Minnesota Vikings have the stingiest defense by EPA per play in the NFL
Minnesota Vikings have the stingiest defense by EPA per play in the NFL in the 2026 season at -0.20, against a league average of +0.01, as of October 5, 2026.
One number, the league’s average beside it, and the top 25. Every figure here is from the 2026 season.
The number
0.21 below the league average of +0.01. Expected points added per play by opposing offenses. Lower is better. On its own a figure is only a size, which is why the league's number sits beside it.
| # | The rest of the board | Defensive EPA per play |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Vikings | -0.20 |
| 2 |  Seattle Seahawks | -0.15 |
| 3 |  Los Angeles Rams | -0.13 |
| 4 |  Las Vegas Raiders | -0.08 |
| 5 |  Tampa Bay Buccaneers | -0.07 |
| 6 |  Jacksonville Jaguars | -0.06 |
| 7 |  Kansas City Chiefs | -0.05 |
| 8 |  Atlanta Falcons | -0.05 |
| 9 |  Cincinnati Bengals | -0.03 |
| 10 |  Los Angeles Chargers | -0.03 |
| 11 |  New York Jets | -0.02 |
| 12 |  Chicago Bears | -0.01 |
| 13 |  New York Giants | 0.00 |
| 14 |  Carolina Panthers | 0.00 |
| 15 |  New England Patriots | 0.00 |
| 16 |  Cleveland Browns | +0.02 |
| 17 |  Pittsburgh Steelers | +0.02 |
| 18 |  Washington Commanders | +0.03 |
| 19 |  San Francisco 49ers | +0.04 |
| 20 |  Houston Texans | +0.04 |
| 21 |  Baltimore Ravens | +0.04 |
| 22 |  Green Bay Packers | +0.04 |
| 23 |  Philadelphia Eagles | +0.05 |
| 24 |  Tennessee Titans | +0.05 |
| 25 |  Denver Broncos | +0.05 |
Source: nflverse play-by-play, 2026 season. League average across all 32 teams. Lower is better, so the table runs lowest first. The lead is 2.6 standard deviations (sd) above the field: the unit the directory ranks leads by, because it lets a rate and a speed share one list. Measured (); the boards refresh twice a day.