
10	HOU	1983	16	-6.9	-0.9	-7.9	3.23	-2.44
11	DAL	1960	12	-9.2	0.5	-8.7	3.69	-2.35
12	RAM	1982	9	-7.6	-0.1	-7.8	3.34	-2.32
13	STL	2000	16	-8.8	-0.7	-9.5	4.18	-2.27
14	NYG	1966	14	-14.1	0.3	-13.7	6.06	-2.27
15	HOU	1973	14	-12.5	0.1	-12.3	5.46	-2.26
16	DTX	1952	12	-13.3	1.3	-12	5.34	-2.25
17	NOR	1977	14	-6.8	-2.6	-9.4	4.24	-2.22
18	DET	2008	16	-10.3	1.2	-9.1	4.09	-2.22
19	ATL	1996	16	-8.4	-0.5	-8.9	4.02	-2.21
20	GNB	1983	16	-5.6	-1.5	-7.1	3.23	-2.21
21	CRD	1944	10	-14.8	2.4	-12.4	5.68	-2.18
22	HOU	1982	9	-7.1	0	-7.1	3.34	-2.12
23	WAS	1947	12	-8.6	-1.7	-10.4	4.91	-2.11
24	CIN	1999	16	-7.9	-0.3	-8.2	3.91	-2.1
25	SFO	2004	16	-6.8	-1.8	-8.6	4.08	-2.1
26	MIN	1984	16	-9	0.9	-8.2	3.89	-2.1
27	WAS	1994	16	-5.5	-0.9	-6.4	3.05	-2.1
28	TAM	2011	16	-8.7	2.1	-6.6	3.14	-2.09
29	ARI	2003	16	-7.4	1.2	-6.2	2.99	-2.08
30	CIN	1998	16	-7	0.5	-6.5	3.12	-2.08
31	PIT	1933	11	-9.2	-0.9	-10.1	4.89	-2.06
32	SDG	2003	16	-6.7	0.6	-6.2	2.99	-2.06
33	PIT	1941	11	-8.6	0.8	-7.9	3.83	-2.05
34	DEN	2010	16	-7.4	-0.4	-7.8	3.83	-2.03
35	SEA	1977	14	-9.5	0.9	-8.6	4.24	-2.02
36	CIN	2002	16	-6.8	-0.1	-6.9	3.45	-2.01
37	BUF	1971	14	-8.8	-0.1	-8.9	4.48	-1.99
38	DEN	1964	14	-8	0.7	-7.3	3.71	-1.97
39	CIN	1991	16	-8.2	1.3	-6.9	3.5	-1.97
40	ARI	2000	16	-7	-1.1	-8.1	4.18	-1.93
41	DET	2002	16	-6.5	-0.1	-6.7	3.45	-1.93
42	TEN	2012	16	-6.7	-0.7	-7.4	3.82	-1.93
43	WAS	1998	16	-5	-0.9	-6	3.12	-1.92
44	BAL	1978	16	-8	2	-6	3.12	-1.92
45	DEN	1963	14	-10.6	0	-10.6	5.59	-1.9
46	NYJ	1996	16	-7.9	0.3	-7.6	4.02	-1.9
47	ATL	1992	16	-7.1	0.7	-6.4	3.37	-1.9
48	HOU	1966	14	-5.8	-1.1	-6.9	3.67	-1.88
49	CLE	1990	16	-8.8	1	-7.8	4.15	-1.88
50	NYG	1964	14	-6.5	-0.8	-7.2	3.86	-1.87
51	ATL	1987	15	-7.5	1.5	-5.9	3.18	-1.87
52	ARI	1998	16	-2.3	-3.5	-5.8	3.12	-1.86
53	ARI	2010	16	-5.1	-2	-7.1	3.83	-1.86
54	PIT	1935	12	-6.5	-1.2	-7.7	4.17	-1.85
55	ATL	2003	16	-5.5	0.1	-5.4	2.99	-1.82
56	STL	1995	16	-4.6	0	-4.6	2.56	-1.81
57	ATL	1993	16	-5.4	0.1	-5.2	2.9	-1.8
58	BOS	1970	14	-6.5	-0.2	-6.8	3.77	-1.8
59	CHR	1947	14	-9.2	0.2	-9	5.02	-1.79
60	STL	2007	16	-5.7	-0.8	-6.5	3.64	-1.79
61	SFO	1979	16	-5.9	-0.2	-6.1	3.42	-1.79
62	STL	2005	16	-6.2	-0.2	-6.4	3.59	-1.78
63	SDG	1983	16	-7	1.3	-5.7	3.23	-1.78
64	MIN	2002	16	-6	-0.1	-6.1	3.45	-1.76
65	CIN	1994	16	-5.1	-0.3	-5.4	3.05	-1.76
66	NOR	1999	16	-6.3	-0.6	-6.9	3.91	-1.76
67	SFO	2006	16	-5.1	-0.2	-5.2	2.99	-1.75
68	SDG	1985	16	-5.7	-1.6	-7.2	4.13	-1.75
69	IND	1993	16	-4.9	-0.1	-5.1	2.9	-1.74
70	RAM	1938	11	-6.1	0.3	-5.7	3.28	-1.74
71	CHI	2013	16	-6.5	-0.6	-7.1	4.08	-1.74
72	SFO	1999	16	-7.5	0.7	-6.8	3.91	-1.73
73	BUF	1970	14	-4.8	-1.7	-6.5	3.77	-1.73
74	CRD	1957	12	-5.1	-1.3	-6.4	3.73	-1.73
75	HOU	1965	14	-9.2	-0.2	-9.4	5.43	-1.72
76	PIT	1988	16	-6.1	0.6	-5.5	3.17	-1.72
77	BUF	1984	16	-7.2	0.5	-6.7	3.89	-1.72
78	STL	2008	16	-7	0	-7	4.09	-1.71
79	DET	1987	15	-4	-1.4	-5.4	3.18	-1.71
80	CHI	1997	16	-5.6	0.2	-5.3	3.12	-1.71
81	TAM	1976	14	-10.3	1.4	-8.8	5.17	-1.71
82	NWE	1990	16	-7.8	0.7	-7.1	4.15	-1.7
83	CIN	1992	16	-4	-1.7	-5.7	3.37	-1.7
84	IND	2011	16	-4.7	-0.6	-5.3	3.14	-1.7
85	ATL	1989	16	-6.7	0.8	-5.9	3.49	-1.69
86	CLE	1974	14	-6.4	1.6	-4.7	2.81	-1.69
87	BAL	1996	16	-7.1	0.3	-6.8	4.02	-1.69
88	IND	1998	16	-6.5	1.2	-5.3	3.12	-1.69
89	PHI	1940	11	-4.1	-0.5	-4.6	2.74	-1.69
90	MIN	2013	16	-6.6	-0.3	-6.9	4.08	-1.68
91	CRD	1958	12	-7.1	-1.2	-8.2	4.91	-1.68
92	CIN	1985	16	-5.8	-1.1	-6.9	4.13	-1.67
93	NYJ	1975	14	-10.3	3.2	-7.1	4.28	-1.66
94	PHI	1936	12	-5.3	-0.7	-6	3.61	-1.65
95	BAL	1950	12	-15.6	0.8	-14.8	8.94	-1.65
96	CLE	1999	16	-6.5	0	-6.5	3.91	-1.65
97	IND	1991	16	-4.8	-0.9	-5.7	3.5	-1.64
98	ATL	1985	16	-6.7	-0.1	-6.8	4.13	-1.64
99	GNB	1956	12	-8.1	1.7	-6.4	3.93	-1.63
100	OAK	2012	16	-4.9	-1.3	-6.2	3.82	-1.63
101	SDG	1982	9	-4.4	-1	-5.4	3.34	-1.63
102	OAK	2011	16	-4.9	-0.2	-5.1	3.14	-1.62
103	MIN	1961	14	-7.6	0.8	-6.8	4.19	-1.62
104	OAK	1997	16	-5.4	0.4	-5	3.12	-1.61
105	PHI	1943	10	-3.6	-1.4	-5	3.09	-1.61
106	ARI	2007	16	-3.3	-2.6	-5.9	3.64	-1.61
107	NYY	1951	12	-9.9	1.2	-8.7	5.41	-1.6
108	WAS	1959	12	-7.8	0.6	-7.2	4.51	-1.6
109	DET	1946	11	-9.3	0.8	-8.5	5.32	-1.59
110	KAN	2009	16	-5	-0.9	-5.9	3.74	-1.59
111	DEN	2008	16	-6	-0.5	-6.5	4.09	-1.59
112	STL	2006	16	-3.2	-1.6	-4.7	2.99	-1.58
113	GNB	1951	12	-9.3	0.8	-8.5	5.41	-1.58
114	RAM	1990	16	-5.6	-0.9	-6.5	4.15	-1.58
115	HOU	2005	16	-6.3	0.7	-5.7	3.59	-1.57
