The Minnesota Vikings have been the hardest defense in the NFL to beat on third down. Through five weeks, opponents have converted 14 of 63 third-down attempts against Minnesota, a rate of 22.2%. The league average is 39.4% (795 of 2,019) across every game through Monday night.
The Vikings have been even stingier lately. Tampa Bay went 2 for 17 on third down in Week 3, Miami went 2 for 9 in Week 4 and New Orleans went 2 for 10 on Sunday, so Minnesota’s last three opponents have converted 6 of 36 (16.7%). The 5-0 Vikings are on their bye in Week 6.
Best third-down defenses after Week 5
| Rank | Team | Record | Conversions allowed | Third downs faced | Opponent conversion rate | Last 3 games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Vikings | 5-0 | 14 | 63 | 22.2% | 6 of 36 (16.7%) |
| 2 | Chicago Bears | 3-2 | 13 | 50 | 26.0% | 6 of 28 (21.4%) |
| 3 | Seattle Seahawks | 3-2 | 20 | 68 | 29.4% | 12 of 40 (30.0%) |
| 4 | Indianapolis Colts | 2-3 | 18 | 59 | 30.5% | 10 of 37 (27.0%) |
| 5 | Los Angeles Chargers | 0-5 | 20 | 64 | 31.3% | 10 of 36 (27.8%) |
| 6 | Los Angeles Rams | 2-3 | 19 | 58 | 32.8% | 9 of 32 (28.1%) |
| 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 3-2 | 20 | 61 | 32.8% | 14 of 37 (37.8%) |
| T8 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1-4 | 21 | 62 | 33.9% | 8 of 35 (22.9%) |
| T8 | New York Jets | 2-3 | 21 | 62 | 33.9% | 16 of 41 (39.0%) |
| 10 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-1 | 20 | 58 | 34.5% | 15 of 39 (38.5%) |
The Chicago Bears are second at 26.0%. They have allowed the fewest third-down conversions in the league (13) and faced the fewest third downs (50). The New York Jets went 0 for 7 on third down at Soldier Field in Week 4, Philadelphia went 2 for 9 in Week 3, and Minnesota went 3 for 13 in the Vikings’ 9-3 win in Chicago in Week 2. Over their last three games the Bears have allowed 6 conversions on 28 tries (21.4%). Chicago plays at Atlanta on Sunday, and the Falcons’ offense has converted 41.7% of its third downs (25 of 60).
Seattle ranks third at 29.4% (20 of 68), and no opponent has converted more than five third downs against the Seahawks in a game. Seattle plays at Denver on Thursday night in a matchup of two offenses that have struggled on third down: Denver’s offense has converted 33.8% (22 of 65), and Seattle’s has converted 29.8% (17 of 57), the second-lowest rate in the league ahead of only Green Bay (27.6%). The Broncos’ defense has allowed 45.2%, 26th in the NFL.
Indianapolis is fourth at 30.5% after holding Washington to 2 of 15 in Week 4. The Los Angeles Chargers are fifth at 31.3% despite their 0-5 start, and Denver converted just 1 of 12 third downs against them on Sunday. The Los Angeles Rams (32.76%) and Pittsburgh (32.79%) are separated by three-hundredths of a percentage point.
Worst third-down defenses after Week 5
| Rank | Team | Record | Conversions allowed | Third downs faced | Opponent conversion rate | Last 3 games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | New York Giants | 3-1-1 | 26 | 57 | 45.6% | 13 of 37 (35.1%) |
| 28 | Cincinnati Bengals | 3-2 | 29 | 63 | 46.0% | 19 of 36 (52.8%) |
| 29 | New Orleans Saints | 1-4 | 29 | 60 | 48.3% | 20 of 38 (52.6%) |
| 30 | Detroit Lions | 3-2 | 36 | 71 | 50.7% | 19 of 42 (45.2%) |
| 31 | Miami Dolphins | 0-5 | 30 | 58 | 51.7% | 20 of 38 (52.6%) |
| 32 | Dallas Cowboys | 2-3 | 30 | 57 | 52.6% | 13 of 32 (40.6%) |
Dallas has the league’s worst third-down defense at 52.6%, with 30 conversions allowed on 57 attempts. The New York Giants went 9 for 11 against the Cowboys in Week 1, Washington went 8 for 14 in Week 2 and Tampa Bay went 7 for 13 in Week 5. Dallas plays at Green Bay on Sunday night against the Packers, who have the NFL’s lowest third-down conversion rate on offense at 27.6% (16 of 58).
Miami is 31st at 51.7%. Cincinnati converted 9 of 13 against the Dolphins on Sunday, and San Francisco went 5 for 7 in Week 2. Detroit is 30th at 50.7% and has allowed the most third-down conversions in the league (36), including 9 of 12 by Buffalo in Week 2 and 8 of 18 by Arizona on Sunday. New Orleans (48.3%), Cincinnati (46.0%) and the Giants (45.6%) round out the bottom six. Miami and Detroit are both on their bye this week.
Rates are regular-season totals through Week 5 and do not include Thursday night’s Seahawks-Broncos game.
No published comments yet. Start the conversation.