Cleveland’s 2023 defense lands on PFSN’s rankings of the Top 10 units since 2000. But Pittsburgh is nowhere to be found.
The Cleveland Browns made a surprising run to the NFL playoffs in 2023, thanks in part to the resurgence of veteran quarterback Joe Flacco.
But while Northeast Ohio was embracing Flacco Fever, it was Cleveland’s defense that carried the water for much of the season.
Led by Myles Garrett, the league’s best defensive player, and with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz calling the shots, the Browns defense:
- allowed the fewest yards in the league;
- yielded the lowest completion percentage for opposing quarterbacks;
- posted the highest pass-rush win rate at 60.3%;
- allowed the lowest EPA per play on pass rushes at -0.27); and,
- allowed the lowest first-down conversion rate at 22.6%.
In summary, Cleveland’s defense made life miserable for whatever offense was unfortunate enough to line up across from them on a given week.
These defenses were TOUGH pic.twitter.com/t3NTQpsXWf
— PFSN (@PFSN365) July 15, 2025
So it should come as no surprise that the 2023 defense is ranked at No. 5 on Pro Football Sports Network’s list of the Top 10 defenses since 2000.
The site used its “proprietary Defense+ metric” to come up with the rankings. Defense+ combines various statistics, including yards per play, points per drive, and sack percentage, among several others, which are then weighted accordingly to produce the rankings.
As it relates to the Browns, PFSN’s Brandon Austin writes:
The 2023 Cleveland Browns are the most recent team to crack the top 10 in Defense+. Don’t let the team’s overall struggles in 2024 fool you because Cleveland’s defense was great during the previous season. Despite ranking 13th in points allowed (21.3 points per game), this unit allowed the fewest yards in the NFL (270.2).
The unquestioned leader of the Browns’ defense was edge rusher Myles Garrett, who was a first-team All-Pro selection and the AP Defensive Player of the Year. Garrett registered 14 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles in the regular season. Meanwhile, cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. enjoyed a breakout campaign, recording a team-high four interceptions and 14 pass breakups.
The Browns’ advanced numbers were a mixed bag. They allowed 1.42 points per drive, but their +0.07 EPA per rush and 38.7% pressure rate without blitzing were both impressive marks. Garrett’s impact was felt on every play, even if it didn’t show up in the box score. Cleveland also allowed just a 29.8% conversion rate on third and fourth downs.
The list is dominated by the Baltimore Ravens, who claim four spots in the Top 10, including at No. 1, but there is one AFC North team that is especially conspicuous by its absence.
Despite their image as a tough-nosed defensive team, the Pittsburgh Steelers are nowhere to be found. Which is odd, since they have been led for the past eight seasons by their hard-hat-wearing, lunch-pail-toting false idol, T.J. Watt.
That also may explain why the Steelers have not won a playoff game since 2016, the longest current streak in the division.
The Browns rode their defense and the hot hand of Flacco to a surprising playoff berth in 2023, before taking a major step back in 2024.
If they hope to drop a few more surprises on the NFL this fall, they will need the defense to once again perform the way it did two seasons ago.