There's a common phrase in football: Defense wins championships. If that's true, then you'll certainly want to play "Madden NFL 22" with a team that features a strong defensive attack.
Most Madden users can generate an offensive attack with lesser overall players, taking advantage of either schemes or certain player traits (such as speed). But it can be harder to achieve the same success on the other side of the ball, which is why players like to use teams with a strong defense.
Below, we'll go over the list of every team's defensive rating at launch, and break down why the top five are so strong.
MORE: Full list of Madden 22 player ratings
Best defenses to use in Madden 22
The Buccaneers, Steelers and Bears come in with the best defenses at launch in Madden 22. Considering the Bucs also made it into the top three offenses in Madden 22, you can fully expect to see this team almost every time you launch up online play. It's rare to have a team with a strong offense and defense at the same time. As we can tell by the other teams on the high defense list, not many overlap with one another.
| TEAM | DEF RATING |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 90 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 88 |
| Chicago Bears | 87 |
| New England Patriots | 86 |
| Denver Broncos | 86 |
| Green Bay Packers | 85 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 85 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 84 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 84 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 83 |
| New Orleans Saints | 83 |
| Buffalo Bills | 82 |
| New York Giants | 82 |
| Washington Football Team | 81 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 81 |
| Tennessee Titans | 80 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 80 |
| Cleveland Browns | 79 |
| Miami Dolphins | 79 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 78 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 78 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 77 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 77 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 76 |
| Carolina Panthers | 76 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 75 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 75 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 74 |
| Detroit Lions | 74 |
| New York Jets | 74 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 73 |
| Houston Texans | 72 |
Top 5 defenses in Madden 22
Tampa Bay Buccaneers — 90
The only team with a defensive rating in the 90s. The Bucs are led by MLB Lavonte David, who has the second-highest overall on the team at 93. Shaquil Barrett (88) and Vita Vea (88) follow behind. Devin White is a Madden dream player with his 85 overall and 92 speed at MLB. In fact, he's the third-fastest linebacker (including all LOLB, MLB, ROLB) in the game. The Bucs also have secondary help, with three CBs rated 80 overall or higher. The Bucs are talented all over the place.
Pittsburgh Steelers — 88
The Steelers are one of the most lopsided teams in Madden 22. They feature the second-best overall defense, but the eighth-worst overall offense. In fact, all five of their top overall players are on the defensive side of the ball. And four of of those top five are involved in Pittsburgh's pass rush. While Devin Bush has a lower overall (77), his speed (90) is going to make him someone you'll want on the field, and could potentially add to that lethal pass rush including T.J. Watt (94 OVR), Cameron Heyward (92), Stephon Tuitt (89) and Melvin Ingram (87).
Chicago Bears — 87
The Bears are going to be a fun team to use in Madden 22. While their offense is only 73 overall, they feature plenty of weapons you can utilize such as QB Justin Fields with 90 speed, WR Marquise Goodwin with 96 speed and 90 overall Allen Robinson. And then you give them an 87 overall defense, and suddenly you've got a playable team. The defense is led by LOLB Khalil Mack (96 OVR), and followed by FS Eddie Jackson (89) and LE Akiem Hicks (LE). Roquan Smith is a strong overall at 88, and his 89 speed makes him one of the game's faster linebackers.
New England Patriots — 86
If you're looking for a team with a good secondary, then the Patriots are the team for you. And with how popular passing became in Madden 21, picking a team with a good secondary is a good idea. The Patriots are led by CB Stephon Gilmore (97 OVR), but he's not the only bright spot. The Patriots secondary also features Devin McCourty (92 OVR), JC Jackson (85) and Jonathan Jones (83). The Patriots even have some solid linebackers in Dont'a Hightower (87) and Matthew Judon (82).
Denver Broncos — 86
The Broncos have the fifth-best defense, but the fourth-worst offense in Madden 22. Their low offensive team score (along with not many great players to use) makes them pretty unappealing overall. But the defense does have some bright spots, led by a strong pass rush in LOLB Von Miller (93) and ROLB Bradley Chubb (85). Four of the Broncos' top five players are in the secondary, including FS Justin Simmons (91), CB Kyle Fuller (87), CB Bryce Callahan (86) and SS Kareem Jackson (86).
Other notes
The Ravens, Packers and Cardinals are all in the top 10 for defense and offense (as well as the Bucs who we mentioned earlier). The Panthers and Jets are tied with having the fastest players (96 SPD) on defense in CB Donte Jackson and CB Javelin Guidry. The Ravens have one of the fastest secondaries, although their overalls are somewhat low. But Baltimore features five CBs with 92 speed or higher. The Cardinals and Cowboys are tied with the fastest linebackers in the game in Isaiah Simmons (93 SPD) and Micah Parsons (93 SPD). The Raiders have a pair of linebackers who are tied at the third-fastest with 91 speed.