2025 NFL defensive line rankings ahead of Week 15: The Rams continue to excel in run defense, Vikings stand out in Week 14

• The Vikings dominated in Week 14: The Vikings’ chaotic defense was in full force in Week 14, with six defenders earning overall grades of 69.9 or better — led by defensive interior Javon Hargrave’s 86.0.

• The Rams are a run-stopping force: The Rams’ defensive line has been a top-five unit all season, powered by one of the league’s most dominant run defenses. Poona Ford leads the way with an 87.0 run-defense grade and 23 run stops, while edge defenders Byron Young and Jared Verse sit right behind him with 21 and 20 stops, respectively.

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The defensive line is the heart of any successful defense, tasked with both disrupting the opposing quarterback with a pass rush and shutting down rushing attacks at the line of scrimmage.

Elite defensive lines can change the course of a game by applying pressure, forcing hurried throws and creating turnovers while also stifling run plays to control the tempo.

This season, we will closely monitor NFL defensive line play. Unlike our offensive line rankings, which in some cases consider previous-season rankings, these rankings will be based purely on 2025 play.

Here are the highlights for the top defensive lines after Week 14 of the 2025 season.

Rank	Last Wk.	Team	PFF WAR	PFF Grade	Top-graded Player	Move
1	1	Cleveland Browns	1.1769	89.9	Myles Garrett	0
2	2	Houston Texans	0.9136	84.1	Will Anderson Jr.	0
3	3	Pittsburgh Steelers	0.8347	77.7	Cameron Heyward	0
4	4	Los Angeles Rams	0.6913	84.6	Poona Ford	0
5	9	Detroit Lions	0.6473	79.9	Aidan Hutchinson	+4
6	10	Philadelphia Eagles	0.5994	71.8	Joshua Uche	+4
7	5	Green Bay Packers	0.5909	69.8	Micah Parsons	-2
8	7	Denver Broncos	0.5623	64.9	Nik Bonitto	-1
9	6	Dallas Cowboys	0.5609	70.5	Donovan Ezeiruaku	-3
10	8	Seattle Seahawks	0.5544	73.8	Leonard Williams	-2
11	12	Minnesota Vikings	0.5097	68.9	Jalen Redmond	+1
12	11	New York Giants	0.4710	64.9	Dexter Lawrence	-1
13	15	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	0.4419	63.4	Vita Vea	+2
14	13	Buffalo Bills	0.4018	65.7	Greg Rousseau	-1
15	14	New England Patriots	0.3852	64.1	Cory Durden	-1
16	16	Atlanta Falcons	0.3823	64.6	Jalon Walker	0
17	18	Tennessee Titans	0.3235	67.9	Jeffery Simmons	+1
18	17	Indianapolis Colts	0.3200	64.9	Laiatu Latu	-1
19	19	Las Vegas Raiders	0.3169	55.4	Maxx Crosby	0
20	21	Kansas City Chiefs	0.3100	61.3	George Karlaftis	+1
21	20	Washington Commanders	0.2293	56.8	Dorance Armstrong	-1
22	23	Los Angeles Chargers	0.2285	63.8	Khalil Mack	+1
23	26	New Orleans Saints	0.2170	58.8	Chase Young	+3
24	25	New York Jets	0.2070	64.3	Jowon Briggs	+1
25	22	Arizona Cardinals	0.2068	55.4	Josh Sweat	-3
26	27	Jacksonville Jaguars	0.1695	61	Josh Hines-Allen	+1
27	24	Carolina Panthers	0.1653	58.2	Derrick Brown	-3
28	28	San Francisco 49ers	0.1322	53.8	Bryce Huff	0
29	29	Chicago Bears	0.0856	50.2	Montez Sweat	0
30	30	Cincinnati Bengals	0.0509	55.1	Trey Hendrickson	0
31	31	Baltimore Ravens	0.0299	58.1	Travis Jones	0
32	32	Miami Dolphins	-0.0163	49.7	Chop Robinson	0

Week 14 Highlights

Best defensive line overall: Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings’ chaotic defense was in full force in Week 14, with six defenders earning overall grades of 69.9 or better — led by defensive interior Javon Hargrave’s 86.0.

Hargrave helped preserve the shutout by forcing and recovering a fumble deep in Minnesota territory, while edge defender Andrew Van Ginkel continued his screen-stopping mastery, jumping a throw for an interception and earning a 91.0 coverage grade.

Best pass-rush unit: Detroit Lions

Edge defender Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions’ front were able to pin their ears back once the offense built a lead. Hutchinson racked up nine pressures and 10 additional wins for a 33.3% pass-rush win rate, while the unit as a whole pressured Dak Prescott 26 times with three sacks and five hits.

Al-Quadin Muhammad recorded all three sacks and added three hurries, and interior defender Alim McNeill paced the group with two quarterback hits.

Best run-defense unit: Houston Texans

The Texans didn’t face many rush attempts on Sunday Night Football — just 22 — but they still made their presence felt, racking up 10 run stops as a defensive line. Tommy Togiai led the way with an impressive five on his own, while Sheldon Rankins posted an 80.4 run-defense grade and added a stop.

Four Texans defenders avoided a single downgrade against the run, and the unit earned positive grades on 63.6% of run plays, the second-best mark of the week.

Risers & fallers

• Biggest Mover: Detroit Lions & Philadelphia Eagles
• Biggest Faller: Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, & Carolina Panthers

Season Highlights

Best defensive line overall & best pass-rush unit: Cleveland Browns

In their first game without breakout star Maliek Collins, the Browns’ defensive line mixed several strong moments with a few costly lapses. Myles Garrett added another sack in his pursuit of the single-season record, but it was Cleveland’s only one of the day, as the Titans’ game plan kept the pressure rate to just 25.8% — the Browns’ third-lowest mark of the season.

Even so, Cleveland’s front remains the league’s highest-graded and most valuable unit, with nine defenders carrying overall grades of 68.8 or better. They did, however, surrender their spot as the top run-defense group in the NFL following Week 14.

Best run-defense unit: Los Angeles Rams

The Rams’ defensive line has been a top-five unit all season, powered by one of the league’s most dominant run defenses. Poona Ford leads the way with an 87.0 run-defense grade and 23 run stops, while edge defenders Byron Young and Jared Verse sit right behind him with 21 and 20 stops, respectively.

Interior defender Tyler Davis has also been a steady presence, tallying 18 run stops without a single missed tackle. As a group, their 57.1% positive-grade rate and 115 total run stops both lead the NFL.