I get it, defenses aren’t sexy. There is no way around it the NFL is not concerned with bringing sexy back to the defense. Considering the new rules and the ungodly passing numbers of offenses continually put up it is a wonder that defenses are even on the field.
But you know they do make a difference. And there are some defenses that are definitely sexy, yes, I am looking at you Buffalo Bills. So, if you know where a defense excels and where it can be exploited you can build yourself a fantasy game plan. And when that fantasy gameplay puts you in the winner’s circle you will start appreciating the defense more.
And while implementing the defensive scheme is up to the players on the field, knowing the defensive coordinator is important too. Will his scheme make it easier for opposing running backs or receivers to excel? Does the defensive coordinator adapt during a game, or can you count on him holding steadfast to his scheme regardless of the game flow?
These are important questions. Your fantasy future could depend on it.
NFC EAST
2021 Defensive Stats
NFL OPPONENT AVERAGE POINTS / GAME
Rank out of 32 |
Team Name |
Average Points/Game |
8th |
Dallas Cowboys |
21.2 |
19th |
Philadelphia Eagles |
23.1 |
23rd |
New York Giants |
24.5 |
25th |
Washington |
25.5 |
NFL OPPONENT AVERAGE YARDS /GAME
Rank out of 32 |
Team Name |
Average Yards/Game Given up |
10th |
Philadelphia Eagles |
329.9 |
18th |
Dallas Cowboys |
350.4 |
21st |
New York Giants |
354.8 |
22nd |
Washington |
359.3 |
NFL OPPONENT AVERAGE RUSHING YARDS/GAME
8TH |
Washington |
104.4 |
9th |
Philadelphia Eagles |
107.8 |
20th |
Dallas Cowboys |
115.9 |
25th |
New York Giants |
129.0 |
NFL OPPONENT AVERAGE PASSING YARDS/GAME
Rank out of 32 |
Team Name |
Average Passing Yards/Game Given Up |
11th |
Philadelphia Eagles |
222.2 |
15th |
New York Giants |
225.8 |
20th |
Dallas Cowboys |
234.5 |
29th |
Washington |
254.9 |
DEFENSIVE COORDINATORS AND THEIR SCHEMES
Dallas Cowboys—Dan Quinn
Quinn utilizes a hybrid 4-3. Dallas’s defense featured a lot of single high safety. Per Sports Info Solutions, Dallas played man coverage at the third highest rate last season.
For most of last season, Quinn ran tight men coverage with a high rate of blitzes. He dared quarterbacks to make a play against a physical Dallas secondary. But Quinn also stopped this strategy when the pass rush or the Dallas offense was not effective. Three out of four games where the defense had one or fewer takeaways coincided with games where the offense recorded less than their season average 8.78 expected points added.
Philadelphia Eagles—Jonathan Gannon
This will be Gannon’s second year as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator.
Where former Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz used a 4-3 regardless of situations, Gannon primarily used a 4-3 and 3-4 hybrid with a nickel defense. But the Eagles were seen in multiple fronts throughout the season including a 5-2 base and a 5-1 nickel.
Last season the Eagles averaged around 11 quarterback pressures per game which was the third most in the league. Unfortunately, they only had a 5% sack rate which was 31st in the league.
New York Giants—Don “Wink” Martindale
Baltimore’s lost is New York gain. Last season the Giants were 30th in pressure rate (20.1%) and their 134 quarterback pressures were 26th in the league.
Enter Martindale. Martindale’s defense is known for its pressure heavy schemes. He uses Cover-0, Cover-1 and 2-Man shells at a higher rate than the NFL average.
His 3-4 base defense is blitz-heavy. In 2019 his defense blitzed 54.9% (1st), 2020 the defense blitzed at a rate of 44.1% (1st) and in 2021 they blitzed 31.1% (6th). The anomaly of last season can mostly be attributed to the incredible amount of injuries Baltimore’s defense incurred.
Washington—Jack Del Rio
Del Rio switched Washington’s defense to a 4-3 base. His scheme uses mostly zone coverages with three safety sets. The idea was to use the very talented defensive line to get to the quarterback. It worked and then it didn’t.
After having a defense that carried the team to the playoffs, last season the defense was 32nd in passing touchdowns allowed, 22nd in defensive takeaways and 22nd in defensive interceptions.
AND…
The NFC East is pegged to be one of the “weaker” divisions. Washington’s defense has declined to the point that Jacksonville passing game Week1 should flourish.
NFC NORTH
2021 Defensive Stats
NFL OPPONENTS AVERAGE POINTS/GAME
Rank Out of 32 |
Team |
Average Points Given Up/Game |
10th |
Green Bay Packers |
21.3 |
21st |
Chicago Bears |
23.9 |
24th |
Minnesota Vikings |
25.1 |
31st |
Detroit Lions |
27.5 |
NFL OPPONENTS AVERAGE YARDS/GAME
Rank Out of 32 |
Team |
Average Yards Allowed/Game |
5th |
Chicago Bears |
316.7 |
8th |
Green Bay Packers |
321.7 |
29th |
Detroit Lions |
379.8 |
30th |
Minnesota Vikings |
383.6 |
NFL OPPONENTS AVERAGE RUSHING YARDS/GAME
Rank Out of 32 |
Team |
Average Rushing Yards Allowed/Game |
10th |
Green Bay Packers |
108.9 |
22nd |
Chicago Bears |
125.1 |
26th |
Minnesota Vikings |
130.7 |
28th |
Detroit Lions |
135.1 |
NFL OPPONENTS AVERAGE PASSING YARDS/GAME
Rank Out of 32 |
Team |
Average Passing Yards Allowed/Game |
2nd |
Chicago Bears |
191.6 |
6th |
Green Bay Packers |
212.8 |
23rd |
Detroit Lions |
244.7 |
28th |
Minnesota Vikings |
252.8 |
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AND DEFENSIVE SCHEMES
Chicago Bears—Alan Williams, HC Matt Eberflus
Eberflus insist that this is Williams’ defense. You can count on the Bears utilizing a 4-3 base with a Cover-2 “style” of defense for starters. But don’t be surprised if they flow into a 4-2-5 sub package
Williams will be calling plays. He has stated that the defense will blitz 10-20% of the time.
Detroit Lions—Aaron Glenn, HC Dan Campbell
The Lions are switching to a 4-3 base. Todd Walsh has stated, “We were a read front last year. When the offensive linemen would step in that direction. Now we are attacking. We are coming off the ball and playing at the heels of the offensive linemen.”
Last season the Lions finished 30th in the league in sacks (30). This season are attempting to be more aggressive on the line of scrimmage. They will start in a 4-3 base but switch in and out of a 4-2-5.
Green Bay Packers—Joe Barry
This will be Barry’s second season as the Packers’ defensive coordinator. The Packers play in a 3-4 base with the corners used in zone coverage. In 2021 they often used three safeties on the field. Their defense valued coverage over run-stopping.
Last season, Per Tru Media, out of the 451 passing snaps the Packers played, only 20 total snaps were in Cover-2 or 2-Man. They played Cover-3 on 31.7% of their opponents’ snaps, cover-4 in 19.5 % and Cover-6 in 18%.
Their defense tied for sixth with 18 interceptions and had the most total takeaways they have had in seven years (26).
Minnesota Vikings—Ed Donatell
The Mike Zimmer era in Minnesota is over. This will be Donatell’s first season in Minnesota after holding the same position in Denver.
The belief is that Donatell will bring a scheme similar to the Vic Fangio Scheme. If so, this will be a 3-4 base that uses the defensive linemen operating with a gap-and-a-half- principle and the secondary working from a two-high safety look. This defense is designed to clog up the running lanes between the tackles. Force the ball carrier to go outside to be stopped by the linebacker and/or defensive back. As far as the passing defense it wants to take away the big play and force the quarterback to dink and dunk all game.
Donatell has stressed takeaways to every position group.
[ The gap-and-a-half has each defensive lineman covers one primary gap against the run. It allows the defense to deviate fewer players toward defending the run and fewer players in the box.]
AND…
Both Chicago and Minnesota will be rolling with new defensive coordinators. Chicago will be playing the San Francisco Niners in Week1. This might bode well for Trey Lance and the rushing game.
