| Rank | Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | -68.6 | -27.6 | -54.1 | -57.3 | - | -52.3 | -16.3 | 25.0 |
| 2 |  | -61.5 | -2.4 | -20.6 | -41.8 | - | -22.9 | -38.6 | -80.6 |
| 3 |   | -38.7 | -24.0 | -34.5 | -32.5 | - | -12.4 | -26.3 | -44.8 |
| 4 |  | -35.9 | 12.2 | 1.9 | -8.4 | - | -9.4 | -26.6 | -103.1 |
| 5 |  | -34.5 | -25.7 | -26.7 | -35.8 | - | -44.4 | 9.9 | -94.4 |
The fewest defensive total EPA in the NFL belongs to Tampa Bay at -68.6, as of November 3, 2026. Minnesota is second at -61.5, the Los Angeles Rams third at -38.7, Seattle fourth at -35.9 & Jacksonville fifth at -34.5. A gap of 7.1 separates Tampa Bay from second place, & 106.1 separate it from the 25th-ranked team.
Only 59.6 separate first from tenth. Green Bay is sixth at -33.4, Pittsburgh seventh at -30.4, Atlanta eighth at -19.1, San Francisco ninth at -10.6 & Denver tenth at -9.0.
A gap of 13.7 separates 22nd from 23rd, the widest single step anywhere below the top four. Cleveland is 11th at -8.9, Kansas City 12th at -8.7, the Los Angeles Chargers 13th at -5.8, Chicago 14th at -4.1, Cincinnati 15th at 3.3, the New York Giants 16th at 4.1, New England 17th at 12.0 & Houston 18th at 12.8.
Eight teams sit inside 14.7 of each other from ninth to 16th, the tightest stretch of the ranking. Baltimore is 19th at 15.6, the New York Jets 20th at 15.7, Washington 21st at 18.2, Carolina 22nd at 20.6, Buffalo 23rd at 34.3, Indianapolis 24th at 35.9 & New Orleans 25th at 37.5.
32 NFL teams are ranked for the 2026 regular season. The top 25 appear above, ranked lowest first. Defensive total EPA is the cumulative expected points added allowed across all plays a defense faces throughout the season, the margin above what an average defense would allow from the same game situations. Figures are as of November 3, 2026 & are recalculated on StatRankings after each game's play-by-play is processed.
