Remember when the NFL made all those rule changes to help the offense, trying to drive up scoring and make the game more exciting?
Well, well.
They aren’t working now.
Defenses have taken over the league. The Seattle Seahawks’ domination of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX was just the coronation of what has become a defensive-minded NFL.
The Seahawks’ offense wasn’t great against a good New England defense, but it did enough as Seattle won 29-13 in a game that didn’t even seem that close. It kept the Seahawks in the top spot of my final Power Rankings for the season, showing you don’t always need an elite offense to win in this league.
Not anymore.
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The Seattle defense had six sacks — with another wiped out by penalty — and also produced an interception returned for a touchdown. It was an impressive showing that made Drake Maye look like a backup quarterback rather than a guy who missed out on league MVP by one vote.
Defenses now own the NFL. They have so many athletes up front going against offensive lines that don’t get to work in pads much anymore, which creates all kinds of problems for offenses.
Pressure rates are high and the sacks keep coming, which is why offensive coordinators are now playing scared. Completion percentages are up, while yards-per-attempt numbers are down. That means dink-and-dunk and bubble screens galore.
To win now on offense, you better draft and develop offensive linemen. Or else.
To win now, you better be more aggressive in the passing game, which takes time.
How many times this season have we watched teams take too much time in the huddle, get to the line with the play clock running down, the defense rotates — which is really the thing now — and the quarterback can’t change the play? He’s stuck. The play stinks. The defense wins.
It’s time for offensive play-callers to be more aggressive. Mix in some no-huddle like the Bills used to run with the old “K-Gun” offense. Take back the aggressive approach.
Take shots. Don’t play scared.
All we hear now is how you don’t want to turn the ball over. That’s ideal, but give me a 350-yard, three-TD, two-INT game over 180 yards with one TD and no picks.
Take back the game.
Defense has won championships the past two years. Now it’s time for the offenses to get back into it.
Quit playing scared.
Biggest Movers
|
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
|
They showed off their dominant defense in the Super Bowl, which proves you don’t always need an elite quarterback to win it all. | — | 14-3-0 |
2 |
|
The offensive line was a major problem in the postseason. The Super Bowl showing makes you wonder if they overachieved to get there. | — | 14-3-0 |
3 |
|
They played the Super Bowl champs close in three games. That means something. They do need to fix the secondary. | 2 | 12-5-0 |
4 |
|
This young team is building toward something, and Liam Coen is the right guy for the job. They do have to find ways to improve their pass rush. | 1 | 13-4-0 |
5 |
|
Did they miss a major chance to win it all when Bo Nix went down and missed the AFC title game? They were better than the Patriots with him. | 1 | 14-3-0 |
6 |
|
They lost defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to the Titans, but did a nice job landing Raheem Morris to take over. There is no way they can have the same health issues again next year, right? | — | 12-5-0 |
7 |
|
They fired Sean McDermott and promoted Joe Brady to head coach. Now he has to make sure the offense lets Josh Allen play loose again. | 2 | 12-5-0 |
8 |
|
They made a big leap in the first season for coach Ben Johnson. Now they have to build on it and improve the pass rush. | 1 | 11-6-0 |
9 |
|
They changed offensive coordinators and the line coach is gone. There might be some guys up front retiring too. This team is moving in the wrong direction. | 1 | 11-6-0 |
10 |
|
They lost defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to the Dolphins as their new coach. But they did a nice job getting Jonathan Gannon to replace him. | 2 | 9-7-1 |
11 |
|
They head into the offseason with questions about C.J. Stroud. What do they do about a contract? Anything? | 3 | 12-5-0 |
12 |
|
Bringing in Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator will really get that side of the ball going. The health of the offensive line will as well. | 1 | 11-6-0 |
13 |
|
Jesse Minter takes over as the new coach and will bring toughness to the defense. He did a great job hiring a staff, which will help. | 2 | 8-9-0 |
14 |
|
They had a lot of injuries again on defense, which impacted them in a big way. That side of the ball simply wasn’t good enough. | 2 | 9-8-0 |
15 |
|
Mike McCarthy takes over as the new coach for Mike Tomlin. McCarthy has to figure out who plays quarterback. Does he bring Aaron Rodgers back? | 2 | 10-7-0 |
16 |
|
They didn’t make the playoffs in year two for Dave Canales, but they made progress. Bryce Young was better at times, but consistency is an issue. | 2 | 8-9-0 |
17 |
|
They had to sit and watch Sam Darnold win a Super Bowl, which had to sting. Now it’s all on J.J. McCarthy — or else. | — | 9-8-0 |
18 |
|
Todd Bowles is back as coach, but they have a new offensive coordinator in Zac Robinson. They have to find help for their pass rush. | — | 8-9-0 |
19 |
|
They have a lot of talent on the roster, and if they can stay healthy, they can push for the division title. They need to get an edge rusher of some sort after trading Micah Parsons last season. | — | 7-9-1 |
20 |
|
Zac Taylor is back as coach, facing a win-or-else season. They have to get better on both lines. | — | 6-11-0 |
21 |
|
New coach Jeff Hafley faces a tough challenge off the bat because of the quarterback situation. They have to figure out what to do with Tua Tagovailoa. | — | 7-10-0 |
22 |
|
They made progress in the first season for new coach Kellen Moore. They have to see if Tyler Shough is the long-term guy. | — | 6-11-0 |
23 |
|
They landed Kevin Stefanski as their head coach, which was a good move. The big question is the quarterback spot. When will Michael Penix Jr. be ready to play? | — | 8-9-0 |
24 |
|
They have to figure out if Daniel Jones will be back at quarterback. He is a free agent, but he’s coming off a torn Achilles tendon. | — | 8-9-0 |
25 |
|
They will be back. But it all depends on when Patrick Mahomes is healthy enough to play. If it’s Week 1, they will be a contender again. If not, well… | — | 6-11-0 |
26 |
|
New coach John Harbaugh will bring some juice and clout to a team that seemed to fall apart last season. It’s all about Jaxson Dart’s growth for this team in 2026. | — | 4-13-0 |
27 |
|
They went from an NFC title team to a bad one in a year. Injuries didn’t help, but they have issues on defense too. | — | 5-12-0 |
28 |
|
Todd Monken takes over as the new coach, but he has to figure out the quarterback situation. Will it be Shedeur Sanders? A draft pick? Or a veteran? | — | 5-12-0 |
29 |
|
New coach Mike LaFleur faces a lot of challenges with this team. The first challenge is what to do with Kyler Murray. | — | 3-14-0 |
30 |
|
New coach Robert Saleh will bring toughness to the defense. They have a lot of salary cap space to try and fix this team. | — | 3-14-0 |
31 |
|
Aaron Glenn is back for year two, and he won’t make it to year three if they don’t figure out the quarterback position. What do they do? | — | 3-14-0 |
32 |
|
Getting Klint Kubiak as coach was the right move. He will be the right guy to develop Fernando Mendoza after they make him the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. | — | 3-14-0 |