Minnesota will be playing Green Bay. It should be good news for Green Bay’s passing game if we only knew which wide receiver would benefit.
NFC SOUTH
2021 Defensive Stats
NFL OPPONENTS AVERAGE POINTS/GAME
Rank Out of 32 |
Team |
Average Points Allowed/Game |
4th |
New Orleans Saints |
19.7 |
6th |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
20.9 |
20th |
Carolina Panthers |
23.8 |
29th |
Atlanta Falcons |
27.0 |
NFL OPPONENTS AVERAGE YARDS/GAME
Rank Out of 32 |
Team |
Average Yards Allowed/Game |
2nd |
Carolina Panthers |
305.9 |
6th |
New Orleans Saints |
318.2 |
15th |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
336.9 |
25th |
Atlanta Falcons |
364.4 |
NFL OPPONENTS AVERAGE RUSHING YARDS/GAME
Rank Out of 32 |
Team |
Average Rushing Yards Allowed/Game |
3rd |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
91.6 |
4th |
New Orleans Saints |
93.5 |
18th |
Carolina Panthers |
113.8 |
27th |
Atlanta Falcons |
131.9 |
NFL OPPONENTS AVERAGE PASSING YARDS/GAME
Rank Out of 32 |
Team |
Average Passing Yards Allowed/Game |
3rd |
Carolina Panthers |
192.1 |
14th |
New Orleans Saints |
224.8 |
18th |
Atlanta Falcons |
232.5 |
24th |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
245.3 |
DEFENSIVE COORDINATORS AND DEFENSIVE SCHEMES
Atlanta Falcons—Deon Pees
Per PFF’s Eric Eager, “Atlanta actually disguised coverages as a top-five rate, but the team also ran stunts at a bottom-five while using a below-average rate of man coverages and blitzes.”
Pees himself has continually stated that last season his defense was so difficult that by the end of the season he had only installed 60% of the playbook.
The Falcons had the fewest sacks in the NFL (18) by 11. They gave up 48.4% third downs (30th). And although they did not allow a pass play of 40-plus yards (1st) they surrendered 51 pass plays of 20-plus yards (15th).
Carolina Panthers—Phil Snow
This will be Snow’s second season as the defensive coordinator in Carolina. And in case you didn’t notice it wasn’t the defense that failed them last year.
The Panthers run a nickel defense with single high coverage. It derives from a 4-3 base, but Snow adapts liberally depending on the flow of the game.
Last season Carolina played man coverage on less than 12% of the snaps on early downs. They used three-high safeties at the highest rate in the league.
New Orleans Saints—Kris Richard/Ryan Nielsen
The Saints promoted then defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to head coach. Allen then preceded to keep his staff the same, either by promotion aka Richard and Nielsen or keeping them in the same position as their offensive coordinator.
Allen will be calling the defensive plays. And with this continuity, there is no reason to believe the Saints’ defense will fall out of the elite status they have gained.
By the way, Allen and the Saints defense own Tom Brady. In five matchups, Brady is 29-for-49, 271 yards and one interception when Allen puts his nickel package on the field. Which is often (47%).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Larry Foote/Kacey Rodgers
Todd Bowles was promoted to head coach when Bruce Arians moved to a front office position. Last season as defensive coordinator, Bowles’ defense was first in quarterback hits (123), tied for fifth in takeaways (29), seventh in sacks (47) and eighth in interceptions (17).
Bowles will call plays on defense. A defense that relies on speed and a defensive front disguised blitz. In his three seasons as defensive coordinator, the Buccaneers have ranked first (40.8%), fifth (39%) and second (43.4%) in blitz rate. His 40.8% blitz rate last season yielded a pressure rate of 28.6%.
Bowles ran a zone defense 71% of the time. The ninth most in the league.
