Texans, Patriots among NFL's 5 best defenses early in 2016

Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns, and spent the last 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast."

Every team has now played two games. By heavily weighing the information we deciphered from those two outings - as well as using some offseason analysis - let's put together a short list of the top defenses in the NFL right now. Here we go!

Denver Broncos

The Broncos are still the best. Von Miller looks better than ever. The edge pass-rush is simply elite, even with DeMarcus Ware expected to miss some time. The losses of Danny Trevathan and Malik Jackson are certainly worth noting, but there is still a ton of talent here to mesh with the outstanding defensive mind of Wade Phillips.

What sets the Broncos' defense apart from the rest of the league, however, is the secondary. Denver goes three deep with exceptional man-coverage cornerbacks, and Bradley Roby could be ready to take his game up yet another level this year. Additionally, the most underrated member of this defense, T.J. Ward, does some fantastic work. Want an example of Ward’s value? Go take a look at how well he locked up Greg Olsen in Denver's opening-night win over the Panthers.

Houston Texans

While Houston's secondary is still behind Denver's, it still boasts its own excellent three-man gang of former first-round picks at cornerback in Jonathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson, and Kevin Johnson. The Texans are just OK at inside linebacker and safety, but their pass-rush and defensive line might be the best in the league … and is only getting better. No team has rushed the passer as well as Houston thus far in 2016. And J.J. Watt isn't yet back to being J.J. Watt after his back surgery.

That is a frightening proposition, as Houston is dominating on this side of the ball without Watt playing like the best player in football, which is still sure to come. Only two teams are allowing fewer yards per game than Houston thus far. Watt certainly has not been a liability, but Jadeveon Clowney is breaking out as we speak, Whitney Mercilus proved his value last year, and John Simon is the player no one is talking about - but they should be. On passing downs, Romeo Crennel is lining up Watt, Clowney, Mercilus, and Simon … and just wreaking havoc.

Seattle Seahawks

Nothing new here. The Seahawks' defense has been among the very best in the league for some time now. Earl Thomas is the best safety in football. Richard Sherman is one of the best cornerbacks. Kam Chancellor is the enforcer. And the front seven is as potent as ever with a wide array of different types of athletes that Pete Carroll deploys so well. Frank Clark looks like a real up-and-comer on this already outstanding unit, and Jarran Reed is the perfect replacement for Brandon Mebane as a young anchor in the interior.

Seattle has only allowed 19 points in 2016 - easily the lowest in the NFL - and only have one less sack than Houston. The Seahawks also lead the league in yards allowed per game, and have yet to allow a touchdown. Nothing much new to report here. The Seahawks are going to have to be great on this side of the ball while they iron out their massive problems on the offensive line and Russell Wilson's ankle heals. They should be up for the challenge as always.

Minnesota VIkings

The Vikings' defense basically single-handedly won the team's Week 1 contest in Tennessee, and forced Aaron Rodgers into one of his worst showings as a starting quarterback this past week. Over the past several draft classes, Mike Zimmer has brought in exactly the type of aggressive and versatile defenders he covets. In pairing them with several veteran rocks, Minnesota now boasts one of the league’s top defenses.

The Vikings have been great in 2016, even without their best cornerback, Xavier Rhodes, and Sharrif Floyd - neither of whom has played a snap. Hopefully Trae Waynes realizes that you can't molest receivers all the way down the field in the NFL, but the former first-round pick is just a placeholder until Rhodes returns, and Waynes does have undeniable potential.

This is a deep, well-coached unit whose recently drafted players are hitting their prime, while the older veterans are still quite productive. As is the case with the Seahawks, Minnesota's defense will have to be great to keep this team competitive. So far, it's working just fine.

New England Patriots

Bill Belichick has put together quite a defense in New England once again. Devin McCourty is the eraser of errors in the deep middle of the field and the leader of what has become an excellent secondary that excels in man coverage. But as is the case with all Belichick-coached teams, the Patriots are highly versatile and, like a chameleon, can change week to week or even from quarter to quarter to take away what the opposing offense does best.

Versatility and intelligence are always stressed a great deal on this side of the ball under Belichick, and there isn't a pair of more versatile linebackers on any team than Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins. This pairing is what makes the Patriots' defense one of the very best units in football. However, the Pats are also getting quite a bit of production from their big guys on defense as well.

Gone is Chandler Jones, but Chris Long looks like the latest in a long list of Belichick reclamation projects. With Jacoby Brissett getting the start on Thursday night, it will be extremely interesting to see if New England's defensive front can go toe to toe with Houston's to keep the scoring - and stress on their rookie QB - to a minimum.