After 15 weeks, I wrote that Seattle’s pass defense looked to be one of the most dominant since the merger. With the regular season now over, and the Seahawks getting ready for their first playoff game, I wanted to revisit this question and slightly tweak the methodology.

We begin with the base statistic to measure pass defenses, Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt. Team passing yards and team passing yards allowed, unlike individual passing yards, count sack yards lost against a team’s passing yards total. So to calculate ANY/A on the team level, we use the formula (Passing Yards + 20*TD – 45*INT) divided by (Attempts + Sacks). The Seahawks allowed just 3.19 ANY/A this year, which was 1.20 ANY/A better than any other defense this season. In fact, it was so good that it enabled Seattle to easily post the best ANY/A differential (offensive ANY/A minus defensive ANY/A) in the league, too. The Seahawks 3.19 average is the 4th best average in the least 20 years (behind only the 1996 Packers, 2002 Bucs, and 2008 Steelers). But what makes Seattle’s accomplishment more impressive is the passing environment of the NFL in 2013.

When I graded the Seahawks three weeks ago, I defined the league average ANY/A in the customary way: the ANY/A average of the passing totals of the league as a whole. This time around, I decided it would be more appropriate to (1) exclude each team’s own pass defense when calculating the league average, and (2) take an average of the other team’s ANY/A ratings, as opposed to taking an average of the totals. In 2013, the other 31 pass defenses allowed an average of 5.98 Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt. That means Seattle allowed 2.79 fewer ANY/A than the average team this year: that’s better than every defense since 1990 other than the 2002 Bucs.

Next, I calculated the Z-Score for each pass defense. The Z-Score simply tells us how many standard deviations from average a pass defense was. The standard deviation of the 32 pass defenses in 2013 was 0.95, which means the Seahawks were 2.93 standard deviations above average. That’s the 4th best of any defense since 1950.



You can probably guess which team has the top rating. In 2002, Tampa Bay faced 510 pass attempts, allowed 2,490 net passing yards and 10 touchdowns, while creating 31 interceptions and 43 sacks. Tampa Bay’s defense allowed just 2.34 ANY/A, while the average of the other 31 teams was 5.50. That means those Buccaneers were 3.11 ANY/A better than average. Since the standard deviation among the 32 teams that year was 0.93, they gives the Bucs a Z-Score of 3.33. The table below lists the top 200 pass defenses by this method:

Rk Year Tm Att Pyd TD INT Sk ANY/A LgAvg Diff stdev Z-Score 1 2002 TAM 510 2490 10 31 43 2.34 5.45 3.11 0.93 3.33 2 1988 MIN 480 2489 12 36 37 2.15 5.11 2.97 0.89 3.32 3 1970 MIN 367 1438 6 28 49 0.72 4.34 3.62 1.18 3.06 4 2013 SEA 524 2752 16 28 44 3.19 5.98 2.79 0.95 2.93 5 1982 MIA 226 1027 7 19 29 1.22 4.88 3.65 1.33 2.75 6 1965 SDG 474 2168 17 28 38 2.44 4.15 1.72 0.66 2.61 7 1985 CHI 522 2816 16 34 64 2.74 4.97 2.23 0.9 2.49 8 1974 PIT 339 1466 14 25 52 1.59 4.01 2.42 0.98 2.47 9 1977 ATL 320 1384 9 26 42 1.09 3.68 2.59 1.06 2.44 10 2008 PIT 533 2511 12 20 51 3.17 5.83 2.66 1.09 2.44 11 1961 SDG 485 2363 16 49 42 0.91 4.35 3.44 1.43 2.41 12 