Defensive Blitz Rate Leaders
Defensive Blitz Rate — 2022 NFL leaders, updated Aug 13, 2026. New York Giants led the league in blitz rate at 38.4%, ahead of 31 other qualifying teams. Based on verified 2022 play-by-play data (nflverse); Half-PPR scoring. Through the 2022 season.
Blitz rate is how often a defense sends a fifth rusher or more. It is a philosophy rather than a grade, and a stubborn one — coordinators keep their answer to this question from year to year, which is what makes it worth knowing before a season starts rather than after. Fantasy relevance runs through the opposing offense: heavy-blitz defenses concede more quick throws to backs and slot receivers, because the hot route is the offense's built-in reply to an extra rusher.
| # | Team | Blitz% | Blitzes | DB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Giants | 38.4% | 244 | 635 |
| 2 | Miami Dolphins | 31.7% | 220 | 694 |
| 3 | Arizona Cardinals | 30.2% | 197 | 652 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Chargers | 27.8% | 159 | 571 |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 26.4% | 168 | 637 |
| 6 | Denver Broncos | 26.2% | 174 | 665 |
| 7 | Green Bay Packers | 25.7% | 137 | 534 |
| 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 25.2% | 155 | 616 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Rams | 25.0% | 154 | 617 |
| 10 | Carolina Panthers | 23.9% | 152 | 636 |
| 11 | Baltimore Ravens | 23.1% | 154 | 666 |
| 12 | Detroit Lions | 22.3% | 143 | 642 |
| 13 | Washington Commanders | 20.2% | 119 | 589 |
| 14 | Philadelphia Eagles | 19.4% | 127 | 655 |
| 15 | Kansas City Chiefs | 19.2% | 137 | 715 |
| 16 | Cleveland Browns | 18.9% | 107 | 567 |
| 17 | Dallas Cowboys | 18.5% | 116 | 627 |
| 18 | New England Patriots | 17.9% | 121 | 676 |
| 19 | Minnesota Vikings | 17.4% | 120 | 691 |
| 20 | Las Vegas Raiders | 17.0% | 109 | 640 |
| 21 | Atlanta Falcons | 16.5% | 99 | 599 |
| 22 | Houston Texans | 15.4% | 91 | 589 |
| 23 | Cincinnati Bengals | 15.1% | 91 | 601 |
| 24 | Buffalo Bills | 14.9% | 95 | 638 |
| 25 | San Francisco 49ers | 14.8% | 98 | 663 |
| 26 | Chicago Bears | 14.3% | 76 | 530 |
| 27 | New Orleans Saints | 14.0% | 85 | 608 |
| 28 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 13.7% | 92 | 672 |
| 29 | Seattle Seahawks | 13.1% | 82 | 624 |
| 30 | Tennessee Titans | 12.6% | 93 | 739 |
| 31 | Indianapolis Colts | 12.0% | 73 | 609 |
| 32 | New York Jets | 11.4% | 72 | 632 |
Other seasons
More leaderboards
- Rushing Yards Over Expected
- Target Share
- Running Back Receiving Efficiency
- Completion Percentage Over Expected
- Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt
- Quarterback Pressure Rate
- Quarterbacks vs Man and Zone Coverage
- Pass Rate Over Expected
- Clean-Core Rating
- Usage vs Production
- Team Expected Points Added
- Quarterback EPA per Dropback
- Air Yards Share
- Stacked Box Rate
- Regression Flags
- Weighted Opportunity Rating
- Snap Share
- Pass-Snap Share
- Receiving Yards per Pass Snap
- Availability
- Tight End Receiving Efficiency
- Tight End Average Depth of Target
- Stat Stickiness
- Play-Action Rate
- Pre-Snap Motion Rate
- Drop Rate
- Contested Catch Rate
- Interception-Worthy Throw Rate
- Quarterback-Fault Sack Rate
- Quarterback Intended Air Yards
- Team Air Yards and Passing Volume
- Receiver Separation and Cushion
- Wide Receiver Receiving Efficiency
- Team Success Rate and Explosive Play Rate
- Goal-Line Usage
- Quarterback Deep Ball
- Team Pace
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