NFC WEST
2021 Defensive Stats
NFL OPPONENTS POINTS/GAME
Rank Out of 32 |
Team |
Points/Game Allowed |
5th |
San Francisco Niners |
20.6 |
9th |
Los Angeles Rams |
21.3 |
12th |
Seattle Seahawks |
21.5 |
16th |
Arizona Cardinals |
22.2 |
NFL OPPONENTS YARDS/GAME
Rank Out of 32 |
Team |
Yards Allowed/Game |
4th |
San Francisco Niners |
311.8 |
12th |
Arizona Cardinals |
331.8 |
13th |
Los Angeles Rams |
333.0 |
28th |
Seattle Seahawks |
379.1 |
NFL OPPONENTS RUSHING YARDS/GAME
Rank Out of 32 |
Team |
Average Rushing Yards Allowed/Game |
5th |
Los Angeles Rams |
95.0 |
6th |
San Francisco Niners |
98.7 |
17th |
Seattle Seahawks |
113.6 |
21st |
Arizona Cardinals |
116.2 |
NFL OPPONENTS PASSING YARDS/GAME
Rank Out of 32 |
Team |
Average Passing Yards Allowed/Game |
7th |
San Francisco Niners |
213.1 |
9th |
Arizona Cardinals |
215.6 |
21st |
Los Angeles Rams |
238.0 |
31st |
Seattle Seahawks |
265.5 |
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AND DEFENSIVE SCHEMES
Arizona Cardinals—Vance Joseph
Pro Football Focus has classified Joseph’s defense as a heavy man-coverage scheme that mostly utilizes Cover-1 and Cover-2 concepts. This defense often uses blitz packages that leave his corners in press-man coverage. It has also stated that this defense has no uniqueness.
Joseph has said his defense of choice is to combine a fierce pass rush with a steady diet of press man-to-man coverage.
Los Angeles Rams—Raheem Morris
Morris was hired after Brandon Staley got the head coaching gig for the Chargers. The goal was to have some continuity in the system, especially when you have Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald anchoring your defense.
Morris had done so adding a few different elements. The Rams utilize a 3-4 base with multiple sub-packages that flow from both odd and even bases. The two high shells and light boxes flow into a two-deep zone coverage scheme. They use one high shell 24% of the time (30th in the league), two-high shell 71% of the time (3rd in the league, man coverage 14% of the time (32nd in the league) and zone coverage 68% of the time (2nd most in the league).
Per PFF the Rams had five pass rushers on 90% of their snaps.
San Francisco Niners—DeMeco Ryans
Ryans’ scheme can be called no cornerback no problem. During the season the Niners were a Cover-1 defense on 18.7% of the defensive snaps (22nd in the league). During the playoffs, that number dropped to 14.7%.
The Niners play a 3-4 base with lots of Cover-3. When first hired he stated he wanted the defense to be “fast, attacking, aggressive defense”.
Ryan has shown adaptability. He first used a man-to-man defense to increase blitzing opportunities. When that failed, he went back to a modified version of Robert Saleh’s Cover-3 zone-heavy scheme.
Now the Niners rarely blitz but use pressure on the quarterbacks (thanks Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead) letting the zone coverage make plays.
Seattle Seahawks—Clint Hurtt
This will be Hurtt’s first season as defensive coordinator.
Hurtt is switching the defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 hybrid scheme. Last season the Seahawks had 34 sacks (23rd in the league), the move to a 3-4 is to make them dominant on the front line. A line that will be without Bobby Wagner.
Hurtt’s explanation for the change, “…the multiplicity of 3-4 defenses is why I’ve become a big fan because I can get to whatever I need to with that structure and principles with the coverage, as well. You can be balanced and be able to play out of a 2-high (safeties) shell and be able to cover down with your edge guys…so anything you can do to make the quarterback have to work.”
AND SO…
I would be remiss if I did not remind you that Week1 Russell Wilson and the Broncos will be playing Seattle. Now it isn’t only that Seattle was 31st in passing yards allowed last season, it is a short preseason, a change of defensive schemes and Wilson’s hubris that will rack up those fantasy points.
The Rams play Buffalo ON THURSDAY: 1. running backs for Buffalo beware and 2. Do NOT put any of these players in your flex positions!!!!!
CONCLUSION
Last season’s stats do not necessarily dictate this season’s results. But new coordinators and a shortened preseason mean there is an adjustment period. Use it wisely.
Good Luck and Yah Football!!!