1980 WAS 392 2171 17 33 43 2.36 4.97 2.61 1.08 2.41 13 1998 MIA 504 2924 17 29 45 3.57 5.4 1.83 0.76 2.4 14 1969 MIN 410 1631 8 30 49 0.96 4.9 3.94 1.65 2.38 15 2005 CHI 550 2872 10 24 41 3.37 5.42 2.05 0.86 2.38 16 1965 GNB 383 1981 11 27 44 2.31 5.21 2.9 1.24 2.35 17 1952 RAM 360 1883 18 38 46 1.31 3.32 2.01 0.86 2.34 18 1973 PIT 359 1672 11 37 33 0.58 4.01 3.44 1.48 2.32 19 1963 CHI 353 1734 10 36 36 0.81 5.13 4.33 1.87 2.31 20 1987 SFO 467 2484 13 25 37 3.21 5.12 1.91 0.83 2.29 21 2003 NWE 618 3232 11 29 41 3.26 5.3 2.04 0.89 2.29 22 1969 KAN 426 2072 10 32 48 1.76 4.57 2.81 1.23 2.29 23 1986 CHI 513 2667 12 31 62 2.63 5.08 2.45 1.07 2.28 24 1962 GNB 355 1746 10 31 42 1.39 5.27 3.88 1.74 2.23 25 1956 CRD 287 1524 8 33 18 0.65 4.13 3.47 1.57 2.21 26 1997 SFO 509 2647 23 25 54 3.52 5.24 1.72 0.78 2.19 27 2006 BAL 509 3011 16 28 60 3.64 5.45 1.81 0.83 2.19 28 2001 CLE 552 3089 18 33 43 3.3 5.29 1.98 0.91 2.18 29 2010 GNB 527 3107 16 24 47 4.09 5.8 1.71 0.79 2.17 30 1994 DAL 522 2752 19 22 47 3.76 5.46 1.69 0.78 2.16 31 1991 PHI 467 2413 16 26 55 2.99 5.3 2.31 1.07 2.15 32 2009 NYJ 501 2459 8 17 32 3.48 5.74 2.26 1.06 2.13 33 1960 BUF 429 2130 19 33 36 2.2 4.32 2.11 1 2.12 34 2007 IND 498 2764 16 22 28 3.98 5.58 1.6 0.76 2.11 35 1950 CLE 292 1390 8 31 24 0.49 3.29 2.8 1.33 2.1 36 1964 WAS 406 2247 16 34 43 2.31 4.79 2.48 1.18 2.1 37 2004 BUF 486 2624 20 24 45 3.66 5.69 2.03 0.96 2.1 38 1990 PIT 460 2500 9 24 34 3.24 5.38 2.14 1.02 2.09 39 1991 NOR 491 2720 12 29 50 3.06 5.3 2.24 1.07 2.09 40 1971 BAL 361 1739 9 28 33 1.67 4.07 2.39 1.15 2.09 41 1964 SDG 484 2518 22 30 38 3.08 4.34 1.26 0.61 2.07 42 1996 GNB 544 2740 12 26 37 3.12 5.24 2.13 1.03 2.06 43 2009 BUF 519 2948 14 28 32 3.57 5.74 2.16 1.06 2.04 44 1995 SFO 611 3337 19 26 40 3.91 5.47 1.56 0.77 2.03 45 2012 CHI 592 3423 19 24 41 4.3 6 1.7 0.84 2.03 46 1997 GNB 563 2951 10 21 41 3.65 5.23 1.58 0.78 2.02 47 2008 BAL 528 2875 17 26 34 3.64 5.81 2.17 1.09 1.99 48 1966 GNB 390 1959 7 28 47 1.92 4.51 2.59 1.3 1.99 49 1967 GNB 337 1377 13 26 29 1.28 4.45 3.18 1.6 1.98 50 1975 OAK 398 1844 14 35 55 1.21 4.22 3 1.52 1.97 51 1986 SFO 604 3325 18 39 51 2.95 5.06 2.12 1.07 1.97 52 1999 TAM 573 2873 11 21 43 3.49 5.26 1.77 0.9 1.97 53 2000 MIA 530 2900 13 28 48 3.29 5.28 1.99 1.02 1.95 54 1971 MIN 405 1806 10 27 27 1.83 4.06 2.23 1.15 1.94 55 1962 HOU 486 2561 18 35 32 2.6 3.95 1.35 0.7 1.93 56 1960 BAL 298 1726 8 30 43 1.57 4.33 2.76 1.43 1.92 57 2007 SDG 555 3412 20 30 42 4.12 5.58 1.45 0.76 1.92 58 2006 CHI 581 3116 18 24 40 3.86 5.44 1.58 0.83 1.91 59 1973 MIA 322 1290 5 21 45 1.21 3.99 2.78 1.48 1.87 60 1970 KAN 408 2010 15 31 35 2.07 4.28 2.22 1.18 1.87 61 1992 MIN 508 2782 12 28 51 3.15 4.98 1.82 0.98 1.86 62 1994 PIT 532 2874 12 17 55 4 5.45 1.45 0.78 1.85 63 2003 BAL 531 2805 19 24 47 3.64 5.29 1.65 0.89 1.84 64 2010 PIT 593 3425 15 21 48 4.34 5.8 1.46 0.79 1.84 65 1958 BAL 363 1993 9 35 32 1.51 4.94 3.42 1.86 1.84 66 1991 WAS 548 2947 13 27 50 3.33 5.29 1.96 1.07 1.83 67 1955 GNB 259 1688 13 31 10 2.06 3.8 1.74 0.96 1.82 68 2011 HOU 538 3035 18 17 44 4.52 5.96 1.44 0.79 1.82 69 1950 PHI 277 1446 10 31 22 0.84 3.26 2.42 1.33 1.82 70 2011 PIT 530 2751 15 11 35 4.52 5.96 1.44 0.79 1.82 71 1972 MIA 348 1749 10 26 33 2.04 4.41 2.36 1.31 1.8 72 1953 DET 354 1965 13 38 25 1.36 3.44 2.08 1.16 1.79 73 1995 PHI 499 2816 14 19 48 4.1 5.46 1.37 