Two out of three feels like the theme yet again. Our goal is to go three-for-three. When it comes to trying to figure out the best defenses to sit, it is not always so easy. However, two defenses have been problematic too often. One is the Arizona Cardinals but the other has been the New York Jets.
Week 12 creates some options as some teams will have to play in warmer than usual conditions. More of those really bad defenses are on display. It will be nice to see Mother Nature take a break for the most part.
Let us take a look at a few candidates to ride the pine and sit for this week. Remember to check out some of the must start defenses for Week 12.
This is not fair as the Jets go through a quarterback change and have to face a ticked off Lamar Jackson on the road. Yes, the Jets are 2-8 and going nowhere fast. Worse, they are just about two touchdown underdogs in Baltimore. The Ravens turned the ball over three times against Cleveland last week. Do not expect that this week.
The New York Jets still rank dead last in turnovers. Their -11 turnover differential is one thing. However, the Jets have not picked off a single pass and only have recovered one fumble in 2025. Yes, that is no misprint. When a defense cannot make momentum changing plays, opposing teams know it and exploit it.
Every other team has forced at least six turnovers. It does not help that Kris Boyd was shot critically last week in New York City. Everything that could go wrong for the Jets truly has this season and the schedule does them no favors on Sunday.
Maybe both defenses could be sat here as the offenses should have an upper hand to a point. Arizona has allowed 40+ points in back-to-back weeks while Jacksonville unloaded 35 on the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11 action.
Arizona’s defensive EPA under Jonathan Gannon looks like this.
Over the past month or so, things have only gotten worse for the Cardinals. Playing against the Jaguars might be a bit of an adventure this week too. When Jacksonville is motivated, they can look really good. Is Liam Cohen on to something? The Cardinals might find out the hard way.
Let us keep this one simple. Seattle can score and Tennessee cannot. When an offense is so bad that they rank in the bottom three in more than a half dozen categories, that sets up a defense for failure. Tennessee is averaging 14.3 points per game on offense and 27.3 allowed on defense. That -13 differential is the worst in the league.
Tennessee is 1-9 for a reason. They are bad. Sure, two huge Jonathan Taylor days skewed their rushing defense. However, higher powered offenses have been too much for them. Even the Rams forced the Titans to almost -15 points off their projection. New England forced them to almost -16 points.
Seattle is a team that can easily force that trend to continue on Sunday. The Titans can force some turnovers but the offense turns the ball over and makes even more mistakes. It might be better to not try them as a streaming option given what the Seahawks can do (29.4 points per game – 3rd in the NFL).