The 2024 NFL season will kick off with a display of two of the league's most feared defenses, as the Baltimore Ravens visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night. One of the contenders, meanwhile, can also claim to have deployed one of the best defensive players of all time.
CBS Sports has been polling fans in the lead-up to the 2024 campaign to identify the top defender of the last two-plus decades, culling through all the biggest names to grace the field since the year 2000. And now, the bracket has been whittled down to two: Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, and former Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who just retired this offseason.
Lewis is in pole position to claim the crown, according to the first wave of votes, after edging out fellow Ravens great Ed Reed, former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis, and current Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt. The latter is still a headliner of Pittsburgh's defense, but advanced past fellow pass rushing greats like Julius Peppers and Von Miller to challenge for the all-time honor.
Lewis, who hasn't suited up since 2012, played his entire 17-year career with the Ravens, earning 13 Pro Bowl nods and helping Baltimore capture two Super Bowl victories.
As for Donald, the ex-Rams star edged out former Houston Texans stalwart JJ Watt in the bracket's semifinals, after already beating defensive line legends like Michael Strahan and Vince Wilfork. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year also received more votes than former linebackers Zach Thomas and Luke Kuechly, who advanced past the initial stages of voting.