0.77 1.78 74 1990 CHI 495 2920 19 31 41 3.55 5.37 1.81 1.02 1.77 75 1987 NOR 489 2800 25 30 47 3.64 5.11 1.47 0.83 1.76 76 1979 SDG 472 2549 11 28 42 2.94 4.66 1.73 0.98 1.75 77 1993 MIN 478 2870 11 24 45 3.84 5.19 1.35 0.77 1.75 78 1981 PHI 507 2696 12 26 40 3.23 5.08 1.85 1.07 1.74 79 1978 RAM 399 2048 15 28 47 2.44 4.12 1.68 0.97 1.73 80 1974 WAS 399 1846 13 25 31 2.28 3.98 1.7 0.98 1.73 81 1975 MIN 360 1621 14 28 46 1.58 4.2 2.62 1.52 1.72 82 1951 NYG 377 2061 11 41 35 1.06 3.6 2.54 1.48 1.71 83 1961 NYG 386 2201 21 33 50 2.61 4.67 2.06 1.21 1.71 84 2011 BAL 535 3140 11 15 48 4.61 5.96 1.35 0.79 1.71 85 1968 BAL 432 2038 9 29 45 1.91 4.68 2.77 1.62 1.71 86 1984 SEA 521 3174 18 38 55 3.17 5.12 1.95 1.14 1.7 87 1972 PIT 411 2056 9 28 40 2.16 4.4 2.24 1.31 1.7 88 1959 BAL 351 2342 13 40 19 2.17 4.87 2.7 1.58 1.7 89 2012 SEA 564 3250 15 18 36 4.57 6 1.43 0.84 1.7 90 2007 TEN 569 3187 21 22 40 4.3 5.57 1.27 0.76 1.68 91 2000 TEN 466 2423 10 17 55 3.57 5.27 1.7 1.02 1.67 92 1983 NOR 496 2691 20 23 56 3.72 5.06 1.33 0.8 1.66 93 2000 TAM 594 3152 15 25 55 3.59 5.27 1.68 1.02 1.65 94 1972 MIN 331 1699 13 26 21 2.24 4.4 2.16 1.31 1.64 95 1999 BAL 599 2991 20 21 49 3.77 5.25 1.48 0.9 1.64 96 1989 MIN 488 2501 18 18 71 3.67 5.34 1.67 1.02 1.63 97 2013 CIN 614 3344 22 20 43 4.39 5.94 1.55 0.95 1.63 98 1970 DAL 399 1913 10 24 41 2.35 4.27 1.92 1.18 1.62 99 1994 CLE 587 3157 13 18 38 4.17 5.44 1.27 0.78 1.62 100 1992 NOR 511 2470 13 18 57 3.38 4.97 1.59 0.98 1.62 101 1990 NYG 496 2747 12 23 30 3.71 5.36 1.65 1.02 1.61 102 1981 TAM 541 3140 10 32 23 3.37 5.08 1.71 1.07 1.6 103 1987 DEN 456 2796 15 28 31 3.77 5.1 1.33 0.83 1.6 104 1998 NYJ 544 3040 16 21 36 4.16 5.38 1.22 0.76 1.59 105 1954 PHI 345 1684 13 28 43 1.76 4.22 2.46 1.54 1.59 106 1976 RAM 397 2092 11 32 45 1.97 4.18 2.21 1.39 1.59 107 1979 HOU 465 2765 18 34 51 3.09 4.66 1.57 0.98 1.59 108 1980 BUF 433 2282 15 24 33 3.22 4.93 1.71 1.08 1.58 109 1985 RAM 548 3062 19 29 56 3.54 4.94 1.4 0.9 1.57 110 2005 CAR 528 3057 15 23 45 4.05 5.4 1.35 0.86 1.56 111 2008 TEN 575 3196 12 20 44 4.1 5.8 1.7 1.09 1.56 112 1975 PIT 396 1836 9 27 43 1.82 4.19 2.37 1.52 1.55 113 1997 NYG 596 3616 10 27 54 4 5.22 1.22 0.78 1.55 114 1951 PIT 266 1486 12 30 25 1.29 3.58 2.29 1.48 1.54 115 1957 CLE 242 1300 8 19 26 2.26 4.31 2.05 1.34 1.53 116 1976 CIN 364 1758 13 26 46 2.07 4.18 2.11 1.39 1.52 117 1985 NYG 535 2838 20 24 68 3.58 4.94 1.36 0.9 1.52 118 1959 NYG 304 1582 11 22 29 2.44 4.84 2.4 1.58 1.52 119 1989 SDG 513 2951 15 25 48 3.79 5.33 1.54 1.02 1.51 120 1971 WAS 411 2127 11 29 36 2.33 4.04 1.71 1.15 1.49 121 2001 TAM 493 2951 20 28 42 3.91 5.27 1.36 0.91 1.49 122 1969 OAK 422 2109 15 26 47 2.64 4.47 1.83 1.23 1.48 123 2013 BUF 561 3271 28 23 57 4.52 5.93 1.41 0.95 1.48 124 1954 NYG 352 2016 11 33 38 1.93 4.2 2.28 1.54 1.48 125 1965 WAS 318 2117 15 27 45 3.31 5.14 1.82 1.24 1.48 126 1978 DEN 438 2470 9 31 30 2.68 4.11 1.43 0.97 1.48 127 1966 KAN 494 2614 18 33 26 2.86 4.7 1.84 1.26 1.47 128 1991 DEN 476 2755 12 23 52 3.71 5.27 1.56 1.07 1.46 129 1984 DAL 527 2810 23 28 57 3.44 5.11 1.67 1.14 1.46 130 1968 RAM 353 1813 12 25 51 2.3 4.66 2.36 1.62 1.45 131 1962 DET 367 1986 11 24 57 2.66 5.17 2.51 1.74 1.44 132 2010 SDG 488 2845 18 16 47 4.64 5.79 1.14 0.79 1.44 133 1977 DAL 370 1562 14 21 53 2.12 3.64 1.52 1.06 1.43 134 1999 STL 596 3509 19 29 57 3.96 5.25 