2025 NFL Defensive Schematic Review: Analyzing the League's Bottom Tier

Analyzing schematic failures, the decline of the Pete Carroll system, and 2026 coaching pivots for the NFL's bottom-tier units.—In this episode:Examine the league’s bottom-tier defenses, which struggled to execute complex, positionless systems they did not fundamentally understand.Why the blueprint of the Pete Carroll defensive system has officially reached its end as a winning model in 2026.Explain the Dallas Cowboys pivot to Christian Parker’s 3-4 base Fangio scheme that utilizes 4-3 spacing and shades.How the Cincinnati Bengals stabilized their season by shifting toward five-man pressures and multiple fronts after the bye week.Dissect how the New York Jets reached a historical low by failing to record a single turnover despite employing a defensive head coach.—Timestamps:00:01 Introduction: NFL Defensive Dumpsters 01:31 Dallas Cowboys: The End of the Carroll System 10:33 Washington Commanders: Restructuring and Outliers 15:15 Cincinnati Bengals: A Tale of Two Halves 26:08 New York Jets: The Improbable Turnover Drought 34:49 Tennessee Titans: Robert Saleh’s Wide-Nine 39:33 San Francisco 49ers: Personnel Struggles and Transition 43:37 New York Giants: Recreating the Ravens Model 54:02 Chicago Bears: Volatility and Secondary Decisions 55:02 Conclusion: Offseason Outlook—» Join Felix and Cody each Wednesday as we dive deep into the game we love!MatchQuarters is a reader-supported publication. So, make sure to subscribe.—© 2025 MatchQuarters | Cody Alexander | All rights reserved. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.matchquarters.com/subscribe