Let’s take a look at how I rank the Top 15 defenses for the upcoming week:

1. New York Giants – at Seattle
2. New Orleans Saints – at Carolina
3. New York Jets – at Detroit
4. Pittsburgh Steelers – at Cincinnati
5. New England Patriots – at Cleveland
6. Chicago Bears – at Buffalo
7. Green Bay Packers – vs. Dallas
8. Minnesota Vikings – vs. Arizona
9. Baltimore Ravens – vs. Miami
10. Atlanta Falcons – vs. Tampa Bay
11. Houston Texans – vs. San Diego
12. Detroit Lions – vs. New York Jets
13. Oakland Raiders – vs. Kansas City
14. Kansas City Chiefs – at Oakland
15. Indianapolis Colts – at Philadelphia

Thoughts:

• The Giants defense is tied for third in the league with 24 sacks.  They are knocking out quarterbacks at an alarming rate and Matt Hasselbeck is walking into the game already banged up.  The Seahawks, coming off a game where the Raiders stymied them, are in a tough spot no matter how good they’ve been at home.  It only gets worse when you consider they have the third fewest points scored on the season.
• I know the Jets defense virtually shutdown Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in Week 8.  With the way Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson looked it wouldn’t be a complete surprise to see them put points on the board.  However, with a healthy Darrelle Revis being paired with Antonio Cromartie, who’s playing terrific football, it is certainly going to be a daunting task for any offense.  It’s easy to rank them among the top defensive options this week.
• The Browns are banged up all across their offense and are the second lowest scoring team in the league.  No matter who ultimately plays QB, you have to like the matchup for New England.  The Browns are in the bottom ten in the league in passing, which will certainly help to mask the Patriots biggest defensive weakness.
• The Raiders have been playing exceptional defense of late, but the injury to Nnamdi Asomugha could be a significant obstacle to overcome.  They are saying he could play, but it’s hard to imagine, especially given the team’s upcoming bye in Week 10.  The Chiefs offense poses a threat, so you do have to downgrade them a bit.
• The loss of Randy Moss and the injuries to Brett Favre could help to turn the Vikings into a more one-dimensional team.  Unfortunately for Arizona, they have been among the worst teams in the league stopping the run.  Don’t get too excited and count on them this week.

What are your thoughts on these rankings?  Who’s too high?  Who’s too low?

Make sure to check out our Week 9 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 60 Wide Receivers
• Top 20 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers
• Waiver Worthy
• Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em
• Sunday Sleepers