Ranking the defenses in the NFL playoffs heading into the divisional round
After the wild card round of the NFL playoffs wrapped up Monday night in Tampa, Florida, only eight teams remain in the running for a Super Bowl this season. These eight teams will continue on in the divisional round this weekend to determine the matchups for the conference championship games in the AFC and NFC.
The six eliminated teams - the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and Los Angeles Rams - include a few of the best defenses in the league this season. But some of the top units still remain.
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Here's how the eight defenses left in the playoffs rank in points and yards allowed in 2023:
NFL playoff divisional round defenses: Fewest points allowed per game
Baltimore Ravens (16.5) (league rank: 1)
Kansas City Chiefs (17.3) (league rank: 2)
San Francisco 49ers (17.5) (league rank: 3)
Buffalo Bills (18.3) (league rank: 4)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (19.1) (league rank: 6)
Green Bay Packers (20.6) (league rank: 10)
Houston Texans (20.8) (league rank: 11)
Detroit Lions (23.2) (league rank: 23)
NFL playoff divisional round defenses: Fewest yards allowed per game
Kansas City Chiefs (289.8) (league rank: 2)
Baltimore Ravens (301.4) (league rank: 6)
San Francisco 49ers (303.9) (league rank: 8)
Buffalo Bills (307.2) (league rank: 9)
Houston Texans (330.7) (league rank: 14)
Green Bay Packers (335.1) (league rank: 18)
Detroit Lions (336.1) (league rank: 19)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (344.2) (league rank: 23)
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NFL playoff divisional round defenses: Points versus yards
Here's how the final eight teams compare in points and yards allowed per game during the regular season:
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ranking each of the remaining defenses in the 2024 NFL playoffs