1.29 0.9 1.43 135 1981 SFO 514 2845 16 27 36 3.55 5.07 1.53 1.07 1.43 136 1963 NYG 368 2089 22 34 57 2.35 5.02 2.66 1.87 1.43 137 1978 TAM 419 2279 13 29 33 2.73 4.11 1.38 0.97 1.42 138 1961 GNB 414 2357 13 29 34 2.93 4.64 1.72 1.21 1.42 139 1988 CHI 545 3034 18 26 43 3.78 5.05 1.27 0.89 1.42 140 1993 CHI 504 2818 12 18 46 4.09 5.18 1.09 0.77 1.42 141 1979 CHI 458 2528 21 29 47 3.25 4.65 1.4 0.98 1.42 142 1973 ATL 324 1430 11 22 29 1.87 3.96 2.09 1.48 1.41 143 2004 PIT 484 2835 14 19 41 4.3 5.67 1.36 0.96 1.41 144 1996 PIT 547 2947 17 23 51 3.77 5.22 1.46 1.03 1.41 145 1956 CLE 226 1103 7 18 14 1.8 4.02 2.22 1.57 1.41 146 1979 PIT 480 2561 19 27 49 3.26 4.65 1.39 0.98 1.41 147 1989 DEN 504 2827 13 21 47 3.89 5.33 1.44 1.02 1.41 148 1983 CIN 502 2828 17 23 41 3.93 5.05 1.12 0.8 1.4 149 1966 SDG 382 2155 13 27 26 2.94 4.7 1.75 1.26 1.4 150 2013 CAR 563 3429 17 20 60 4.61 5.93 1.33 0.95 1.39 151 1967 CHI 384 1875 14 28 30 2.16 4.39 2.23 1.6 1.39 152 1980 RAM 510 2601 23 25 56 3.42 4.93 1.51 1.08 1.39 153 1961 HOU 493 2391 13 33 41 2.18 4.16 1.98 1.43 1.39 154 1995 KAN 596 3222 16 16 47 4.39 5.45 1.06 0.77 1.39 155 2009 GNB 540 3218 29 30 37 4.24 5.71 1.47 1.06 1.38 156 1971 ATL 343 1638 9 20 31 2.45 4.04 1.58 1.15 1.38 157 1955 CLE 323 1652 15 25 15 2.45 3.76 1.32 0.96 1.38 158 1965 DET 344 2097 21 26 49 3.43 5.13 1.7 1.24 1.38 159 2007 TAM 490 2725 18 16 33 4.52 5.56 1.04 0.76 1.38 160 1980 PHI 543 2825 16 25 44 3.44 4.93 1.48 1.08 1.37 161 2006 NWE 518 3203 10 22 44 4.29 5.43 1.14 0.83 1.37 162 2001 GNB 583 3168 14 20 52 4.01 5.26 1.25 0.91 1.37 163 1992 KAN 458 2537 19 24 50 3.62 4.96 1.34 0.98 1.37 164 1964 BAL 385 2132 14 23 57 3.12 4.73 1.61 1.18 1.37 165 2000 BAL 528 2997 11 23 35 3.88 5.26 1.38 1.02 1.36 166 1968 HOU 359 1671 13 20 33 2.63 4.45 1.82 1.36 1.34 167 2012 DEN 559 3194 25 16 52 4.87 5.99 1.12 0.84 1.33 168 1964 GNB 318 1647 11 16 45 3.16 4.72 1.56 1.18 1.33 169 2002 GNB 531 2987 24 24 43 4.16 5.4 1.24 0.93 1.33 170 1995 NYJ 497 2740 21 17 43 4.44 5.45 1.02 0.77 1.32 171 1953 WAS 350 1752 8 27 25 1.86 3.4 1.54 1.16 1.32 172 2006 JAX 523 3078 12 20 35 4.33 5.43 1.09 0.83 1.32 173 1984 CHI 435 2486 14 21 72 3.59 5.1 1.51 1.14 1.32 174 2000 PHI 552 2990 11 19 50 3.91 5.26 1.35 1.02 1.32 175 1986 KAN 569 3195 21 31 44 3.62 5.04 1.42 1.07 1.32 176 2012 SFO 567 3203 19 14 38 4.88 5.99 1.1 0.84 1.32 177 2011 NYJ 507 3216 15 19 35 4.91 5.95 1.04 0.79 1.31 178 2010 CHI 582 3588 14 21 34 4.75 5.78 1.04 0.79 1.31 179 1978 PIT 442 2394 10 27 44 2.84 4.11 1.27 0.97 1.31 180 1999 SEA 582 3492 19 30 38 4.07 5.24 1.17 0.9 1.3 181 2011 SFO 579 3695 20 23 42 4.93 5.95 1.02 0.79 1.29 182 2012 ARI 497 3213 20 22 38 4.9 5.99 1.08 0.84 1.29 183 1960 DTX 503 2653 19 32 41 2.93 4.21 1.28 1 1.29 184 1968 CLE 439 2248 19 32 26 2.55 4.64 2.09 1.62 1.28 185 1989 CLE 540 3161 20 27 45 4.01 5.32 1.31 1.02 1.28 186 1981 DAL 511 3370 17 37 42 3.7 5.07 1.37 1.07 1.28 187 1993 GNB 529 2900 16 18 46 4.19 5.18 0.98 0.77 1.28 188 1976 MIN 323 1575 8 19 45 2.39 4.16 1.77 1.39 1.28 189 1974 BUF 311 1611 11 20 32 2.71 3.97 1.25 0.98 1.27 190 2006 OAK 410 2413 17 18 34 4.38 5.43 1.05 0.83 1.27 191 1998 OAK 497 2876 22 21 41 4.41 5.37 0.96 0.76 1.26 192 1972 CIN 350 1737 11 20 38 2.72 4.38 1.65 1.31 1.26 193 1967 OAK 459 2165 18 30 67 2.23 4.23 2 1.59 1.26 194 1977 PIT 357 1969 16 31 32 2.3 3.63 1.33 1.06 1.26 195 1994 GNB 605 3401 20 21 37 4.45 5.43 0.98 0.78 1.26 196 1976 DET 313 1686 11 24 28 2.42 4.16 1.74 1.39 1.26 197 1976 WAS 354 1917 11 26 44 2.43 4.16 1.73 1.39 1.25 198 1994 SFO 583 3501 15 23 38 4.45 5.43 0.98 0.78 1.25 199 1982 SEA 246 1333 4 13 17 3.15 4.8 1.66 1.33 1.25 200 2007 NWE 526 3041 23 19 47 4.62 5.56 0.94 0.76 1.25

