The 10 best defensive teams in the NFL
No. 2: Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers were an absolute monster on defense in 2013. They finished the year ranked second in points allowed, second in yards allowed, first in sacks, and fourth in turnovers created. If the Rams have the best defensive line in football, the Panthers probably have the best front seven. Their defensive line of Charles Johnson, Kawann Short, Star Lotulelei, and Greg Hardy is fantastic and when you back them up with linebackers like Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, and AJ Klein you get as good of front seven as the NFL has seen in quite some time.
The secondary by comparison is the weaker of the units, but they probably don’t get the credit they are due. Former undrafted rookie Melvin White became one of the better surprise success stories as he emerged as a good starting CB for the Panthers last season. They’ll need free agent veteran safeties Roman Harper and Thomas DeCoud to step in and help lead the secondary this season, but as long as the coverage is just average they should still be a great defense. If the coverage is above average then the Panthers may eventually end up earning the top spot on this list.