When picking a fantasy defense, one approach is to go with a team you're confident will be in the playoffs. Those teams had the best pass rushes a year ago. Nearly all of the NFL's 12 playoff teams ranked very favorably in terms of sacks.
The final sack numbers from 2015 show that only one of the top-10 pass rushes missed the postseason, and that was a Detroit team that finished very strong after a 1-7 start. The other nine made the playoffs, and so did 14th-ranked Washington.
Only two playoff teams finished below-average in sacks: Arizona and Seattle. The Cardinals, perhaps, made up for lower pass rush numbers by forcing mistakes. Only the Panthers (39) had more turnovers than Arizona (33). Seattle allowed fewer points than any other team.
Team sack totals from 2015 are below, with playoff teams in bold.
| TEAM SACKS, 2015 | |
|---|---|
| Team | Sack |
| Denver Broncos | 52 |
| New England Patriots | 49 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 48 |
| Kansas City | 47 |
| Houston Texans | 45 |
| Carolina Panthers | 44 |
| Green Bay Packers | 43 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 43 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 42 |
| Detroit Lions | 42 |
| St. Louis Rams | 41 |
| New York Jets | 39 |
| Tennessee Titans | 39 |
| Washington | 38 |
| Oakland Raiders | 38 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 38 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 37 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 37 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 37 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 36 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 36 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 35 |
| Chicago Bears | 35 |
| San Diego Chargers | 32 |
| Miami Dolphins | 31 |
| New Orleans Saints | 31 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 31 |
| Cleveland Browns | 29 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 28 |
| New York Giants | 23 |
| Buffalo Bills | 21 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 19 |
--Andy Richardson