Man, there is nothing quite like a Sunday afternoon when you see a defensive line just absolutely delete a running game. You know that feeling? When a star running back hits the hole and basically runs into a brick wall made of 300-pound humans? Honestly, it’s beautiful. But if you’ve spent any time looking at the nfl defensive rushing rankings from the 2025 season, you know that the "yards per game" stat is a bit of a liar.
It’s easy to look at a list and say, "Okay, Jacksonville is number one, they must be the best." And while the Jaguars were legitimately terrifying against the run this year, the gap between the top and the bottom is filled with nuance that a simple spreadsheet misses. Football isn't played in a vacuum. Sometimes a team has great rushing stats because their secondary is so bad that every opponent just decides to throw for 400 yards instead.
Let's break down what actually happened on the ground this year and which teams were actually the "nightmare" matchups.
The 2025 Leaders: Who Actually Stopped the Bleeding?
If we're talking about pure volume, the Jacksonville Jaguars finished at the top of the heap. They allowed just 85.6 rushing yards per game. That is kind of insane. Josh Hines-Allen gets all the love for his pass rushing, but his ability to set the edge was the secret sauce for that unit. He finished with 49 tackles and a bunch of tackles for loss that basically forced offensive coordinators to stop calling run plays to his side.
Then you have the Denver Broncos. They weren't far behind, allowing 91.1 yards per contest. Denver’s defense was a bit of a surprise for some, but if you watched Nik Bonitto and that front seven, you saw a group that stayed incredibly disciplined. They didn't gamble much. They just filled gaps.
The Seattle Seahawks also made a massive leap under Mike Macdonald. They went from being a bit of a sieve in previous years to allowing only 91.9 yards per game. It’s funny how a coaching change can do that. Macdonald brought that Baltimore "swarm" mentality to the Pacific Northwest, and it worked.
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Here is how the top of the "yards allowed" pile looked by the end of the 2025 regular season:
Jacksonville allowed 85.6 yards per game. Denver was right there at 91.1. Seattle followed at 91.9, and the Houston Texans rounded out the elite tier at 93.7.
NFL Defensive Rushing Rankings: The "Efficiency" Trap
Now, here is where it gets tricky. If you want to know who was actually the hardest to run against, you have to look at yards per carry (YPC). A team might allow only 80 yards because they were only run against 15 times. That doesn't mean they're good; it might just mean they were trailing by 20 points all game and the other team was just trying to kill the clock.
The Seahawks actually led the league in YPC allowed at a stingy 3.7. When you’re holding NFL athletes to under four yards every time they touch the ball, you’re winning the physical battle.
The Houston Texans are another great example of this. They allowed 4.0 yards per carry, which is solid, but their total defense was ranked number one overall because they just didn't let anyone do anything. Will Anderson Jr. is basically a human wrecking ball at this point. He finished with 20 tackles for loss. You can’t run a traditional outside zone against a guy that fast. He’s in the backfield before the handoff even happens half the time.
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Why the "Worst" Units Failed So Hard
At the other end of the spectrum, we have to talk about the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Giants. It was a rough year for them.
The Bengals allowed 147.1 rushing yards per game. That’s basically like giving the opponent a free touchdown every drive just based on field position. Their yards per carry allowed was a league-high 5.2. Honestly, it felt like every time a back hit the second level against Cincinnati, there was nobody there to greet them.
The Giants weren't much better, giving up 145.3 yards per game. Despite having Dexter Lawrence—who is arguably the best nose tackle on the planet—the rest of the unit just couldn't hold up. Teams realized they could just double-team "Sexy Dexy" and find lanes elsewhere. It’s a lonely life for an elite interior defender when the linebackers aren't scraping over the top to make the play.
The Most Surprising Fallers
The New York Jets were a bit of a shocker. Usually, a Robert Saleh-coached (or influenced) team is stout. But they ended the year 29th in run defense, giving up 139.5 yards per game.
- They missed a lot of tackles.
- They looked tired by the fourth quarter because the offense couldn't stay on the field.
- Opponents ran the ball 539 times against them—the most in the league.
Impact of the "All-Pro" Defenders
You can't talk about nfl defensive rushing rankings without mentioning the guys who actually make the stats happen. Myles Garrett in Cleveland is a freak of nature. He set the sack record with 23.0 this year, but people forget he’s also a wall against the run. However, even Garrett couldn't save the Browns' run defense late in the year when Maliek Collins went down. It just goes to show that even an MVP-level player needs a supporting cast.
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In Philadelphia, Jordan Davis finally became the player everyone hoped he’d be. He’s basically a solar eclipse in cleats. When he’s in the game, the Eagles' run defense is elite. When he’s catching his breath on the sideline, it’s a different story. He finished with 72 tackles, which is a massive number for a guy his size.
Tactical Shifts: Why 2025 Was Different
We saw a lot more "light boxes" this year. Defenses are so scared of the explosive passing game that they’re willing to give up 4 or 5 yards on the ground if it means they don't get beat for a 70-yard touchdown.
This is why the Kansas City Chiefs are so interesting. They finished 8th in run defense (105.7 yards per game), but they did it while playing a ton of two-high safety looks. Steve Spagnuolo is a wizard. He waits until the most important moments—third and short, or the fourth quarter—to tighten the screws. They might give up yards in the first half, but when the game is on the line, they're top-tier. Charles Omenihu was huge for them down the stretch, earning a 93.3 run-defense grade from PFF in the final week.
How to Use These Rankings for Your Benefit
If you’re a fan or a bettor, don't just look at the "Yards Allowed" column. It's a trap.
- Check the Volume: Look at how many attempts the defense faced.
- Watch the Trenches: If a team loses their starting defensive tackle (like the Browns did), their ranking will plummet regardless of how good their edge rushers are.
- Home vs. Away: Some teams, like the Indianapolis Colts, were way better at home (109.6 yards) than on the road. The crowd noise helps the defensive line get a jump on the snap, which is crucial for stopping those quick-hitting interior runs.
The nfl defensive rushing rankings tell a story of physicality and discipline. While the Jaguars and Broncos took the statistical crowns in 2025, the real "best" defense is often the one that stops the run when the opponent knows they have to run.
Actionable Next Steps
To get a better handle on which defenses are actually elite for the upcoming playoff cycle or next season, you should stop looking at total yards and start tracking Rushing Success Rate. This metric measures whether a run play gained the necessary yardage to keep the offense "on schedule" (e.g., gaining 4 yards on 1st and 10).
You can find this data on sites like SumerSports or RBSDM. Compare a team's Success Rate against their total yards. If a team has a high Success Rate allowed but low total yards, they are "bending but not breaking"—and that’s a bubble that usually bursts in the postseason. Also, keep an eye on the "Tackles for Loss" leaders; a defense that lives in the backfield is much more sustainable than one that relies on lucky fumble recoveries.