| Rank | Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | -0.149 | -0.249 | -0.281 | -0.209 | - | -0.142 | -0.168 | -0.029 |
| 2 |  | -0.139 | -0.209 | -0.307 | -0.150 | - | -0.024 | -0.275 | 0.013 |
| 3 |  | -0.093 | -0.096 | -0.125 | -0.064 | - | -0.016 | -0.178 | 0.032 |
| 4 |  | -0.086 | -0.141 | -0.246 | -0.149 | - | 0.050 | -0.199 | -0.012 |
| 5 |  | -0.081 | -0.136 | -0.006 | -0.054 | - | -0.190 | 0.138 | -0.056 |
The lowest defensive EPA per play (rush) in the NFL belongs to Jacksonville at -0.149, as of November 3, 2026. San Francisco is second at -0.139, Atlanta third at -0.093, Green Bay fourth at -0.086 & Tampa Bay fifth at -0.081. A gap of 0.01 separates Jacksonville from second place, & 0.178 separate it from the 25th-ranked team.
Only 0.093 separate first from tenth. Pittsburgh is sixth at -0.077, the New York Jets seventh at -0.072, Arizona eighth at -0.071, New England ninth at -0.068 & Kansas City tenth at -0.056.
San Francisco ranks second on the season at -0.139 but has the league's lowest defensive EPA per play (rush) over the last three weeks at -0.307. Minnesota is 11th at -0.053, the Los Angeles Rams 12th at -0.053, Tennessee 13th at -0.050, Baltimore 14th at -0.047, Seattle 15th at -0.045, the Los Angeles Chargers 16th at -0.038, Miami 17th at -0.036 & Chicago 18th at -0.012.
Eight teams sit inside 0.02 of each other from tenth to 17th, the tightest stretch of the ranking. Cincinnati is 19th at -0.011, Houston 20th at -0.007, Buffalo 21st at -0.004, Detroit 22nd at -0.003, Cleveland 23rd at 0.003, Las Vegas 24th at 0.004 & Carolina 25th at 0.029.
32 NFL teams are ranked for the 2026 regular season. The top 25 appear above, ranked lowest first. Defensive EPA per play on rushing plays is the average expected points added allowed on carries a defense faces. Figures are as of November 3, 2026 & are recalculated on StatRankings after each game's play-by-play is processed.
