The conference championship games are approaching. Four teams are in the battle: The Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers from the NFC; the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Baltimore Ravens from the AFC. But who is the strongest of them all?

Nobody can deny that the four teams are equally strong, as they have the magic to turn the tables around at the last moment. However, this season highlighted some strong performances, especially on defense. And so, arguably one of the best defensive linemen of all time, J.J. Watt, appeared in the latest episode of “The Pat McAfee Show” to rank the defense of these four teams in the 2023-24 playoffs.

Who’s last, according to J.J. Watt’s defense ranking?

Three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt appeared in Wednesday’s episode of “The Pat McAfee Show” to rank the defenses of the teams playing in the conference championships. However, he hesitated to rank the teams, as every team is playing their best this time. But at the request of McAfee and his team, the former defensive lineman Watt ranked the Ravens on top, calling out Justin Madubuike, an underrated defensive tackle.

Watt said that he is ranking defense based on the front men and said, “I think I’m going with the Ravens at one,” which also has Patrick Queen. He even named Dre Greenlaw, calling him one of the best defensive players in the league. So, according to this, Watt ranked the 49ers as second. Soon after sharing the top two, Watt, according to him, struggled with the rest of the two teams and, hence, called off naming the list. But as McAfee and the team insisted on sharing the last spot, Watt took a while to think before responding, “If I truly had to do one right now, I mean I’d have to say it’s probably Detroit.” However, he added that despite the current rankings, they are still “awesome.”

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Well, being a legendary player in defense himself, Watt might not be wrong when ranking the team’s defense, as indeed, the Lions finished 19th in the NFL in total defense this season. They are also seen struggling with their defense sometimes, compared to the other three teams. Per the full defense, the Ravens stand at No. 6 with 301.4 yards avg., the Chiefs’ total defense stands at No. 2 with 289.8 yards avg., the 49ers are on No. 8 with 303.9, and the Lions are on 19th with 336.1 defense yards avg.

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Well, this is Watt’s and the NFL’s ranking, respectively, but here are five reasons we agree with Watt’s defense ranking for the Ravens.

The Top 5 reasons why we agree the Ravens are on top!

The Ravens secured the top spot in the AFC after impressive victories over the 49ers and the Miami Dolphins. Their dominant performances have proven to be the best team in the conference, securing the No. 1 seed and arguably the best in the entire NFL. So, why are the Ravens playing their ravishing plays? The team’s offense averages 29.5 points per game. With just 16 games, they scored 473 points, making themselves the second-most in franchise history, behind their 2019 Ravens, which scored 531 points. Apart from the offense, the team has one of the most robust defenses this season. They are ranking on the top in defense due to five compelling reasons. The first reason is that Baltimore’s defense has allowed only 16.4 points per game, and they excel at taking the ball away, forcing a league-best 29 turnovers. The second reason is their defense’s ability to generate turnovers and prevent opponents from scoring, showcasing elite performances in today’s NFL.

The third reason is the balanced performance of the 2023 Ravens, with a high-scoring defense similar to the 2019 Ravens, who gave 17.6 points per game and went 14-2 that season. The fourth reason is that the 2023 Ravens is a better-coached team with enhanced talent on both sides of the ball, especially at safety and linebacker positions. Under coach Mike McDonald, the team’s fast and athletic defense helps them to match up and succeed in their style of offense. The fifth reason is that the team’s defense can effectively stop the league’s highest-scoring offenses, as demonstrated in games against top-ranked opponents (the Lions, the 49ers, and the Dolphins) this season. Now, the team is moving forward to play against another solid defensive team whose offense got heated up at the correct time in the playoffs.

The Ravens are set to host the Chiefs on Sunday, January 28, at 3:00 p.m. ET, at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore.

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