17. Cowboys

Raanan's 2011 Power Rankings: Team Defense

Rob Ryan gets the 'Boys back to respectability. There is too much talent to be that bad again. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

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NFL's Top 32 Tea... By Jordan Raanan, Xfinity Sports.com

Offense is for show, defense is the way to go. Just look at last year. Of the top five offenses in the NFL, three (San Diego, Houston and the Giants) didn't make the playoffs. The other two (Philadelphia and Indianapolis) didn't make it out of the wild-card round.

Of the top five defenses, two (Green Bay and Pittsburgh) reached the Super Bowl and another (the Jets) made the AFC Championship Game. All four participants in the championship games were top 10 defensive teams.

If the 2011 season unfolds similarly, some of the sexy preseason favorites could be in trouble because the Dream Team and Fighting Matt Ryan's don't land anywhere near the top of my rankings. So who has the best chance? Here's my team defense rankings, 32-1. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Jordan Raanan has covered the NFL since 2005. Follow him on Twitter at @JordanRaanan or email him at jraanan@hotmail.com.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
32. Jaguars Where is the pass rush? Still MIA. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
31. Seahawks There aren't not enough good players to be a good defense. Pete Carroll is working with Chris Clemons, Earl Thomas and that's about all. That's not going to get it done. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

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30. Cardinals Even if top pick Patrick Peterson lives up to expectations, nobody can cover for 10 seconds. The Cards' pass rush is beyond suspect. (AP Photo/Matt York)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
29. Panthers It's going to be a transition year in Carolina, especially with a pair of rookie tackles starting. (AP Photo/Rick Havner)

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28. Broncos They might have the best pass- rushing tandem in the NFL. They also might have the league's worst run defense. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

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27. Texans New D-coordinator Wade Phillips will make them a bit more respectable. Ditto CB Johnathan Joseph and safety Danieal Manning. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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26. Bills Marcell Dareus is a stud. Still, the Bills' defensive fate rest on Shawne Merriman and that's cause for concern. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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25. Bengals Mediocre talent plus poor pass rush equals below-average defense. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)

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24. Titans Tennessee lacks a true standout performer on defense. Exchanging Barrett Rudd for Stephen Tulloch is a downgrade. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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23. Redskins The second year in Jim Haslett's defense will be better than the first. It almost has to be after finishing 31st in the NFL last season and with personnel that fits the system. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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22. Vikings Their defense is slipping and aging. Even the Williams Wall is crumbling. (AP Photo/Andy King)

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21. Colts They're still undersized, but they still have Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

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20. Browns Heading in the right direction with the addition of DT Phil Taylor and DE Jabaal Sheard to go with CB Joe Hayden and S T.J. Ward. But those changes still leave the Browns one more offseason away from completing the puzzle. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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19. Raiders They only lost one starter from last season. Problem is that Nnamdi Asomugha was a perennial All-Pro who is no longer around to prop up a questionable secondary. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

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18. 49ers Makeshift secondary and a lack of a significant pass rush subject them to being nothing more than an average defense. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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17. Cowboys Rob Ryan gets the 'Boys back to respectability. There is too much talent to be that bad again. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

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16. Falcons In the playoffs, Green Bay outed the Falcons to the entire nation. Atlanta's secondary was insufficient ... and still is. Defensive end Ray Edwards is a solid addition, but not enough to make them a top 10 defense. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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15. Giants Injuries in the secondary and to DE Osi Umenyiora knocks them down a few spots. But they will still get after opposing quarterbacks. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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14. Eagles They have the defensive line and cornerbacks to be in the top 10. They're missing the linebackers and safeties. Plus, it's going to take some time for their completely revamped unit to jell. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

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13. Rams Steve Spagnuolo has something going here. The addition of safety Quintin Mikell helps the Rams get to the next level. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

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12. Chiefs They have a studly secondary and dominant pass rusher in Tamba Hali. And safety Eric Berry is an absolute body-rocker. (AP Photo)

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11. Lions Ndamukong Suh will be the best defensive player in the league and Stephen Tulloch will lead a vastly improved linebacking corps. The secondary, however, will still be a problem. (AP Photo/Hans Deryk)

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10. Patriots Defensive lineman Vince Wilfork is already a force. If Albert Haynesworth can be his old self, the Patriots' young defense will be a top 5 unit. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

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9. Saints They are known for their offense, but are maybe even more talented on defense. Their cornerback duo (Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter) is in the conversation for best in the NFL. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

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8. Bears Nobody has a better pair of linebackers (Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher) than the Bears. Defensive end Julius Peppers isn't a bad player either. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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7. Bucs Defensive line should improve massively with Gerald McCoy back from injury, and the additions of Adrian Clayborn and Da'Quan Bowers in the draft. Love the present (and future) of that D-line. (AP Photo/Margaret Bowles)

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6. Chargers San Diego had the top-ranked defense in 2010. And there's a very good reason -- they have a ton of talent. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

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5. Dolphins Yeah, that's right. Miami. The Dolphins. Ten returning starters, stud corners (Sean Smith and Vontae Davis), dominant pass rusher (Cameron Wake) and a standout linebacker(Karlos Dansby) equate to a top 5 defense. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

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4. Ravens At some point Ray Lewis' production has to dip. Not yet though, especially with Haloti Ngata dominating in front of him. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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3. Packers Green Bay has it all. A strong pass rush (Clay Matthews), great corners (Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams) and a stud nose tackle (B.J. Raji). That alone is enough reason to predict a repeat. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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2. Jets Imagine if Rex Ryan had a real pass rush to work with. Instead he has the best cornerback. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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1. Steelers They allowed the fewest points last season and now Troy Polamalu is healthy. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley remain the best outside linebacking tandem in the league and Dick Lebeau is the best in the business. Pittsburgh's looking good once again. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Raanan's 2011 Po... Click here to see who Jordan Raanan ranks as the top 32 tight ends in the NFL.