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One advanced metric places the 2025–26 Seattle Seahawks defense among the greatest units in NFL history. That metric is DVOA, which stands for “Defense-adjusted Value Over Average.”
DVOA measures a team’s efficiency by comparing the success of every single play to a league average, adjusted for situation and quality of opponent. In simpler terms, it evaluates how good a team truly is while accounting for context — down, distance, game situation, and who they’re playing.
Aaron Schatz, the chief analytics officer of FTN Fantasy and the creator of DVOA, recently shared a list of the best defenses by the metric dating back to 1978. Including playoff performances, this year’s Seahawks defense ranks sixth all-time in DVOA — a remarkable achievement considering the volume of elite units over the past four decades.
Here's where the #Seahawks stand among the top teams in DVOA history, including the playoffs. Regular-season ratings are also included. pic.twitter.com/q9MEUiju83
— Aaron Schatz 🏈 (@ASchatzNFL) January 26, 2026MORE: Report: Rams, Seahawks coaches nearly came to blows in elevator
The only defenses ranked ahead of Seattle are some of the most legendary teams the league has ever seen:
- 1991–92 Washington Commanders — Super Bowl champions
- 1985–86 Chicago Bears — Super Bowl champions and the iconic “Super Bowl Shuffle” team
- 2007–08 New England Patriots — lost the Super Bowl to Eli Manning and the Giants after an undefeated regular season
- 1989–90 San Francisco 49ers — Super Bowl champions following a dominant 55–10 victory
- 1996–97 Green Bay Packers — led by Reggie White and Super Bowl winners
Just behind Seattle at No. 7 are the 2023–24 Baltimore Ravens, who fell to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship. The defensive coordinator for that Ravens team? Current Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, adding another layer of intrigue to Seattle’s historic ranking.
MORE: Seahawks fans will love these 11 Super Bowl predictions from ESPN
To cement their place in NFL lore, the Seahawks still have one final hurdle: Super Bowl Sunday. Standing in their way are the Patriots, a franchise back on the league’s biggest stage just a few years removed from a two-decade run of dominance. New England boasts one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses and an MVP candidate at quarterback in Drake Maye.
If Seattle’s defense can slow down offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ attack and deliver one more elite performance, it will not just bring a Lombardi Trophy — it could elevate this unit into the top five defenses of all time.
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