2024 NFL Defense Rankings Week 2

Everyone likes to think fantasy defenses don’t matter. Here at SportsEthos, we think everything matters. Whether you loaded with an elite defense or are going to just stream whoever the Panthers are playing each week, every fantasy points counts and when you win your week by a single point, you will know who to thank.

Come back each week for an updated list of the top defenses to play for fantasy football. Here are the Week 2 rankings.

Rank	Defense	Opponent	Blurb
1	Seahawks	Patriots	Patriots don’t have a lot of star power offensively and this Seattle unit forced three turnovers last week against the Broncos.
2	Chargers	Panthers	The Panthers offense only scored 10 points last week while the Chargers defense only allowed 10 points. This unit had two sacks, two fumble recoveries, and an interception in Week 1.
3	Steelers	Broncos	Bo Nix did not play well against the Seahawks, while this Steelers D held a high-powered Falcons offense to just 10 points in Week 1. Steelers had two sacks, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery last week.
4	Colts	Packers	Simply put, Malik Willis is not Jordan Love. Colts sacked C.J. Stroud four times last week, so Willis should be in for a long day.
5	Commanders	Giants	Daniel Jones is just not a great quarterback and this offense looked bad against the Vikings. A Dan Quinn-led Commanders team should rough them up.
6	49ers	Vikings	Vikings looked decent, but they played the Giants. Sam Darnold should struggle against a loaded 49ers defense this week.
7	Jaguars	Browns	Deshaun Watson didn’t look good against Dallas, while the Jaguars played well despite the loss to Miami. Browns are dealing with injuries, making this favorable for the Jaguars.
8	Ravens	Raiders	Raiders’ offense was not good against the Chargers, but the Ravens D did not look great against the Chiefs. This is a good matchup to get them back on track.
9	Texans	Bears	The entire Bears offense was not great last week. They’re a bit banged up coming into this game, giving the Texans a favorable matchup.
10	Cowboys	Saints	Saints played well, but it was against the Panthers. Cowboys D racked up six sacks, two interceptions, and allowed only 17 points last week.
11	Broncos	Steelers	The Steelers are not great offensively and this should be a low scoring game. This Broncos unit forced two safeties, a fumble, and an interception against the Seahawks in Week 1.
12	Jets	Titans	Tennessee’s offense is not good, and that is largely due to Will Levis. The Jets D struggled against the 49ers, but this is much better matchup.
13	Giants	Commanders	Both these teams are not very good, but the Giants defense can take advantage of a rookie QB in Jayden Daniels. They did force two turnovers against the Vikings, so a similar matchup could only help them.
14	Rams	Cardinals	Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. are still developing together, so the Rams can disrupt their growing chemistry. This unit sacked Jared Goff twice and forced an interception last week.
15	Eagles	Falcons	Falcons’ high-powered offense was bad at home against the Steelers. They face an Eagles D in Philadelphia on Monday Night Football, where “Prime Time Kirk” does not play well.
16	Lions	Buccaneers	Despite putting up good numbers last week, the Bucs offense has a tough matchup with a Lions D that slowed down the Rams last week.
17	Titans	Jets	Jets did not play well against the 49ers. Titans D looked good despite the loss to the Bears. This is a much more favorable matchup this week, but the Titans are very inconsistent and Aaron Rodgers still exists.
18	Patriots	Seahawks	The Seahawks offense did not blow the Broncos away and the Patriots allowed just 10 points to a talented Bengals team. It could be a little tough for Seattle.
19	Chiefs	Bengals	Joe Burrow is dealing with a wrist injury and the Bengals are off to yet another slow start this season. Chiefs D should capitalize at home this week, but this talented Bengals offense cannot be counted out.
20	Browns	Jaguars	Jacksonville’s offense was not impressive last week, but the Browns defense had no chance with their quarterback making it impossible to get stops against the Cowboys. The Jags are more favorable for Cleveland’s D, led by a game wrecker in Myles Garrett.
21	Dolphins	Bills	Buffalo does not have a good receiving core, but this AFC East clash is not favorable to a Dolphins D that has to face Josh Allen.
22	Saints	Cowboys	Dallas had a good game against the Browns, and could roll over the Saints. However, the Saints defense is no pushover and beat up on the Panthers last week. Dallas is a tough test for the Saints in Week 2.
23	Bengals	Chiefs	Kansas City did not blowout the Ravens, and they certainly have a tough test against a typically stout Bengals D. However, if the Bengals offense starts slow, it could put this defensive unit in jeopardy.
24	Cardinals	Rams	The Rams offense looked slow against the Lions and the running game was nonexistent. However, WR Cooper Kupp is a legitimate threat and this Cardinals D could struggle to cover him.
25	Falcons	Eagles	QB Jalen Hurts struggles with having clean games, but this Eagles offense is far too talented at every position to be slowed down by this Falcons D, especially at home.
26	Bills	Dolphins	Despite this being a division game, the Dolphins offense is loaded. They were not perfect last week, but the Bills D gave up 28 to the Cardinals. Miami could explode this week.
27	Packers	Colts	QB Anthony Richardson is electric and the Packers D did not do a great job stopping the Eagles ground game last week. Both he and RB Jonathan Taylor can have big days this week.
28	Panthers	Chargers	Los Angeles is not great offensively, but the Panthers D gave up 47 points to the Saints last week. This unit is in trouble if they cannot right the ship.
29	Buccaneers	Lions	The Lions ground and pound attack coupled with their speed at WR could be too much for Tampa Bay to handle. This D is not worth starting this week.
30	Bears	Texans	Houston’s talent on offense should overwhelm the Bears D. Chicago had a good showing against the Titans, but that isn’t saying much. Stroud, Diggs, Mixon, and company should roll comfortably this week.
31	Raiders	Ravens	Baltimore’s offense is too talented and should beat up on a Raiders that had a quiet day against the Chargers.
32	Vikings	49ers	This 49ers offense should steamroll the Vikings, despite a good showing from this unit last week. Minnesota just does not have the pieces to slow down this offense.

September 12, 2024, 3:16 pm