The Seattle Seahawks
Last season, the Seattle Seahawks ranked fourth in the NFL in total defense, allowing only 15.3 points per game.
Opponents were held to fewer than 14 points in half of Seattle’s regular season games.
Thanks to physical cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner, as well as safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, the Seahawks secondary, is arguably the best in the NFL.
Last season, Seattle ranked third in the league with an opponent rating of 71.8.
DE Because the team already has a promising young sack artist in Bruce Irvin, the addition of Cliff Avril from Detroit strengthens the pass rush.
The football team of San Francisco
Last season, the NFC champions finished third in total defense and second in points allowed with an average of 17.8. OLB Aldon Smith holds the NFL record for total sacks with 19 last season.
Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman, the Niners’ inside linebackers, are the best in the league. DE Justin Smith should be back to his usual destructive self now that his triceps injury is healed.
Last season, the 49ers ranked sixth in kickoff return yardage, with an average return of 26.9 yards.
The Broncos of Denver
The Denver defense had a fantastic year in 2012. Last season, the Broncos finished third, up from 24th in points allowed and 20th overall defense in 2011.
Denver ranked third against the pass, allowing just under 200 yards per game; it also ranked third against the run. The Broncos had a league-high 52 quarterback sacks.
He finished third in the league in sacks with 18.5 and has established himself as one of the league’s best pass rushers. A career high of 30 sacks in each of his first two NFL seasons says a lot.
The Broncos signed Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to bolster their pass coverage after Champ Bailey, the veteran cornerback, was released.
Despite their opponents’ combined winning percentage of.430, the Broncos will play the most difficult schedule in the league.
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Texans from Houston
When ILB Brian Cushing tore his ACL in Week 5 of last season, the Texans’ defense went from 5-0 to unstoppable. During that time, they only allowed 14.6 points per game.
The Texans gave up 42 points to the Packers a week after Cushing went down with a knee injury, and they’ve now given up 28 or more points in six of their last 13 games, including the playoffs.
Cushing will once again lead Houston’s run defense. Finally, we have the most sacks (20.5) and interceptions (20.5) in the NFL (Dikembe Mutombo used to block shots with the same frequency).
The addition of veteran FS Ed Reed in the offseason should help with turnovers. The Texans’ final four games are against division rivals Jacksonville and Tennessee, which should be relatively easy.
Cincinnati Bengals
Mike Zimmer, the Bengals’ defensive coordinator, is among the best in the business, and he has a talented staff at his disposal. DT DE and Geno Atkins DE recorded ten or more sacks.
Last year, Michael Johnson. Carlos Dunlap is also capable of taking on quarterbacks. OLB James Harrison appears from the outside to turn up the heat.
Leon Hall and Dre Kirkpatrick form a strong cornerback tandem. Cincinnati finished sixth overall and eighth in the league in scoring defense during the 2014-15 season.
The Bengals had the third-most fumble recoveries in the league in 2014, with 16, trailing only the New England Patriots and the Chicago Bears.
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