Didn’t somebody say one time that the best defense is a bad offense? As I try to make sense of the defenses for Week 1, I find myself gravitating not to the elite defenses – Seahawks, Bills, Texans – but to the opponents they’re playing. Most of us seem to agree that Buffalo and Seattle have the best defenses (for fantasy purposes) but I would be willing to bet that the opponents who play against Tampa Bay this year, where Jameis Winston is starting as a rookie, will finish with more sacks, interceptions and touchdowns.
Especially with defenses, we have to look carefully at matchups. Guys like Brady, Manning, Rodgers, Ryan and Roethlisberger simply don’t get sacked often, and they don’t throw many interceptions. The odds get a lot better when your get a youngster or risk-taker behind center on the other side.
Case in point: In the last five years, 24 offenses have ended the year with at least 65 combined sacks and interceptions. (I have those offenses in bold below). But only 18 defenses have hit that threshold.
MOST COMBINED SACKS/INTERCEPTIONS SINCE 2010 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | Int | Sack | Total |
2014 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 18 | 71 | 89 |
2013 | Buffalo Bills | 23 | 57 | 80 |
2013 | Carolina Panthers | 20 | 60 | 80 |
2012 | Arizona Cardinals | 21 | 58 | 79 |
2011 | Arizona Cardinals | 23 | 54 | 77 |
2010 | Chicago Bears | 21 | 56 | 77 |
2013 | Miami Dolphins | 19 | 58 | 77 |
2014 | Washington | 18 | 58 | 76 |
2014 | Buffalo Bills | 19 | 54 | 73 |
2014 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 20 | 52 | 72 |
2013 | Seattle Seahawks | 28 | 44 | 72 |
2013 | Baltimore Ravens | 23 | 48 | 71 |
2010 | Carolina Panthers | 21 | 50 | 71 |
2013 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 21 | 50 | 71 |
2010 | Green Bay Packers | 24 | 47 | 71 |
2010 | Arizona Cardinals | 19 | 50 | 69 |
2011 | Chicago Bears | 20 | 49 | 69 |
2013 | Cleveland Browns | 20 | 49 | 69 |
2014 | Minnesota Vikings | 18 | 51 | 69 |
2013 | New York Giants | 29 | 40 | 69 |
2013 | New York Jets | 22 | 47 | 69 |
2010 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 21 | 48 | 69 |
2012 | St. Louis Rams | 17 | 52 | 69 |
2012 | Denver Broncos | 16 | 52 | 68 |
2013 | Kansas City Chiefs | 21 | 47 | 68 |
2011 | New York Giants | 20 | 48 | 68 |
2012 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 17 | 50 | 67 |
2013 | Arizona Cardinals | 20 | 47 | 67 |
2013 | St. Louis Rams | 14 | 53 | 67 |
2011 | Minnesota Vikings | 17 | 49 | 66 |
2012 | New York Jets | 19 | 47 | 66 |
2014 | Tennessee Titans | 16 | 50 | 66 |
2011 | Miami Dolphins | 13 | 52 | 65 |
2011 | St. Louis Rams | 10 | 55 | 65 |
2011 | Washington | 24 | 41 | 65 |
2010 | Washington | 19 | 46 | 65 |
2012 | Chicago Bears | 24 | 41 | 65 |
2012 | Cincinnati Bengals | 14 | 51 | 65 |
2012 | Green Bay Packers | 18 | 47 | 65 |
2013 | New England Patriots | 17 | 48 | 65 |
2011 | Philadelphia Eagles | 15 | 50 | 65 |
2011 | San Francisco 49ers | 23 | 42 | 65 |
—Ian Allan