Why the NFL Playoffs Will Be Defined by Dominant Defenses

It's an offense-driven league. But with so many standout defenses this year, a defensive-minded team is poised to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. had an interception for a touchdown in Sunday's win over the Raiders. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Go down the list of recent Super Bowl champions and stop yourself when you think “defense first” for the team’s identity that season. 

Here’s how I thought: Saquon Barkley, Patrick Mahomes (back-to-back), Matthew Stafford, Tampa Tom Brady, Mahomes again, New England Brady, Nick Foles, Brady, Broncos’ “No Fly Zone” defense. 

It’s been 10 years since a defensive–led team won the Super Bowl, and you know that Denver unit was special because they overshadowed the fact that Peyton Manning was on that team. And, yes, Manning was way past his prime by that point, but a defense needs to truly be an all-time great to be remembered more than the star quarterback. The same applies with the “Legion of Boom” defense and Russell Wilson when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl for the 2013 season, two years before the Broncos’ dominant defense.

Last year, the Eagles had the top-ranked defense in yards allowed and crushed Mahomes and his offense in the Super Bowl, but I still think more about Barkley’s greatness in a 2,000-yard rushing season. Perhaps I’m alone with that line of thinking, but we’ll figure that one out as more years go by. As for the year prior in 2023, Kansas City had arguably a top-three defense, but Mahomes gets the bulk of the credit for his superstar status and delivering in the overtime Super Bowl victory vs. San Francisco. 

But I bring up this topic and debate because, for the first time in a decade, there might be a dominant defense that wins the Super Bowl, one that doesn’t get forgotten in a few years or gets overshadowed by the quarterback. 

Heading into Week 17, the Seahawks and Broncos are the No. 1 seeds in the NFC and AFC, respectively. And no disrespect to Sam Darnold and Bo Nix, but if either of those teams win it all in February in Santa Clara, we will be thinking about the defense first—unless one of those signal-callers goes on an epic postseason run, reminiscent of Foles or Joe Flacco. 

The Texans might have the best defense in the league, one that could have a cool nickname if they’re able to hoist the Lombardi trophy in a few months. But they’re going to need more from quarterback C.J. Stroud and they could have a daunting road as a wild-card team. Houston is currently the No. 7 seed and trails Jacksonville by a game in the AFC South standings. 

But enough with my thoughts on this topic. I was able to relay a few questions to the real experts when it comes to championship-caliber defenses.

With insight from “Legion of Boom” members, let’s break down whether a defensive-led team can win the Super Bowl in an era that’s meant to assist the star quarterbacks.  

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A defensive-led team will win Super Bowl LX

Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor believe their “Legion of Boom” group is the greatest defense in NFL history because they were dominant in an era that began catering the rules to the star quarterbacks, such as Brady, Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. 

I was able to relay a few questions to Sherman and Chancellor when a bulk of the “Legion of Boom” reunited in Los Angeles to test their skills in the popular game Ready or Not, which also included actual SWAT training before turning on the game console. 

“This may sound biased, but I believe the 2013 Legion of Boom defense was the best defense of all time,” Sherman said. “The game has changed and so has the way it is officiated. It is so much harder to play defense with the change in rules that favor the offense. Playing in this era and still being able to strap down week in and week out, I give us the No. 1 spot.” 

Sherman’s Seahawks dismantled a Manning–led Broncos’ offense that set several offensive records in 2013 and cruised to 43–8 victory in Super Bowl XLVIII. This legendary defense almost went back-to-back, but let’s not remind Sherman and Chancellor about the offense’s all-time blunder at the goal line against the Patriots.

“I think it is a matter of time,” Sherman said about seeing a defensive–led team win the Super Bowl. “Once a decade or so, we see a dominant defense that just takes over the NFL. We had defenses like this, obviously, in Seattle with the Legion of Boom, and then during my time with the 49ers we played at an extremely high level. I think a defense like that will come along again that changes the landscape of the NFL.” 