116	CRD	1959	12	-5.7	-1.4	-7.1	4.51	-1.57
117	CHI	1945	10	-5	-0.3	-5.3	3.4	-1.57
118	WAS	1961	14	-6.5	0	-6.5	4.19	-1.55
119	ARI	1995	16	-4.9	0.9	-4	2.56	-1.55
120	HOU	1984	16	-6.1	0.1	-6	3.89	-1.55
121	SIS	1932	12	-6.2	0.2	-6	3.88	-1.55
122	STL	2009	16	-5.8	0	-5.8	3.74	-1.54
123	TEN	2005	16	-5.7	0.2	-5.5	3.59	-1.54
124	CHI	1975	14	-6.5	-0.1	-6.6	4.28	-1.54
125	SFO	2005	16	-6.1	0.6	-5.5	3.59	-1.53
126	SDG	1997	16	-5.8	1	-4.8	3.12	-1.53
127	SFO	1955	12	-4	-0.4	-4.4	2.84	-1.53
128	DAL	1961	14	-5.6	-0.8	-6.4	4.19	-1.53
129	DET	2006	16	-4.2	-0.4	-4.6	2.99	-1.53
130	HOU	1970	14	-5.9	0.1	-5.8	3.77	-1.53
131	SDG	1973	14	-8.1	-0.2	-8.3	5.46	-1.52
132	HOU	1989	16	-5.1	-0.2	-5.3	3.49	-1.52
133	DEN	1994	16	-4.5	-0.1	-4.6	3.05	-1.52
134	GNB	1958	12	-9.2	1.8	-7.4	4.91	-1.51
135	NOR	1994	16	-5.2	0.6	-4.6	3.05	-1.51
136	NYG	1980	16	-6.1	0.6	-5.5	3.61	-1.51
137	NYT	1962	14	-7.1	0.3	-6.8	4.48	-1.51
138	BUF	2012	16	-4.4	-1.3	-5.8	3.82	-1.51
139	KAN	1987	15	-4.3	-0.5	-4.8	3.18	-1.51
140	BAL	1953	12	-7.7	1.5	-6.2	4.13	-1.5
141	MIA	1993	16	-3.2	-1.1	-4.3	2.9	-1.5
142	ATL	1966	14	-9.5	0.5	-9	6.06	-1.49
143	TAM	1993	16	-4.8	0.5	-4.3	2.9	-1.49
144	NYJ	1989	16	-5.1	-0.1	-5.2	3.49	-1.49
145	CHR	1948	14	-8.5	1	-7.5	5.06	-1.48
146	SDG	1971	14	-5	-1.6	-6.6	4.48	-1.48
147	PHI	1967	14	-7.4	-0.2	-7.5	5.11	-1.47
148	MIA	1986	16	-4.8	-0.9	-5.7	3.87	-1.47
149	PHI	1933	9	-7.9	0.7	-7.2	4.89	-1.47
150	ARI	2008	16	-4.6	-1.4	-6	4.09	-1.46
151	BAL	1974	14	-5.3	1.2	-4.1	2.81	-1.46
152	SFO	1978	16	-3.5	-1	-4.5	3.12	-1.45
153	BUF	2001	16	-6	0.4	-5.7	3.92	-1.45
154	BUF	2011	16	-4.9	0.4	-4.5	3.14	-1.44
155	ARI	1996	16	-4.4	-1.4	-5.8	4.02	-1.44
156	JAX	1995	16	-3.8	0.1	-3.7	2.56	-1.44
157	SEA	2010	16	-3.4	-2.1	-5.5	3.83	-1.44
158	GNB	1986	16	-5.6	0	-5.6	3.87	-1.44
159	CLE	1978	16	-3.9	-0.6	-4.5	3.12	-1.43
160	ARI	2006	16	-3.7	-0.6	-4.3	2.99	-1.43
161	CRD	1953	12	-6.6	0.7	-5.9	4.13	-1.43
162	DAL	1962	14	-6.4	-2.1	-8.5	5.98	-1.43
163	PIT	1968	14	-7.9	1	-6.9	4.86	-1.42
164	GNB	1957	12	-6.1	0.9	-5.3	3.73	-1.41
165	DET	1990	16	-5.7	-0.2	-5.9	4.15	-1.41
166	PHI	1973	14	-8.6	0.9	-7.7	5.46	-1.41
167	ATL	1967	14	-8.3	1.1	-7.2	5.11	-1.41
168	NYG	1971	14	-6.5	0.2	-6.3	4.48	-1.4