The Z-Score is an interesting way to measure across eras, but it’s not the only way. A simpler approach would be to look at the difference between each team’s ANY/A allowed average and the league average, and the above table is sortable so you can do just that (the ’63 Bears rank #1 by this metric). Another method would be to calculate how many Adjusted Net Yards over average each team prevented. Since the 2013 Seahawks allowed 2.79 fewer ANY/A than the average team, and Seattle faced 524 pass attempts and recorded 44 sacks, we could say that the Seahawks allowed 1,582 Adjusted Net Yards less than the average team would have allowed had they faced those 568 dropbacks.

I performed that calculation for every team since 1950. Chuck Noll’s great Steelers defenses made the list every year from 1972 to 1976, but according to this method, the best pass defense he ever coached was the 1961 Chargers. Keep in mind that in the early years of the AFL, nearly all of the players were there because they did not have the talent to play in the NFL. As a result, you probably need to put a significant discount rate on San Diego’s rating that year. But the raw numbers are amazing: in addition to allowing only 4.5 net yards per attempt, the Chargers allowed 16 touchdowns and forced 49 interceptions, while the other nine pass defenses allowed an average of 24 touchdowns and picked off 26 passes.

Putting aside those Chargers, the rest of the top five brings about familiar names: the 1969 Vikings, led by Pro Bowlers Carl Eller, Gary Larsen, Alan Page, Jim Marshall, and Paul Krause, allowed just 9.5 points per game. That’s the 2nd lowest figure since 1950 (trailing only the ’77 Falcons). The 2002 Bucs are well-remembered: Tampa Bay had five borderline Hall of Fame players in Warren Sapp, Simeon Rice, Derrick Brooks, Ronde Barber and John Lynch, and led the league in passing yards, touchdowns, interceptions, and net yards per attempt. The 1963 Bears had five All-Pro players (Doug Atkins, Joe Fortunato, Bill George, Richie Petitbon, and Rosey Taylor), won the NFL championship, and the team’s 10.3 points allowed per game average was the 2nd best average in the ’60s. The fifth team in the top five? The 2013 Seahawks.

Rk Year Tm Att Pyd TD INT Sk ANY/A LgAvg Diff Value 1 1961 SDG 485 2363 16 49 42 0.91 4.35 3.44 1813 2 1969 MIN 410 1631 8 30 49 0.96 4.9 3.94 1808 3 2002 TAM 510 2490 10 31 43 2.34 5.45 3.11 1721 4 1963 CHI 353 1734 10 36 36 0.81 5.13 4.33 1683 5 2013 SEA 524 2752 16 28 44 3.19 5.98 2.79 1582 6 2008 PIT 533 2511 12 20 51 3.17 5.83 2.66 1552 7 1962 GNB 355 1746 10 31 42 1.39 5.27 3.88 1540 8 1988 MIN 480 2489 12 36 37 2.15 5.11 2.97 1535 9 1970 MIN 367 1438 6 28 49 0.72 4.34 3.62 1506 10 1986 CHI 513 2667 12 31 62 2.63 5.08 2.45 1406 11 1986 SFO 604 3325 18 39 51 2.95 5.06 2.12 1387 12 1975 OAK 398 1844 14 35 55 1.21 4.22 3 1361 13 1958 BAL 363 1993 9 35 32 1.51 4.94 3.42 1352 14 1973 PIT 359 1672 11 37 33 0.58 4.01 3.44 1347 15 2003 NWE 618 3232 11 29 41 3.26 5.3 2.04 