I’m stuck on that last part of Sherman’s response because I think what we’re seeing this season is defenses finally being a few steps ahead of the offenses after years of trying to keep pace despite the rules disadvantages. It’s now the offenses that need to make counter adjustments, just like the Broncos did after being destroyed by the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. They quickly went from a high-scoring offense to a team that prioritized defense and produced the “No Fly Zone.”

With this possibly being the start of a new era in the NFL, I’m willing to bet Seattle, Denver or Houston wins the Super Bowl. It’s not a coincidence that Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson likely all won’t be in the postseason. Maybe Josh Allen’s Bills and Matthew Stafford’s Rams prove me wrong because they can light up most defenses.

“Yes, we will see one [dominant defense] do it again,” Chancellor said. “It’s just a matter of time. The recipe is out there, so someone will regenerate that performance again.”

Manzano’s view: Fact

Texans have the best defense in the league 

Maybe I didn’t choose the best week to highlight the stellar defenses this season because Seattle struggled to defend Los Angeles’s high-powered offense, Denver got torched by Trevor Lawrence and his small-market team, and Houston had trouble containing rookie running back Ashton Jeanty on a bad Las Vegas team.

But, as mentioned above, the rules are designed to benefit offenses, so there are occasional down weeks even for the best defenses in the league—perhaps an excuse the “Legion of Boom” members don’t want to hear. 

In my opinion, only the Texans’ defense has the makings of being an all-time great unit—currently leading the league in yards and points allowed. The Broncos and Seahawks are in the second-tier of top defenses, followed by a cluster of talented defenses, including the Chargers, Eagles and Packers (before Micah Parsons got injured).  

But Michael Bennett, another “Legion of Boom” member, might disagree with me on the Texans having the best defense because he raved about what coach Mike Macdonald has done with the defense in Seattle. 

“I think the Seahawks have the most dominant defense in the NFL this year,” Bennett said. “The way they stop the run, rush the passer and play together as a unit shows they have what it takes. You can see the chemistry and discipline in every snap. 

“They’re physical, fast and play with heart. That combination of effort, trust, and brotherhood is what makes great defenses, and right now, they’re setting the tone for the whole league.”

Manzano’s view: Fact 

Garrett needs just one sack to break the NFL's single-season record. / Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Myles Garrett needs more MVP consideration with his dominant play

Browns star edge rusher Myles Garrett is a sack away from setting the single-season sack record, which currently belongs to Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt with 22.5 sacks.

Garrett still has two games left against the Steelers and Bengals, but even if he breaks the record, he still shouldn’t be a part of the MVP conversation, not when the Browns only have three wins this season. 

He should, however, be a lock for Defensive Player of the Year, an award he won two years ago. It’s wild to think how Garrett has managed to rack up sacks this season despite playing mostly from behind this season. If the Browns were a fringe wild-card team, Garrett might have gotten a few MVP votes for his dominance this season. 

Manzano’s view: Fiction

Rams shouldn’t have fired their special teams coordinator this late 

It can’t be all about the defense for this week’s NFL Fact or Fiction. We also have to talk about special teams because there was a massive shake up over the weekend from a Super Bowl contender with a head coach who doesn’t have a habit of firing coordinators in the middle of the season.

Rams coach Sean McVay fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn two days after the Thursday Night Football meltdown against the Seahawks. L.A.’s poor special teams allowed Seattle to ignite the 16-point fourth-quarter rally after Rashid Shaheed delivered a 58-yard punt return touchdown. Later in the quarter, Harrison Mevis, the team’s second kicker of the season, missed a costly 48-yard field-goal attempt.

Changes were needed because three of the Rams’ four losses this season have featured critical special-teams miscues. This unit couldn’t do something as simple as not allowing rushers to break free before kicks—losing on a blocked kick against the Eagles earlier this season. 

The suspect special teams got by for a few months because Stafford and the Rams played from ahead in a handful of games. But McVay couldn’t trust his unit before the postseason, when games are tighter and proper execution is required.

Manzano’s view: Fiction 

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