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Factoid

Defensive touchdowns

Cardinals, Eagles and KC lead the way

You would expect there to be a lot of luck involved in defensive touchdowns, and that's the case in some respects. Picking up a fumble or an interception and having a clear path to the end zone requires some degree of good fortune. Still, some teams are also just a lot better at those kinds of plays than others.

Over the last three years, three teams have scored at least 3 more of those touchdowns than any other team. These are strictly defensive touchdowns (fumbles, interceptions, blocks); kickoff and punt return touchdowns have been removed from the equation.

Arizona has a league-best 15 defensive touchdowns over that span, and is the only team with at least 4 TDs in all three years. Kansas City and Philadelphia, with 14, tie for 2nd.

In terms of consistency, there are four other teams (besides Arizona) with at least 3 TDs in all three seasons. Three, thanks to disruptive pass rushes or opportunistic secondaries, aren't surprising: Denver, St. Louis and Seattle. The fourth (Tampa Bay) is, but head coach Lovie Smith has a long history of coaching defenses that are good at those kind of plays.

Defensive touchdowns over the last three seasons are shown below.

DEFENSIVE TOUCHDOWNS, 2013-2015
Team201320142015Total
Arizona54615
Kansas City71614
Philadelphia27514
Denver33511
St. Louis53311
Carolina42410
Dallas53210
Houston16310
Pittsburgh35210
Seattle43310
Cincinnati7119
Cleveland4329
Indianapolis2259
Minnesota1539
New England3429
San Francisco5319
Tampa Bay3339
Atlanta3238
Buffalo3238
Green Bay2428
Jacksonville2338
Miami2338
NY Giants3148
Washington5038
Chicago6107
Oakland4217
Tennessee3227
Baltimore1236
Detroit2226
San Diego1315
New Orleans0022
NY Jets2002

--Andy Richardson

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