1345 16 1969 KAN 426 2072 10 32 48 1.76 4.57 2.81 1332 17 1968 BAL 432 2038 9 29 45 1.91 4.68 2.77 1321 18 1985 CHI 522 2816 16 34 64 2.74 4.97 2.23 1307 19 1965 GNB 383 1981 11 27 44 2.31 5.21 2.9 1240 20 1996 GNB 544 2740 12 26 37 3.12 5.24 2.13 1237 21 2008 BAL 528 2875 17 26 34 3.64 5.81 2.17 1221 22 2005 CHI 550 2872 10 24 41 3.37 5.42 2.05 1214 23 1991 NOR 491 2720 12 29 50 3.06 5.3 2.24 1211 24 2009 NYJ 501 2459 8 17 32 3.48 5.74 2.26 1205 25 1991 PHI 467 2413 16 26 55 2.99 5.3 2.31 1203 26 2009 BUF 519 2948 14 28 32 3.57 5.74 2.16 1193 27 2001 CLE 552 3089 18 33 43 3.3 5.29 1.98 1181 28 1991 WAS 548 2947 13 27 50 3.33 5.29 1.96 1170 29 1967 GNB 337 1377 13 26 29 1.28 4.45 3.18 1162 30 2000 MIA 530 2900 13 28 48 3.29 5.28 1.99 1152 31 1980 WAS 392 2171 17 33 43 2.36 4.97 2.61 1134 32 1963 NYG 368 2089 22 34 57 2.35 5.02 2.66 1133 33 1966 GNB 390 1959 7 28 47 1.92 4.51 2.59 1130 34 1984 SEA 521 3174 18 38 55 3.17 5.12 1.95 1124 35 1964 WAS 406 2247 16 34 43 2.31 4.79 2.48 1113 36 1999 TAM 573 2873 11 21 43 3.49 5.26 1.77 1093 37 2000 TAM 594 3152 15 25 55 3.59 5.27 1.68 1093 38 2012 CHI 592 3423 19 24 41 4.3 6 1.7 1078 39 2004 BUF 486 2624 20 24 45 3.66 5.69 2.03 1077 40 1962 DET 367 1986 11 24 57 2.66 5.17 2.51 1066 41 1975 MIN 360 1621 14 28 46 1.58 4.2 2.62 1065 42 1956 CRD 287 1524 8 33 18 0.65 4.13 3.47 1060 43 1961 HOU 493 2391 13 33 41 2.18 4.16 1.98 1058 44 1990 PIT 460 2500 9 24 34 3.24 5.38 2.14 1057 45 2008 TEN 575 3196 12 20 44 4.1 5.8 1.7 1053 46 1967 OAK 459 2165 18 30 67 2.23 4.23 2 1051 47 1951 NYG 377 2061 11 41 35 1.06 3.6 2.54 1048 48 1975 PIT 396 1836 9 27 43 1.82 4.19 2.37 1039 49 2006 BAL 509 3011 16 28 60 3.64 5.45 1.81 1030 50 1992 MIN 508 2782 12 28 51 3.15 4.98 1.82 1020 51 1973 MIA 322 1290 5 21 45 1.21 3.99 2.78 1019 52 2013 CIN 614 3344 22 20 43 4.39 5.94 1.55 1017 53 1981 PHI 507 2696 12 26 40 3.23 5.08 1.85 1014 54 1995 SFO 611 3337 19 26 40 3.91 5.47 1.56 1014 55 1972 PIT 411 2056 9 28 40 2.16 4.4 2.24 1009 56 1998 MIA 504 2924 17 29 45 3.57 5.4 1.83 1006 57 1959 BAL 351 2342 13 40 19 2.17 4.87 2.7 998 58 2010 GNB 527 3107 16 24 47 4.09 5.8 1.71 984 59 2006 CHI 581 3116 18 24 40 3.86 5.44 1.58 984 60 1970 KAN 408 2010 15 31 35 2.07 4.28 2.22 982 61 1960 BUF 429 2130 19 33 36 2.2 4.32 2.11 982 62 1976 RAM 397 2092 11 32 45 1.97 4.18 2.21 976 63 1984 DAL 527 2810 23 28 57 3.44 5.11 1.67 973 64 1990 CHI 495 2920 19 31 41 3.55 5.37 1.81 971 65 1968 CLE 439 2248 19 32 26 2.55 4.64 2.09 970 66 1997 SFO 509 2647 23 25 54 3.52 5.24 1.72 966 67 1981 TAM 541 3140 10 32 23 3.37 5.08 1.71 964 68 1994 DAL 522 2752 19 22 47 3.76 5.46 1.69 963 69 1971 MIN 405 1806 10 27 27 1.83 4.06 2.23 963 70 1987 SFO 467 2484 13 25 37 3.21 5.12 1.91 962 71 1966 KAN 494 2614 18 33 26 2.86 4.7 1.84 958 72 1999 BAL 599 2991 20 21 49 3.77 5.25 1.48 958 73 1968 RAM 353 1813 12 25 51 2.3 4.66 2.36 954 74 1997 GNB 563 2951 10 21 41 3.65 5.23 1.58 953 75 1954 PHI 345 1684 13 28 43 1.76 4.22 2.46 953 76 2003 BAL 531 2805 19 24 47 3.64 5.29 1.65 951 77 1974 PIT 339 1466 14 25 52 1.59 4.01 2.42 948 78 1971 BAL 361 1739 9 28 33 1.67 4.07 2.39 943 79 1960 BAL 298 1726 8 30 43 1.57 4.33 2.76 940 80 1977 ATL 320 1384 9 26 42 1.09 3.68 2.59 937 81 2010 PIT 593 3425 15 21 48 4.34 5.8 1.46 935 82 1989 MIN 488 2501 18 18 71 3.67 5.34 1.67 931 83 1982 MIA 226 1027 7 19 29 1.22 4.88 3.65 931 84 