NFL teams are averaging 23.3 points in the 2026 season. Though some of those points have come from defensive touchdowns (but surprisingly no return TDs), it's mostly an indicator that offenses are getting into scoring territory a lot.
So why are defenses struggling so much? In addition to our updated 1-32 rankings, we asked our NFL Nation reporters to pick out the biggest defensive issue for each team. From secondary depth to third-down defense, what is causing each team to falter?
To form the list, our power panel of more than a dozen NFL analysts evaluates how all 32 teams stack up against one another. Here are a few highlights from this week's rankings:
The Patriots have returned to the top 10 after back-to-back wins over the Bills and Raiders. Sunday's win was catalyzed by another strong performance from quarterback Drake Maye, who led the team to its most points (45) and yards (536) in a game since 2021. The Patriots could continue their hot streak with matchups against the Jets and Dolphins in two of the next three weeks. The Packers are also climbing back up our list after two losses in their first three games. Green Bay entered Sunday's matchup against Chicago as 1.5-point underdogs, but it completely dominated to avenge its wild-card loss last season. Quarterback Jordan Love's 367 passing yards were the second most by any QB in Bears-Packers series history, per ESPN Research. The bottom three teams in our rankings (Chargers, Titans and Dolphins) are all 0-5. It's the fifth time since the 1970 merger that three teams from the same conference have started a season with that record, per ESPN Research. Los Angeles had the most excruciating loss of the bunch this past weekend, dropping a seven-point lead with nine minutes left against the Broncos. Let's get into the full list, starting with the same No. 1 team from last week.
Previous rankings: Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5
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1. San Francisco 49ers (5-0)
Week 5 result: Beat the Seahawks 32-29 Week 5 ranking: 1
Biggest issue on defense: Third-down efficiency
Under new coordinator Raheem Morris, the Niners rank fifth in yards per play allowed (4.7) and have limited big plays as well as any team in the league. But they have struggled to get off the field consistently. The Niners rank 20th in third-down defense, giving up a first down on 40.8% of their opportunities. That has led to their defense being on the field for 31 minutes, 12 seconds per game, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. -- Nick Wagoner