Defensive Blitz Rate Leaders
Defensive Blitz Rate — 2023 NFL leaders, updated Aug 13, 2026. Minnesota Vikings led the league in blitz rate at 50.5%, ahead of 31 other qualifying teams. Based on verified 2023 play-by-play data (nflverse); Half-PPR scoring. Through the 2023 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 | Minnesota Vikings | 50.5% | 340 | 673 |
| 2 | New York Giants | 47.1% | 298 | 633 |
| 3 | Denver Broncos | 34.3% | 220 | 642 |
| 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 31.0% | 212 | 684 |
| 5 | Dallas Cowboys | 30.1% | 178 | 591 |
| 6 | Washington Commanders | 29.2% | 193 | 662 |
| 7 | Cleveland Browns | 28.9% | 178 | 615 |
| 8 | Detroit Lions | 28.7% | 190 | 662 |
| 9 | Carolina Panthers | 28.5% | 149 | 522 |
| 10 | New England Patriots | 28.3% | 181 | 640 |
| 11 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 28.0% | 194 | 693 |
| 12 | Los Angeles Chargers | 27.8% | 186 | 670 |
| 13 | Green Bay Packers | 26.2% | 161 | 614 |
| 14 | Kansas City Chiefs | 26.2% | 169 | 646 |
| 15 | Los Angeles Rams | 25.1% | 171 | 681 |
| 16 | Atlanta Falcons | 24.7% | 154 | 623 |
| 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 24.7% | 161 | 651 |
| 18 | New Orleans Saints | 21.7% | 138 | 637 |
| 19 | Miami Dolphins | 21.4% | 140 | 655 |
| 20 | Las Vegas Raiders | 21.0% | 137 | 651 |
| 21 | Baltimore Ravens | 20.9% | 154 | 736 |
| 22 | Seattle Seahawks | 20.6% | 136 | 661 |
| 23 | Philadelphia Eagles | 20.5% | 150 | 733 |
| 24 | Cincinnati Bengals | 19.9% | 129 | 647 |
| 25 | San Francisco 49ers | 19.8% | 140 | 707 |
| 26 | Houston Texans | 19.2% | 125 | 651 |
| 27 | Buffalo Bills | 18.7% | 121 | 648 |
| 28 | Tennessee Titans | 18.7% | 121 | 648 |
| 29 | Chicago Bears | 18.5% | 126 | 680 |
| 30 | New York Jets | 16.3% | 98 | 600 |
| 31 | Indianapolis Colts | 16.2% | 104 | 643 |
| 32 | Arizona Cardinals | 14.4% | 82 | 571 |
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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