22. 2000 Baltimore Ravens
Season Results: 12-4, Won Super Bowl XXXV
With the clear shift towards offense in today’s NFL, we may never see a defense quite like the 2000 Ravens again. Led by Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, the Ravens allowed just 10.3 PPG in ’00. Baltimore pitched four shutouts that season and held 15 of its 20 opponents to 10 points or fewer. In the playoffs, the Ravens allowed point totals of 3, 10, 3, and 7 en route to the franchise’s first Super Bowl win.
The defense was able to accomplish these feats while having mediocre QB play on the other side of the ball. Baltimore’s two quarterbacks that season, Tony Banks and Trent Dilfer, combined for 20 touchdowns and 19 interceptions during the regular season. Dilfer threw for just 153 yards in the Super Bowl, and didn’t throw for over 200 yards in any of Baltimore’s playoff games. The Ravens’ defense was so elite that the offense had to do just the bare minimum to be competitive.
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