30 greatest defenses in NFL history
2. ’85 Bears
The ’85 Bears were utterly terrifying. The well documented ’46’ defense, engineered by Buddy Ryan and executed by Mike Singletary, obliterated offenses. Taking advantage of naive offensive game plans, Ryan and his pack of wolves set out to destroy opposing quarterbacks. Blitzes was the name of the game. Putting pressure on the quarterback. And the ’85 Bears were nothing short of excellent in their pursuit.
Mike Singletary was Buddy’s brains on the field. With his eyes gaping, surveying the whole field, the middle linebacker was the architect of chaos. Under Ryan’s tutelage, Singletary became not just an athlete but a student. The Bears defense is well-known for its ferocious hitting, aggressive coverage and relentless pressure. But, for all these wonderful attributes, it was the brain of their middle linebacker that took this from a good to a great defense.
Statistically, the Bears destroyed everybody. They were first in points allowed, total yards, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and turnovers. However, for all their dominance in the regular season, it was their postseason performances that elevated this defense to an almighty standard. In the NFC divisional play off, the Bear shut out the Giants. They then shut out the Rams in the NFC Championship, and in the Super Bowl, they allowed a total of seven points and completely suffocated the Patriots’ run game, giving up only seven yards. Wow!
Next: 1. '76 Steelers