That's not to say that every defense below won a Super Bowl. At least one in the top 10 missed the playoffs altogether. But whether it was because of team success, statistical success, individual greatness, scheme innovation or a combination of those factors, each of these defenses was more than just good. Or even stellar. During nearly years of NFL football, there have been hundreds of great defensive teams and thousands of star defenders. Whittling that massive list down to 10 teams is next to impossible, and there are many squads that narrowly missed the cut.
You can be forgiven if the '77 Falcons don't jump out as having had an all-time defense—those Falcons went and continued a playoff drought that lasted from the team's inception in until But while the Falcons may not have been an especially good team, the defense was another story.
Over 14 games, the unit allowed just points—still a record for the fewest points per game surrendered in a season in the Super Bowl era not counting the strike-shortened campaign. The Rams were a post-Fearsome Foursome team that couldn't maintain their regular-season success into the playoffs. But led by Hall of Famers Merlin Olsen and Jack Youngblood not to mention the star of a lousy '80s TV show in Fred Dryer the Rams won 12 of 14 games, including the last six of the regular season—a stretch over which they gave up just 32 points.
The Steelers led the NFL in yards allowed LeBeau's zone-blitz concepts, which feature pass-rushers coming from odd angles while others drop into coverage, are still being used by some NFL teams over a decade later. Yep, that's right. Believe it or not, football was actually played before the first Super Bowl. The Packers allowed The Chiefs allowed just You'd better be able to pressure opposing quarterbacks. And regardless of how good you are at that, you'd better be able to cover well.
The Broncos excelled at both. However, the Broncos aren't included here just because they were good. Were it not for that defense, the team wouldn't have come close to Super Bowl 50—much less won it. With quarterback Peyton Manning a shell of his former self, the high-flying Denver offense of was gonesville—replaced by a team that ranked 16th in total offense and 19th in scoring. In , the Broncos played in 14 games counting the postseason that were decided by seven points or fewer.
Thanks in no small part to a defense that kept Manning and the offense close, the Broncos were in those games. You're probably wondering why it's not the Dolphins who earned the nod as the representative of the "No Name" defenses that won back-to-back Super Bowls. After all, that unit led the league in both total defense and scoring defense en route to the only perfect season ever. This is partially because the defense was on the field so much due to the struggles on offense.
A look at the 3. Lawrence Taylor changed the game with his style of play for the New York Giants in the s, and he delivered the finest season of his career in The Giants would go on to win the Super Bowl that year, in no small part due to the contributions of Taylor.
He was unanimously selected as league MVP, one of only two defenders to ever receive the award. Taylor racked up Defensive end Leonard Marshall and linebacker Harry Carson were among the other huge contributors on this ferocious unit. They would go on to win Super Bowl XXI over the Denver Broncos by a score of , capping off a fantastic run from one of the more memorable squads of the 80s.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of many teams on the list that captured lightning in a bottle. The club entered the year off of a campaign the year prior, but they would do more than just improve. Instead, the Buccaneers went during the regular season and followed that up by dominating in the playoffs.
For two NFC playoff contests, opponents could only muster 16 points. The game was nowhere near as close as the score suggested. Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon was picked off five times, three of which were returned for scores. Back in the s, the Green Bay Packers were the dominant force in football.
The team would win five NFL titles during the decade, and also claim victory in the first two Super Bowls. Head coach Vince Lombardi was a legendary figure who got the most out of his club. His contributions to the league are immortalized with the Super Bowl Trophy which bears his name. Numerous hall-of-famers wore the green and gold in this era, including Bart Starr and Paul Hornung. For a traditionalist such as Lombardi, you can be sure that the Packers brought it on defense.
The Los Angeles Rams of the s had one of the finest defenses ever, but the team could never quite get over the hump to win a Super Bowl. The team would hold nine of its 14 opponents to less than 10 points during the regular season. For the last four games of the regular season, no opponent would put more than 7 points on the board. Unfortunately, the wheels would come off in the postseason.
They would take down the St. Louis Cardinals in the divisional round by a score of but fall to the Dallas Cowboys the following week by a score of Defensive end Jack Youngblood and defensive tackle Merlin Olsen were among the stars for this legendary unit.
This is another stellar defense from the s that could never seal the deal. The Vikings record in those games was The edition was the finest of the bunch, holding opponents to an average of just 9.
During the regular season, the Vikings picked up three shutouts while only allowing 20 points or more twice. Is it possible for the only team to cap off an undefeated regular season with a Super Bowl victory to be underrated? The Dolphins were the top defensive unit in the league for the year, despite being referred to as the no-name defense. Meanwhile, every game Philadelphia won was by at least a touchdown. Of course, New England was that year, but so was Baltimore.
Also, honorable mention goes to the terrible Washington defense in 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 make the list, including the Bears and Vikings. Tagged as: Seahawks. This site rocks the Classic Responsive Skin for Thesis. WP Admin. They did so three times in their Super Bowl win over the Oakland Raiders.
The Legion of Boom and the rest of the Seahawks defense led the league in points, yards and turnovers. Facing an unbelievable number of injuries on offense, the Steel Curtain picked up the slack. The defense pitched five shutouts and at one point did not give up a touchdown for 22 straight quarters.
The Ravens may be the worst team offensively to ever win a Super Bowl. Why did they win? Because they allowed an average of 9. The success of this team is almost mythical.
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