1967 CHI 384 1875 14 28 30 2.16 4.39 2.23 924 85 1992 NOR 511 2470 13 18 57 3.38 4.97 1.59 902 86 1972 MIA 348 1749 10 26 33 2.04 4.41 2.36 900 87 1961 NYG 386 2201 21 33 50 2.61 4.67 2.06 899 88 1954 NYG 352 2016 11 33 38 1.93 4.2 2.28 889 89 2000 TEN 466 2423 10 17 55 3.57 5.27 1.7 888 90 1979 SDG 472 2549 11 28 42 2.94 4.66 1.73 887 91 1950 CLE 292 1390 8 31 24 0.49 3.29 2.8 886 92 1967 RAM 445 2407 14 32 43 2.56 4.37 1.81 884 93 1965 SDG 474 2168 17 28 38 2.44 4.15 1.72 879 94 1980 PHI 543 2825 16 25 44 3.44 4.93 1.48 872 95 1963 GNB 378 2013 9 22 39 2.88 4.97 2.09 871 96 1996 PIT 547 2947 17 23 51 3.77 5.22 1.46 871 97 2013 BUF 561 3271 28 23 57 4.52 5.93 1.41 871 98 1986 KAN 569 3195 21 31 44 3.62 5.04 1.42 869 99 1990 NYG 496 2747 12 23 30 3.71 5.36 1.65 868 100 2007 SDG 555 3412 20 30 42 4.12 5.58 1.45 867 101 1989 SDG 513 2951 15 25 48 3.79 5.33 1.54 865 102 1976 CIN 364 1758 13 26 46 2.07 4.18 2.11 865 103 2012 SEA 564 3250 15 18 36 4.57 6 1.43 858 104 1969 OAK 422 2109 15 26 47 2.64 4.47 1.83 856 105 1980 RAM 510 2601 23 25 56 3.42 4.93 1.51 853 106 1994 PIT 532 2874 12 17 55 4 5.45 1.45 850 107 2009 GNB 540 3218 29 30 37 4.24 5.71 1.47 849 108 1985 RAM 548 3062 19 29 56 3.54 4.94 1.4 847 109 1970 DAL 399 1913 10 24 41 2.35 4.27 1.92 846 110 1963 OAK 440 2557 23 35 55 2.91 4.62 1.71 844 111 1999 STL 596 3509 19 29 57 3.96 5.25 1.29 842 112 2007 IND 498 2764 16 22 28 3.98 5.58 1.6 842 113 2011 HOU 538 3035 18 17 44 4.52 5.96 1.44 840 114 1981 SFO 514 2845 16 27 36 3.55 5.07 1.53 839 115 1967 BUF 377 1825 17 27 43 2.26 4.23 1.97 826 116 2013 CAR 563 3429 17 20 60 4.61 5.93 1.33 826 117 1991 DEN 476 2755 12 23 52 3.71 5.27 1.56 824 118 1985 NYG 535 2838 20 24 68 3.58 4.94 1.36 821 119 1952 RAM 360 1883 18 38 46 1.31 3.32 2.01 816 120 2011 PIT 530 2751 15 11 35 4.52 5.96 1.44 813 121 2000 PHI 552 2990 11 19 50 3.91 5.26 1.35 811 122 1979 HOU 465 2765 18 34 51 3.09 4.66 1.57 808 123 1968 KAN 461 2823 14 37 45 2.84 4.42 1.58 801 124 1959 NYG 304 1582 11 22 29 2.44 4.84 2.4 800 125 1968 OAK 446 2257 13 25 49 2.81 4.43 1.62 800 126 1980 BUF 433 2282 15 24 33 3.22 4.93 1.71 797 127 1994 CLE 587 3157 13 18 38 4.17 5.44 1.27 795 128 1989 DEN 504 2827 13 21 47 3.89 5.33 1.44 793 129 2001 GNB 583 3168 14 20 52 4.01 5.26 1.25 793 130 1997 NYG 596 3616 10 27 54 4 5.22 1.22 791 131 1953 DET 354 1965 13 38 25 1.36 3.44 2.08 790 132 2011 BAL 535 3140 11 15 48 4.61 5.96 1.35 789 133 1962 CHI 363 2074 14 23 48 3.21 5.13 1.92 788 134 1987 NOR 489 2800 25 30 47 3.64 5.11 1.47 786 135 1984 GNB 551 3146 16 27 44 3.78 5.09 1.31 780 136 2000 BAL 528 2997 11 23 35 3.88 5.26 1.38 780 137 1975 CIN 389 1729 11 22 27 2.31 4.17 1.87 776 138 2007 TEN 569 3187 21 22 40 4.3 5.57 1.27 776 139 1958 RAM 381 2051 21 28 32 2.93 4.81 1.88 775 140 1975 RAM 387 1789 11 22 43 2.37 4.17 1.8 774 141 2005 CAR 528 3057 15 23 45 4.05 5.4 1.35 773 142 1961 GNB 414 2357 13 29 34 2.93 4.64 1.72 768 143 1989 CLE 540 3161 20 27 45 4.01 5.32 1.31 768 144 1980 OAK 524 3312 17 35 54 3.59 4.92 1.33 767 145 1984 CHI 435 2486 14 21 72 3.59 5.1 1.51 766 146 1971 WAS 411 2127 11 29 36 2.33 4.04 1.71 764 147 1972 MIN 331 1699 13 26 21 2.24 4.4 2.16 759 148 1981 DAL 511 3370 17 37 42 3.7 5.07 1.37 756 149 1978 RAM 399 2048 15 28 47 2.44 4.12 1.68 751 150 1995 PHI 499 2816 14 19 48 4.1 5.46 1.37 748 151 1988 CHI 545 3034 18 26 43 3.78 5.05 