These 4 NFL Team Defenses are Worthy of Your Bet
When the Seattle Seahawks stumbled defensively, the reason was star safety Earl Thomas was lost for the year with a broken leg. The same letdown for the Carolina Panthers defense happened when they lost shut down corner Josh Norman to Washington. These one player changes can disrupt even the best defenses. Betting against the Seahawks hasn’t worked out much for NFL bettors and a key reason why has been their defense.
Houston’s defense (even without J.J. Watt) was the main reason the Texans won the AFC South and a playoff win last year.
The top performing defenses aren’t to be ignored especially when they’re healthy and have a supportive offense. The reality is a lot of the top defenses are going to give you a headache if you bet against them. Here are the top four NFL defenses we try to refrain from betting against as the 2017 NFL season will show their defensive value for wagering.
- Denver Broncos
- Minnesota Vikings
- Houston Texans
- Seattle Seahawks
Denver Broncos
The Broncos won a title just two years ago with Von Miller and an elite pass rush (3rd in sacks in 2016) and started last season off strong. The Broncos stumbled down the stretch due to injuries and fatigue, but they again have the outside talent to put pressure on the quarterback and players in the secondary for a stingy pass defense.
Denver lost some bulk up front and was soft against the run in 2016 (28th), but they’ve made some adjustments and should be improved in 2017. They still boast a stacked defensive backfield and the pass rushers to give anyone serious pressure from all angles. Great defenses execute in all facets, but pressure and coverage are two huge assets for a top effective defense.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings started 2016 off on a 5-0 tear and looked like viable Super Bowl threats before falling apart. Minnesota went just 3-8 and went from a playoff contender to just another squad. From a talent perspective, the Vikings are loaded defensively and should be a force to be reckoned with if they can stay healthy and focused.
They completely stifled the Packers and other explosive offenses. Even with a late-season slide, Minnesota still finished 6th in points allowed per game, 5th in sacks and 3rd against the pass. However, their lack of offense kept the defense on the field too much and they tired down the stretch.
Houston Texans
Houston was an elite defense in 2016, even though J.J. Watt only suited up for three games. Watt’s absence held the Texans back in some ways, but this was still a nasty and stingy unit that finished 2016 as the 11th best scoring defense and ranked 12th against the run and 2nd against the pass. Watt left behind a huge presence in the pass rush, yet this team still got to the quarterback 31 times.
This defense routinely contains offenses, it is stingy through the air and it can get after the quarterback. Inserting Watt back into the equation could push them into the top-10 or even top-5 in sacks, while it should also dramatically improve their run defense.
Even without Watt, the Texans have a deep and scary defense that is well-coached. With arguably the league’s top defensive player back in the fold, laying bets against Houston just got a little more difficult.
Seattle Seahawks
The Legion of Boom could be slipping a little, but the Seahawks were still a strong defense in 2016 and figure to be a solid unit again in 2017. There has been some talk about Earl Thomas retirement and trade rumors surrounding Richard Sherman, but the Seahawks remain intact and could be ready for a big bounce-back campaign.
The Seahawks still finished 2016 with strong numbers, ranking 3rd in the NFL in scoring, 3rd in sacks, 7th against the run and 8th against the pass. Thomas will be back, Sherman is still in town and the Seahawks could be headed back to being that feared unit that appeared in two of the last three Super Bowls. This is already a well-coached and balanced team that has the offense to hang with anyone, but when this defense is firing on all cylinders, they’re an awfully difficult team to wager against — laying points at home is a solid bet on Seattle when they are coming off a loss or playing their great proven defense against an average team.
Honorable Mention:
New England Patriots —- the rich get richer and the Pats will put up the numbers with Brady but watch for a much improved defense that showed their strength in the second half of the Super Bowl last year against the Atlanta Falcons who were shutout in the second half. Unfortunately, the Pats will be over priced by the books who are scared of the Pats covering at any price.
New York Giants —- the Giants showed a very potent and much improved defense last year as they shut down the mighty Dallas offense twice last year and swarm all over the field on a pressure defensive scheme that was a top performer last year.
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