169	PIT	1969	14	-8	0	-7.9	5.66	-1.4
170	SFO	1980	16	-5.5	0.4	-5.1	3.61	-1.4
171	MIN	1963	14	-5.9	-1.3	-7.1	5.11	-1.4
172	STL	1969	14	-6.9	-0.9	-7.8	5.66	-1.38
173	MIA	1991	16	-2.8	-2	-4.8	3.5	-1.38
174	OAK	1961	14	-8.3	0.9	-7.3	5.32	-1.38
175	NOR	1975	14	-5.1	-0.7	-5.9	4.28	-1.37
176	KAN	1977	14	-7.8	1.9	-5.8	4.24	-1.37
177	ATL	1979	16	-4.2	-0.5	-4.7	3.42	-1.37
178	DET	2007	16	-6.1	1.1	-5	3.64	-1.36
179	TAM	1989	16	-5.6	0.8	-4.7	3.49	-1.36
180	HOU	1972	14	-6.9	1	-5.9	4.36	-1.35
181	NOR	2005	16	-4.3	-0.6	-4.9	3.59	-1.35
182	NYG	1948	12	-9.1	-0.9	-9.9	7.37	-1.35
183	STL	1985	16	-4.3	-1.2	-5.6	4.13	-1.35
184	PIT	1965	14	-5.3	-2.2	-7.5	5.55	-1.34
185	DET	2001	16	-6.3	1	-5.2	3.92	-1.34
186	NOR	2012	16	-5.6	0.5	-5.1	3.82	-1.34
187	KAN	1976	14	-7.7	0.8	-6.9	5.17	-1.34
188	TAM	1985	16	-6.5	1	-5.5	4.13	-1.33
189	ATL	2007	16	-4.2	-0.7	-4.8	3.64	-1.33
190	DET	1948	12	-10.7	0.9	-9.8	7.37	-1.33
191	BOS	1968	14	-6.8	-0.1	-6.9	5.24	-1.32
192	NYY	1949	12	-8.2	0.6	-7.5	5.69	-1.32
193	MIN	2011	16	-5.9	1.7	-4.1	3.14	-1.32
194	NWE	1992	16	-4	-0.5	-4.5	3.37	-1.32
195	WAS	2013	16	-6.5	1.1	-5.4	4.08	-1.32
196	SFO	2000	16	-5.7	0.2	-5.5	4.18	-1.32
197	CLE	2000	16	-5.5	0	-5.5	4.18	-1.32
198	NYJ	1974	14	-3.2	-0.4	-3.7	2.81	-1.31
199	GNB	1953	12	-6.7	1.3	-5.4	4.13	-1.31
200	NOR	1969	14	-7.2	-0.2	-7.4	5.66	-1.31

The amazing thing about the 1981 Colts isn’t how bad they were, but that they managed to actually sweep the Patriots. Of course, New England was 2-14 that year, but so was Baltimore. The Colts teams of the early ’80s were horrible, particularly on defense, and went 34 straight games without being a favorite.

Also, honorable mention goes to the terrible Washington defense in 1954. That year, the team allowed 36 points per game, including five games of over 40 points. That might be the worst defense since World War II. Finally, three teams from 2013 make the list, including the Bears and Vikings. Those NFC North defenses weren’t just bad, but also faced the AFC North and NFC East, meaning they had easy strengths of schedule, too.

Tagged as: Seahawks

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