Ranking the top 10 defenses in the NFL heading into Week 16 by yards, points allowed

Week 15 of the NFL season saw some surprises across the league. The Dallas Cowboys fell flat on the road against Buffalo. Philadelphia lost to the Seahawks on Monday Night Football for the Eagles' first three-game losing streak since 2021. And Green Bay allowed the first perfect passer rating at Lambeau Field to Tampa Bay's Baker Mayfield in the Packers' loss to the Buccaneers.

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Those results and more have shaken up the pecking order among defenses heading into Week 16. Three-quarters of the season is gone but there's still some jockeying for position among the best units in the league. There's a new unit atop the rankings this week ahead of a Monday Night Football showdown in Santa Clara.

Here's how the top defenses rank in points and yards allowed ahead of Week 16's slate of games.

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NFL top defenses: Fewest points allowed per game

1. Baltimore Ravens (16.1) (last week: 2)
2. San Francisco 49ers (16.7) (last week: 1)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (17.5) (last week: 3)
4. Buffalo Bills (18.1) (last week: 6)
5. Dallas Cowboys (18.9) (last week: 4)
6. New Orleans Saints (19.1) (last week: 10)
7. Minnesota Vikings (19.2) (last week: 5)
8. Atlanta Falcons (19.9) (last week: 11)
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (20.0) (last week: 7)
10. Las Vegas Raiders (20.0) (last week: 9)

NFL top defenses: Fewest yards allowed per game

1. Cleveland Browns (261.1) (last week: 1)
2. Baltimore Ravens (287.9) (last week: 2)
3. Carolina Panthers (291.6) (last week: 4)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (293.2) (last week: 6)
5. Miami Dolphins (293.4) (last week: 9)
6. Dallas Cowboys (294.3) (last week: 3)
7. New York Jets (298.4) (last week: 5)
8. New England Patriots (308.3) (last week: 8)
9. San Francisco 49ers (310.1) (last week: 7)
10. Atlanta Falcons (311.7) (last week: 13)

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NFL top defenses: Points versus yards

These two metrics have different leaders. Here's how the 14 teams making up the best of those categories compare to each other: