The New England Patriots, according to several statistics, have the best defense in the NFL through the first five weeks of the 2019 season.
Bill Belichick's defense leads the league in the following categories:
- Points allowed
- Yards Allowed
- Third-down conversion
- Sacks
- Interceptions
- Takeaways
- First downs allowed
- Passing yards allowed
- Passing TD allowed
Leading the league in all of these stats must mean the Patriots have the best defense, right?
Well, former Patriots safety and current NBC Sports analyst Rodney Harrison thinks the Chicago Bears actually have football's top defense. He explained his position during Sunday's "Football Night In America" pregame show. Check it out in the video below:
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The Bears defense was the top unit in the league in 2018, and it's off to another strong start this season.
Chicago will enter Week 6 ranking No. 2 in points allowed per game, No. 5 in yards allowed per game and No. 4 in sacks. The Bears' schedule also has been a little tougher than New England's, including matchups against playoff-caliber opponents such as the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. Let's also not forget the Bears don't have the luxury of a high-scoring offense, which puts a lot of pressure on the defense to play at a really high level each week.
The Patriots and Bears both have exceptional defenses, there's no debating that. Which one is better? It's still too early to give a definitive answer. Both teams still have yet to face the toughest stretch of their 2019 schedules.
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