Here im going to break down all the defense in the nfl

The 3-4 defense is so named because it involves 3 down linemen and 4 linebackers. There are usually 4 defensive backs. However, most teams since the 1990s have been using the 4-3 defense, primarily because football is fundamentally a "rush first" game, and the 4-3 defense's 4 down linemen make rushing more difficult by adding one more down lineman to fill gaps. By the same token, fast linebackers, sitting back to survey the offensive set, can key in on an inside ball carrier and "hit the gaps" quickly to offer help to the 3 down linemen when defending the rush. In pass coverage, the 4 linebackers are already in a "sitting back" position, able to see the patterns develop and cover the short/intermediate pass.

The 4-3 It is so named because it involves four down linemen and three linebackers along with four defensive backs. The 4-3 is widely used because of its balance in stopping both runs and passes


The top priority of the 4-4 defense is stopping the run and with 8 men in the box (around the line of scrimmage) on every snap, it puts a defense in a very good position to do just that. In addition, with 8 men in the box, it is difficult for the offense to pin point exactly where the pressure will be coming from when the defense blitzes. One final significant advantage of the 4-4 defense is that it can easily adjust to the offense. The 4-4 can shift into a nickel or dime coverage simply and effectively.


The benefit of having a 5-2 is that it adds size to your defense by replacing a linebacker with a defensive lineman. This helps in short-yardage situations where you want to stall the line of scrimmage and not give up the inside run. The disadvantage is in pass coverage -- most 5-2 teams will rush all 5 defensive linemen leaving only 6 pass defenders. In some circumstances a 5-2 team will drop one of the linemen, typically an end, off into coverage. But this is primarily a situational defense, and not often used in situations where downfield pass coverage is a significant concern.


The 3-3-5 alignment, sometimes known as the "Mustang" or "30-Stack," typically relies on 3 down linemen, 3 linebackers, and 5 defensive backs: 1 free safety, 2 cornerbacks playing off the line, and 2 roving safeties that move around. The safeties take on 2nd receivers or tight ends and have to be able to come up and make tackles, usually outside the box. Generally, when running a 3-3-5 the user is trying to confuse the offense by "exchanging" different pressures in the A, B, and C gaps using the lineman, linebackers, rovers, and free safety while playing mostly zone or sometimes man coverage behind. Teams that run the 3-3-5 generally use it because they are a fast but sometimes smaller unit who wants to cause assignment issues for the opposing offense. Also, a 3-3-5 can be adjusted based on formation to a 4-3, 3-4, 4-4, Goal Line, etc. with the same starting players.

The 5-2-4 Is a variation of the 46 defense and the 3-3-5, often called "Bear Down". Takes away plays from the out side in. A line backer and a safety come down on the outside sides. the tackles line up in the C gap, they both read the last man on their side of the line of scrimmage. Depending on that offensive players move (inside or outside) determines the defensive players role, if the outside man is getting kicked out he has outside containment and the DE comes down the line. If the outside man is let free then he comes down the line and the DE fights to get outside containment. It makes for two down the line of scrimmage players two outside contain guys and three inside players. Bear is also man coverage.

The Nickel defense now has three cornerbacks and two safeties on the field, for a total of five defensive backs. Since there are five backs, this is called a nickel package. If the defense is against a high percentage passing offense, it is likely that they will start out the game in their nickel package and rarely play their base defense.


The dime defense is usually employed in obvious passing situations. The formation usually consists of 6 defensive backs, and has either 4 down linemen and 1 linebacker, or 3 down linemen and 2 linebackers. It is very vulnerable to running plays, and the 4-1 version is especially vulnerable to draws, but usually the dime is only employed when an offense can scarcely afford to run even for a good gain, either because of the great distance needed to get a first down, or because of a lack of time, or both.


Prevent defenses are geared almost exclusively towards stopping an extremely long pass. They are frequently used in obvious passing situations, such as a third-and-very-long situation, or to prevent a long score on the last play of a half, or when the defense believes that the offense must pass (for example, if the offense is trailing late in a game). Otherwise the prevent is almost never used. The defense trades size for speed, and tries to ensure that no receiver can get behind the defense. A prevent defense backs up the coverage so far that it will often give up long yardage, but it makes scoring a touchdown in a single play very difficult.


The 46 A variation of "8 in the box" in the NFL is called the 46 or "Bear" defense. It is designed to put pressure on the QB by lining up the defense with 3 defensive linemen covering the center & guards, and the 4th defensive linemen lined up either "wide" outside the TE or wide off the weak-side Tackle. The linebackers & strong safety are lined up behind the defensive line to put pressure on the QB as well.