There's no doubt who the best defenses are in football this year. Baltimore, New England and Chicago rank Nos. 1 through 3 in scoring defense this season. They also hold the identical spots in our Bendability Index. This means that they're not only stingy when it comes to giving up points, but that they also make their opponents work extremely hard for the points they do score. (The same three teams hold the same three spots in defensive passer rating, too.)

 

And if you're looking for a reason why the Jets made the playoffs despite what would appear to be a mediocre season using traditional stats, just look at the Bendability Index: The Jets rank fourth, which means their opponents have generated a lot of yards but have had little to show for it on the scoreboard.

 

Tampa Bay, for example, surrendered fewer yards than the Jets ... but 58 more points. Tampa Bay is 4-12. New York is 10-6.

 

Remember, the Bendability Index is more than just a measure of a team's defense. It takes into account a variety of factors, such as the proficiency of offense and special teams, red zone defense and turnover differential.

 

	Team	Yards	Points	Yards Per Point Allowed
1	Baltimore	4,225	201	21.02
2	New England	4,710	237	19.87
3	Chicago	4,706	255	18.45
4	N.Y. Jets	5,306	295	17.99
5	Cincinnati	5,681	331	17.16
6	Denver	5,215	305	17.10
7	Buffalo	5,273	311	16.95
8	Kansas City	5,262	315	16.70
9	Jacksonville	4,538	274	16.56
10	Miami	4,625	283	16.34
11	Atlanta	5,325	328	16.23
12	Philadelphia	5,249	328	16.00
13	San Diego	4,825	303	15.92
14	Carolina	4,737	305	15.53
15	Seattle	5,285	341	15.50
16	Cleveland	5,515	356	15.49
17	New Orleans	4,917	322	15.27
18	Pittsburgh	4,805	315	15.25
19	N.Y. Giants	5,479	362	15.14
20	Washington	5,688	376	15.13
21	Tampa Bay	5,271	353	14.93
22	Tennessee	5,915	400	14.79
23	Indianapolis	5,316	360	14.77
24	Dallas	5,165	350	14.76
25	Houston	5,400	366	14.75
26	Minnesota	4,803	327	14.69
27	Arizona	5,591	389	14.37
28	St. Louis	5,362	381	14.07
29	Green Bay	5,134	366	14.03
30	Detroit	5,530	398	13.89
31	Oakland	4,557	332	13.73
32	San Francisco	5,507	412	13.37