As temperatures drop, defenses across the NFL are turning up the heat.

All 32 teams took the field this past week, and 13 scored 20 or fewer points—nearly half the league. Week 13's best game ended with a signature defensive moment: the Broncos batted down a two-point conversion attempt in overtime to escape an upset bid from the Commanders.

Elite Tier

• Houston Texans
• Denver Broncos
• Seattle Seahawks
• Green Bay Packers
• Los Angeles Rams
• New England Patriots

The Broncos finally have their full complement back. Veteran linebacker Alex Singleton and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II returned to the lineup Sunday after missing one and three games respectively. Though the Commanders managed 26 points and 419 net yards against Denver, the Broncos demonstrated their closing ability—edge rusher Nik Bonitto delivered the game-winning batted pass on the conversion attempt.

With their unit healthy, Denver is positioned to close the gap with Houston for the league's best defense.

Under the Radar Tier

• Cleveland Browns
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Baltimore Ravens
• Los Angeles Chargers

The Jaguars have shifted into another gear since their Week 10 collapse against the Texans. Anthony Campanile's unit jumps a tier after allowing just two touchdowns and 164 rushing yards combined over the past three games. Star edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen has spearheaded the turnaround, posting four sacks, five quarterback hits, five tackles for loss and a pass breakup during the span.

Competitive Tier

• Buffalo Bills
• Dallas Cowboys
• Kansas City Chiefs
• San Francisco 49ers
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Indianapolis Colts
• Detroit Lions
• Chicago Bears
• Carolina Panthers
• Miami Dolphins
• Atlanta Falcons
• Minnesota Vikings

The Bears rank 25th in points allowed and 27th in yards allowed, yet their defense authored Friday's demolition of Philadelphia. Dennis Allen's unit held the Eagles to 15 points—the second-lowest total of their season. This marked the third time in four games the Bears have kept opponents to 20 or fewer points.

Chicago safety Kevin Byard leads the NFL with six interceptions after picking off Jalen Hurts. The Bears now own a league-high 26 takeaways.

Mid-Tier Tier

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• New Orleans Saints
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• Arizona Cardinals

Mike Tomlin's Steelers are deteriorating fast. They surrendered 249 rushing yards to Buffalo on Sunday—the most allowed since last year's wild-card loss to Baltimore (299) and the most in a regular season game since Week 8 of 2020 (265).

Struggling Tier

• New York Jets
• Washington Commanders
• Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders surrendered 31 points in last week's loss to the Chargers, marking the fourth time in six games they've allowed 30 or more points.

Bottom Tier

• Tennessee Titans
• New York Giants
• Cincinnati Bengals

Facing MVP candidate Drake Maye didn't help Monday night, but the Giants' defense under new interim coordinator Charlie Bullen showed the same vulnerabilities. New England scored on five of its first six drives, staking the Patriots to a 30-7 halftime lead after just two quarters, with 23 of those points coming defensively.