1.27 748 152 1963 BOS 477 2627 21 29 66 3.21 4.58 1.37 743 153 1958 CHI 327 1769 14 22 47 2.83 4.82 1.99 743 154 1973 ATL 324 1430 11 22 29 1.87 3.96 2.09 739 155 1983 NOR 496 2691 20 23 56 3.72 5.06 1.33 736 156 1962 CLE 341 1984 15 24 37 3.19 5.13 1.94 735 157 1979 PIT 480 2561 19 27 49 3.26 4.65 1.39 734 158 1974 WAS 399 1846 13 25 31 2.28 3.98 1.7 732 159 1999 SEA 582 3492 19 30 38 4.07 5.24 1.17 728 160 1968 NYJ 403 2168 17 28 43 2.8 4.43 1.63 728 161 1958 PIT 334 1892 11 24 31 2.83 4.82 1.99 726 162 2001 TAM 493 2951 20 28 42 3.91 5.27 1.36 726 163 1950 PHI 277 1446 10 31 22 0.84 3.26 2.42 725 164 2004 PIT 484 2835 14 19 41 4.3 5.67 1.36 716 165 1966 SDG 382 2155 13 27 26 2.94 4.7 1.75 716 166 1968 HOU 359 1671 13 20 33 2.63 4.45 1.82 713 167 1964 BAL 385 2132 14 23 57 3.12 4.73 1.61 712 168 2002 GNB 531 2987 24 24 43 4.16 5.4 1.24 710 169 1979 CHI 458 2528 21 29 47 3.25 4.65 1.4 706 170 1998 NYJ 544 3040 16 21 36 4.16 5.38 1.22 705 171 1993 MIN 478 2870 11 24 45 3.84 5.19 1.35 704 172 1960 DTX 503 2653 19 32 41 2.93 4.21 1.28 698 173 1962 HOU 486 2561 18 35 32 2.6 3.95 1.35 698 174 2008 PHI 525 2913 19 15 48 4.57 5.78 1.21 695 175 1976 WAS 354 1917 11 26 44 2.43 4.16 1.73 690 176 1995 KAN 596 3222 16 16 47 4.39 5.45 1.06 685 177 2012 DEN 559 3194 25 16 52 4.87 5.99 1.12 684 178 1989 PHI 529 3289 26 30 62 4.16 5.32 1.16 683 179 1992 KAN 458 2537 19 24 50 3.62 4.96 1.34 683 180 2009 PHI 580 3462 27 25 44 4.61 5.7 1.09 681 181 1984 RAI 508 2752 19 20 64 3.9 5.09 1.19 680 182 1967 KAN 462 2536 13 31 38 2.8 4.16 1.36 679 183 1966 OAK 405 2118 15 23 36 3.14 4.67 1.53 677 184 1978 DEN 438 2470 9 31 30 2.68 4.11 1.43 671 185 2012 SFO 567 3203 19 14 38 4.88 5.99 1.1 668 186 1969 DET 350 1861 15 21 46 3.07 4.76 1.69 668 187 1965 DET 344 2097 21 26 49 3.43 5.13 1.7 668 188 1951 PIT 266 1486 12 30 25 1.29 3.58 2.29 666 189 1976 PIT 373 1866 9 22 41 2.55 4.16 1.61 666 190 1965 WAS 318 2117 15 27 45 3.31 5.14 1.82 662 191 1964 SDG 484 2518 22 30 38 3.08 4.34 1.26 656 192 2009 CAR 495 3056 14 22 31 4.46 5.71 1.25 656 193 1976 DEN 391 2025 8 24 32 2.61 4.16 1.54 653 194 1976 MIN 323 1575 8 19 45 2.39 4.16 1.77 653 195 1963 HOU 424 2600 24 36 37 3.17 4.58 1.42 652 196 1966 CLE 406 2372 14 30 35 2.95 4.43 1.48 652 197 1987 DEN 456 2796 15 28 31 3.77 5.1 1.33 648 198 1996 CAR 556 3214 17 22 60 4.16 5.21 1.05 644 199 1972 CIN 350 1737 11 20 38 2.72 4.38 1.65 642 200 1977 DAL 370 1562 14 21 53 2.12 3.64 1.52 642

By either metric, Seattle has one of the top five pass defenses of the last 64 years. And for good reason: cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas were both selected as first-team All-Pros by the Associated Press, and safety Kam Chancellor was named to the Pro Bowl. Defensive linemen Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, and Brandon Mebane had outstanding years, Bruce Irvin and Chris Clemons are great edge rushers, and linebacker K.J. Wright had been very good in pass coverage, too, before missing the final three games of the season (will be interesting to see how this impacts the plan to stop Jimmy Graham on Saturday). This is a pass defense without a weakness, and I think, after accounting for era, it’s the second best since at least 1970.

Finally, let’s close with a look at the 100 worst pass defenses using this metric. Two teams from 2013 make the list: