A few weeks ago, I ranked the best and worst offensive blocking walls in the NFL. Now that we are just past the halfway point of the 2017 season, it's a good time to flip the analysis to grade every NFL defensive front seven.
The details of the grading system can be found here. In a nutshell, it uses the defensive side of a wide variety of advanced blocking metrics to come up with an A-F grade.
Now that we have the preliminaries out of the way, let's take a look at the top five and bottom five defensive front sevens through Week 9, and predict whether their current performance will continue. Scroll all the way to the bottom to see how all 32 teams have graded out in terms of the performance of their front seven thus far this season.
Top five defensive front sevens
1. Carolina Panthers
Grade: A-
The Panthers' powerhouse defense has kept this team in contention despite myriad struggles of the Carolina offense. This group ranks fifth in ESPN Stats & Information's pass pressure rate (PPR) metric by generating some form of pass rush impact on 30.2 percent of opponents' dropbacks. Carolina also ranks fourth in quarterback contact (QC) rate (15.2 percent) and second in sack rate (8.9 percent). Their rush defense isn't quite as stout, yet the Panthers can take pride in ranking third in rush yards allowed per carry before first defensive contact (YBCT) (1.7).
Future outlook: The Week 10 contest against Miami could be one of the biggest blocking mismatches of the season, as the Dolphins grade out as one of the worst blocking walls in the league. Carolina is then on a bye in Week 11 and faces the Jets in a Week 12 matchup that is nearly as favorable as the Miami battle, given that the Jets received a D-minus in blocking rankings.
2. Los Angeles Chargers
Grade: A-
It should come as no surprise that a front seven led by Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram ranks sixth in PPR (29.9) and fourth in sack rate (8.7). The Chargers also don't give opponents' passers much time to throw, as they rank second in average time in pocket (TIP) (2.1 seconds) and average time before pass (TBP) (2.4 seconds). This group also grades out quite well in my good blocking rate allowed metric (GBR) that measures how often a defense allows an offense to give its ball carriers quality run blocking, as their 36.0 percent GBR ranks fourth best.
Future outlook: This group will be severely tested over the next three weeks in matchups against Jacksonville, a team that received a B-minus blocking grade, followed by Buffalo (B) and Dallas (B-plus).
3. Cincinnati Bengals
Grade: A-
The Bengals have been incredibly strong against the rush, ranking 10th in GBR (38.2 percent) and fourth in good blocking yards per attempt (GBYPA) allowed (6.5). These metrics lead to a 2.5 mark in good blocking productivity (GBP), which gauges overall rush defense effectiveness, a total that is second best in the league. Cincinnati's pass rush is nearly as good in many areas, as the Bengals rank first in PPR (33.1) and fifth in QC (15.0).
Future outlook: Cincinnati's upcoming schedule alternates between very difficult matchups (Tennessee in Week 10, Pittsburgh in Week 13) and very favorable matchups (Denver in Week 11, Cleveland in Week 12). Their ability to pass both tests will determine if the Bengals will retain this rating in another month.
4. Philadelphia Eagles
Grade: B+
The Eagles' offense has been getting the lion's share of the credit for this team's success, but let's not overlook how well their front seven has been playing this season. Philadelphia ranks first in GBR (30.7) and eighth in GBP (2.8), and no team rates better in TIP (2.1) or TBP (2.2).
Future outlook: The Eagles are on a bye in Week 10. The week after that will feature the toughest test this front seven may have all season, as Philadelphia travels to Dallas to face the Cowboys blocking wall that is back to playing to its elite 2016 level. The Chicago and Seattle matchups in Weeks 11 and 12 won't be nearly as difficult, but following that is a Week 14 matchup against a Los Angeles Rams blocking wall that still grades out as the best in the league in my latest rankings.
5. Cleveland Browns
Grade: B+
The Browns might be the worst team in the NFL, but they can stop the run with the best of them. Cleveland rates first in YBCT (1.4), second in GBR (32.3) and first in GBP (2.3). Their pass rush isn't anywhere near as strong, and yet the Browns do place fourth in both TIP (2.2) and TBP (2.4).
Future outlook: This group could be on its way to an even better ranking, as the Week 10 matchup against Detroit's blocking wall (D-minus) and Week 12 battle versus Cincinnati's blockers (F) give the Browns maybe the most favorable upcoming schedule slate of any of the current top five defensive front sevens.
Bottom five defensive front sevens
32. New England Patriots
Grade: F
This grade should come as no surprise, as the Patriots defense has struggled in nearly every area for most of this season. New England ranks 31st in PPR (21.3), 26th in sack rate (4.9), and dead last in TIP (2.6), TBP (2.8), YBCT (3.3), GBR (50.3) and GBP (4.1).
Future outlook: A Week 10 matchup against Denver will improve all of those numbers, as the Broncos offensive blocking wall gets a D, and has played some of its worst games of late. The Week 11 matchup against Oakland isn't quite as favorable, given the Raiders' C-plus grade, but things return to favorable against Miami in Week 12, as the Dolphins have the second lowest GBP in the NFL.
31. Kansas City Chiefs
Grade: F
If you want to know why the Chiefs have collapsed after starting 5-0, look no further than this group. Kansas City's pass rush has been nearly non-existent, as the Chiefs place 28th in PPR (22.5), 25th in QC (10.8) and 31st in both TIP (2.5) and TBP (2.8). The rush defense has been equally atrocious, as Kansas City ranks 28th in YBCT (2.8), 31st in GBP (49.3) and 30th in GBP (3.9).
Future outlook: Following a bye in Week 10, the Chiefs have matchups against the Giants and Buffalo, both of whom have offensive blocking walls that received B grades. Kansas City finally gets a break in Week 12 when it faces a Jets blocking wall that received a D-minus.
30. Oakland Raiders
Grade: F
The Silver and Black's reputation for rushing the passer is undeserved this season, as Oakland ranks 24th in PPR (24.4), 30th in QC (7.9) and 29th in sack rate (4.2). Outside of the eight sacks the Raiders tallied against the Jets and Broncos in Weeks 2 and 4, this defense has not generated more than one sack in any contest.
Future outlook: The Raiders are on a bye in Week 10. They won't find rushing the passer any easier against the Patriots in Week 11, as New England has a B-plus pass blocking grade. Denver's C-minus grade could help matters in Week 12, but then it's back to a tough matchup in Week 13 against a Giants offense that has a B-plus grade.
29. Indianapolis Colts
Grade: D
Indianapolis is in the bottom third of the league in multiple metrics, including PPR (23.7, ranked 26th), sack rate (5.2, 23rd), TIP (2.4 seconds, 29th), TBP (2.6, 23rd) and YBCT (2.6, 23rd). To be fair, the Colts' defense is coming off of arguably its two best games of the season, but dominating the weak Bengals and Texans blocking walls isn't much of a claim to fame.
Future outlook: One would be hard-pressed to come up with a more difficult upcoming set of blocking wall matchups for the Colts, as they face Pittsburgh in Week 10 and the Titans in Week 12 (with a bye in Week 11). The battle against the Jaguars in Week 13 will also challenge this front seven, as Jacksonville has an A grade in run blocking.
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Grade: D
The Buccaneers generate less pass rush than any team, as their 18.8 percent PPR makes them the only team to not reach or exceed the 20 percent mark in that category. Tampa Bay is also the only team to not top the 3 percent bar in sack rate, as their 2.6 percent pace rates last in the league.
Future outlook: The Buccaneers will get ample opportunities to improve those abysmal pass rush metrics, as the matchups against the Jets in Week 10 and Green Bay in Week 13 are against blocking walls that earned a D-minuses. Those games bookend battles against Miami and Atlanta, teams that graded out with C-plus and A-minus grades, respectively, thus making them more difficult tests for Tampa Bay
Grades for all 32 teams
Here are the rush defense, pass defense and overall grades for all 32 teams to this point of the season: