30 greatest defenses in NFL history
27. ’68 Colts
The ’68 Colts are considered by many to be the be best team to not win a championship. Before being famously beat by Joe Namath and the Jets in the Super Bowl, the Colts dominated the regular season, going 13-1. The only loss was to the Cleveland Browns, who the Colts then pummeled 34 -0 in the NFL Championship match. It was an impressive season, an impressive team and an especially impressive defense.
Coached by Don Shula, the ’68 Colts were defensively brilliant. Allowing only 144 points throughout the season, Shula’s defense were by far and away the best not only in the NFL, but also the doomed AFL. The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense led the AFL allowing only 170 points, but this was 26 points behind their NFL rivals. The Colts were in a different league defensively to the rest of pro football.
All Pros Mike Curtis and Bobby Boyd led the defense. Boyd in fact had eight interceptions over the 14 game season. That is outstanding production from the corner back. The Colts shutout the aforementioned Browns in the NFL Championship game, but did not win the big one. While the defense was excellent in the regular season, the lack of a Super Bowl ring puts them lower on this list than their talent deserves.
Next: 26. '43 Redskins