Michael Jordan vs Lebron James. Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo. Babe Ruth vs Hank Aaron. We all love a great binary G.O.A.T. (greatest of all-time) sports debate. When they are only two entities residing at the highest level of the pantheon, the comparison/contrast just happens naturally.
In regard to all-time NFL defenses, once again we have just two on this elevated plain: the 2000 Baltimore Ravens and 1985 Chicago Bears.
Popular lore usually goes with the Bears, but the numbers strongly favor the Ravens.
Baltimore set a NFL record, for a 16-game season, by giving up just 970 rushing yards (60.6 per game) that season. It was good for 186 fewer yards than the next lowest team, the New York Giants, who they beat in the Super Bowl that season.
The Ravens also allowed just five rushing touchdowns and an eye-popping 2.7 yards per rush, both league bests. They also set another record for a 16-game NFL season by allowing just 165 points (33 points fewer than the Bears) all season.
When you factor in the four postseason games, Baltimore’s defense allowed 188 points in total, or 9.4 points per game.
What’s especially notable here is how the Ravens total number of points allowed in 20 games is still 10 fewer than the Bears points allowed (198) in 16 games. They also allowed a full yard lower per rush than the Bears, whose opponents averaged 3.7 yards-per-carry against them.
The 2000 Ravens were also superior when it comes to allowing fewer total yards (168) and total rushing yards (349). They’re also better in yards per play and total passing touchdowns allowed.
This isn’t even really a contest, at this point, but Chicago was superior in total takeaways 54-49. Given that the numbers are so dominatingly in favor of the ’00 Ravens, why do so many people still think the ’85 Bears were the better defensive squad?
’85 Bears Had Many More Colorful Characters
Recording the iconic “Super Bowl Shuffle” tune, and doing it during mid-season no less, made these guys the epitome of being cocky, but backing it up.
It was a very different time, when football players weren’t hamstrung by individual brand managers, so they had more license to be interesting back then. While Baltimore had equal or better players, they didn’t have public personas to match the Fridge, Punky QB and “Mama’s Boy Otis.”
The ’85 Bears Had a Better Overall Team
Also, that specific Chicago team had a much better offense, as it featured “Sweetness” Walter Payton, who many consider the G.O.A.T. among running backs.
There is halo effect here in that people who only follow football on a cursory level just naturally assume that the better team must have had the superior defensive unit. Only those who dig deeper and look closer (like you, the reader of this article!) can see the differentiation.
Bears Defense Saved Their Best for Last
Chicago won their two NFC playoff games 21-0 and 24-0, supplementing that with a 46-10 win in the Super Bowl. That’s good for an extremely dominant 91-10 (+81) postseason point differential.
Baltimore had to play an extra postseason game, and won those four by the following scores: 21-3, 24-10, 16-3, 34-7. On aggregate that is 95-23 (+72). While these numbers are quite similar, the shutouts carry more metaphorical weight. With that in mind, Chicago’s legacy gets a boost from a recency effect of sorts, as their defense’s best work came at the very end.