NFL Report Cards: Team-by-Team Grades for Week 4
Any given Sunday...
It's a term meant to describe the parity and the competitiveness of the NFL. Any team—any single team—can knock one of the big boys off their pedestal. There are no "Directional State Universities" or FCS Polytechnics to pick on, and Appalachian State-like victories over powerhouses happen far more often than once in a generation.
Yet we can also take "any given Sunday" to its logical conclusion: Every given Sunday in the NFL is filled with twists, turns, surprises and incredible drama. Operating on the "any given Sunday" principal means that upsets are expected, and still we wait for them on the edges of our seat.
This "any given Sunday" idea made the Minnesota Vikings' win over the Atlanta Falcons surprising, but not Earth-shattering. It gave us hope that quarterback Blake Bortles could lead the Jacksonville Jaguars over a San Diego Chargers team that has taken down the world champions already this season.
For everything you need to know about this given week in the NFL, I've broken down the teams that passed the test and those that might need to go back to show their work.
Criteria for Grading
—Coaching decisions and how a team performs on offense, defense and special teams.
—The caliber of opponent the team was facing.
—The atmosphere the performance was played in: at home, away, weather, etc.
Not Considered in Grades
—Excuses. I grade the team on the field, not the ideal team that could have been out there without injuries, suspensions, etc.
—Expectations. If everyone picked your favorite team to lose and it won, that doesn't mean it gets an A+.
—Results. A team can look really bad and win a game, while another team can look awfully great in defeat. While it's true that winners will often trend higher than losers from week to week, that doesn't mean all of the winners get good grades while the losers get D's or F's.
This week, we're eschewing game balls and game goats due to Sunday Night Football travel obligations. That feature will return with a vengeance next week.
Each team also gets a cumulative grade, averaging grades from Week 1 until now. This will be a running metric all season long.
On to the grades!
Arizona Cardinals (3-0)
1 of 32
The Arizona Cardinals were off this week.
2014 Cumulative: B+
Week 5 Opponent: Denver Broncos (Away)
Atlanta Falcons (2-2)
2 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Lost to Minnesota Vikings 41-28
This year, the Falcons' grades have gone A, D, A and now D+.
Talent they have...consistency, not so much.
While the Falcons' loss to the Vikings didn't have the numerical fireworks of their thrashing of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they had to have some of the same emotions the Buccaneers did following that game. This was a "lowly" Vikings team with a rookie quarterback in his first start.
The Falcons had the ability and mandate to embarrass the Vikings in Week 4, but they came away with egg on their faces. They can only hope the pattern holds true for a fantastic Week 5, and maybe they can cut out the roller-coaster routine after that.
Week 4 Grade: D+
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 5 Opponent: New York Giants (Away)
Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
3 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Def. Carolina Panthers 38-10
This Ravens team has a chip on its shoulder.
While the narrative says I have to believe the aforementioned chip starts and ends with wide receiver Steve Smith, that's just part of it. Smith torched his former Panthers teammates and would've earned yet another game ball for the Panthers this week if I were handing them out. It was billed as a "revenge" game, and he got it with 139 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
That's not where the chip ends, though, as the offensive line continually plays as if they have something to prove after being (rightfully) maligned last season. The running backs—probably awfully sick of the whole Ray Rice situation—grind out yards. The defense, constantly compared to the Ravens defenses of old, finds a way to step up its game against good competition.
The Ravens aren't the scariest team in the league on paper, but they might be the scariest team out on a football field.
Week 4 Grade: A
2014 Cumulative: B+
Week 5 Opponent: Indianapolis Colts (Away)
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Buffalo Bills (2-2)
4 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Lost to Houston Texans 23-17
EJ Manuel had his worst game of 2014 and is going to give way to Kyle Orton for the time being. The move is short-sighted at best and showcases a complete lack of a plan on head coach Doug Marrone's part.
Why did Manuel pass 44 times in a game that was not only close, but in which they led the entire first half?
The Bills are playing just well enough to convince themselves Orton may be Mr. Right Now, but they aren't going to win a lot of games unless he's able to tap into a lot of the team speed that Manuel has been unable to benefit from.
Week 4 Grade: C-
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 5 Opponent: Detroit Lions (Away)
Carolina Panthers (2-2)
5 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Lost to Baltimore Ravens 38-10
The Panthers were beaten like rag dolls on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, former Panther Steve Smith ran circles around defensive backs, while the vaunted defensive line couldn't handle the Ravens' physicality. On offense, the constant injuries to running backs have taken a toll, yes, but the offensive line wasn't exactly helping matters.
The Panthers have all the ingredients to win games exactly as they won games last year, but they've been rag-dolled two weeks in a row by AFC North opponents. With games coming up against the Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals, the time to turn things around is now.
Week 4 Grade: D
2014 Cumulative: C-
Week 5 Opponent: Chicago Bears (Home)
Chicago Bears (2-2)
6 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Lost to Green Bay Packers 38-17
The Packers figured things out on offense, and the Chicago Bears suffered for it.
A C+ grade probably looks more positive than many fans feel it should be or than the score looks, but the Bears running game was about as impressive as expected, and the offense was mildly effective albeit mistake-prone. Overall, the offensive line had a great day.
Head back to the intro slide and remember that our expectations about the Bears can't factor into grading their actual performance.
This loss isn't the end of the world, nor is it as bad as the Week 1 loss to Buffalo. The sky is not falling. This was just a divisional rivalry game that didn't go their way.
Week 4 Grade: C+
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 5 Opponent: Carolina Panthers (Away)
Cincinnati Bengals (3-0)
7 of 32
The Cincinnati Bengals were off this week.
2014 Cumulative: A-
Week 5 Opponent: New England Patriots (Away)
Cleveland Browns (1-2)
8 of 32
The Cleveland Browns were off the week.
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 5 Opponent: Tennessee Titans (Away)
Dallas Cowboys (3-1)
9 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Def. New Orleans Saints 38-17
Seeing this game in person, I wrote that the Cowboys have a toughness to their game this season that they haven't had in years past. Much of that is based around the offensive line play, but the defense has contributed as well.
Head coach Jason Garrett's hot seat might be actually cooling off for the first time in years, and this looks like a better-than-.500 team.
Week 4 Grade: A
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 5 Opponent: Houston Texans (Home)
Denver Broncos (2-1)
10 of 32
The Denver Broncos were off this week.
2014 Cumulative: B+
Week 5 Opponent: Arizona Cardinals (Home)
Detroit Lions (3-1)
11 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Def. New York Jets 24-17
Lions fans thought I was too hard on them last week and will likely think so again.
The positive with this Lions team is that—in the past—the team has gone as quarterback Matthew Stafford has gone and, largely, his performances have depended on wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Last week, the Lions got docked for poor play from the passing game, but it's a positive that they were still able to win the game.
Against the Jets, the defense continued its stellar performance of 2014, albeit with some missteps against the run without linebacker Stephen Tulloch. Overall, though, this was an improved performance from last week and another notch in the win column.
Week 4 Grade: B
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 5 Opponent: Buffalo Bills (Home)
Green Bay Packers (2-2)
12 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Def. Chicago Bears 38-17
This is the Packers' first grade above a C+ all season, and they're coming off an F performance.
Here, they dominated, and as I said on the Bears slide, this game was really more about the Packers finally looking like many expected them to and less about the Bears having that bad of a game. Though the Aaron Rodgers-led mantra was "Relax," it was more as if the Packers played fed up with their previous efforts.
Passing game, check. Defense, check. Running game...eh, still looks like a work in progress. That's the minus in their A-.
Week 4 Grade: A-
2014 Cumulative: C
Week 5 Opponent: Minnesota Vikings (Home)
Houston Texans (3-1)
13 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Def. Buffalo Bills 23-17
It's about time someone puts the Texans' 3-1 start to the season in some perspective.
Their wins—against Washington, the Raiders and now the Bills—came over as unimpressive a group as one can manage that doesn't include the Jacksonville Jaguars. Offensively, the Texans are just good enough to not trip over their own proverbial feet with the running game leading the way, though they've actually been incredibly average overall this year.
Defensively, it's great to point to J.J. Watt's play every week, but the entire unit has been up and down and has been poor against the run. Against the Bills, they benefited from a coach who seemed ambivalent to establishing the run in any meaningful way.
This is a much better Texans team than we saw last year, but people thinking this is a return to two years ago aren't watching the games.
Week 4 Grade: C+
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 5 Opponent: Dallas Cowboys (Away)
Indianapolis Colts (2-2)
14 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Def. Tennessee Titans 41-17
As long as we're providing perspective for the AFC South, let's pump the brakes on Andrew Luck's Hall of Fame candidacy. Yes, he's been stellar this season, but coming off back-to-back games against the atrocious Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans is hardly the time to be making any wide-sweeping conclusions.
Throw in the fact that Denver and Philadelphia (both Colts losses) have pretty bad pass defenses as well, and it's clear that maybe the next few games—Baltimore, Houston and Cincinnati—will be more important to writing Luck's 2014 narrative than the last few were.
Overall, though, it's difficult to get anything less than an A when the Titans gift-wrap it for you.
Week 4 Grade: A
2014 Cumulative: B+
Week 5 Opponent: Baltimore Ravens (Home)
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4)
15 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Lost to San Diego Chargers 33-14
My respect for the Chargers (especially at home against an East Coast team) keeps this grade from backsliding even more, but the storyline here is that the Jaguars offense showed a little life. Frankly, had the defense held up its end of the bargain a little bit better, the numbers would have been even more impressive.
Bortles is here to stay, but the Jaguars should be better on defense than they currently are—that is Gus Bradley's specialty, after all.
Week 4 Grade: C
2014 Cumulative: D
Week 5 Opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers (Home)
Kansas City Chiefs (2-2)
16 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Def. New England Patriots 41-14
Running back Jamaal Charles is back in a big way.
Charles' three-touchdown performance paced the Chiefs as they scored just about any way they wanted against Bill Belichick's Patriots. Tight end Travis Kelce continues to be a bigger part of the offense each and every week, Knile Davis ran the ball well and even tackle Eric Fisher settled into a less-than-offensive day as a blocker.
Not only were the Patriots outplayed, but they were clearly outcoached, as the Chiefs came into Monday Night Football with a ton of well-designed plays that Belichick and company just weren't ready for.
Week 4 Grade: A
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 5 Opponent: San Francisco 49ers (Away)
Miami Dolphins (2-2)
17 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Def. Oakland Raiders 38-14
When your team has three turnovers and still wins the game by such a large margin, it must mean you're doing a lot of other things right...or just playing an Oakland Raiders team that had four turnovers.
That whole level of competition keeps this from being an A, though the Dolphins definitely looked good in this tune-up contest before their bye.
Week 4 Grade: B+
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 5 Opponent: Bye
Minnesota Vikings (2-2)
18 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Def. Atlanta Falcons 41-28
The future is now, and it includes quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, but it may or may not include Adrian Peterson.
Seriously, think back to the last time the Vikings offense looked this good without Peterson or a certain quarterback named Brett Favre. Coming up empty? Exactly. Yes, the offense included a ton of short passes turned into big gains, but that's an effective way to win in the NFL!
The passing offense loosened things up for Jerick McKinnon and the run game, which means things could be even better with Peterson back on the field, but it also makes it seem like maybe Peterson's suspension isn't the end of the world after all.
Week 4 Grade: A
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 5 Opponent: Green Bay Packers (Away)
New England Patriots (2-2)
19 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Lost to Kansas City Chiefs 41-14
This is as bad a game as Tom Brady has ever played.
Yet Brady wasn't the only (or probably even the biggest) problem for the Patriots. The offensive line was horrid. The team barely has any talent at receiver, and the defense allowed Chiefs QB Alex Smith to look like...well, to look like Tom Brady.
Week 4 Grade: F
2014 Cumulative: C-
Week 5 Opponent: Cincinnati Bengals (Home)
New Orleans Saints (1-3)
20 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Lost to Dallas Cowboys 38-17
I have never seen a team so competent about what it should do and so reluctant and/or unable to actually execute its plans.
On offense, the Saints had wide-open receivers streaking down or across the deep part of the field most of the night. However, poor protection (both perceived and real) kept quarterback Drew Brees from taking those deep shots.
Defensively, the Saints looked to limit the Cowboys passing game by rolling toward Dez Bryant. Terrance Williams then ate them alive because no one could cover him one-on-one. They also rolled both safeties down into the box a number of times—including sending each on blitzes—and Cowboys back DeMarco Murray still had himself a day.
The Saints are completely lost right now.
Week 4 Grade: D+
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 5 Opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Home)
New York Giants (2-2)
21 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Def. Washington 45-14
If this is what the Ben McAdoo offense is supposed to look like, sign me up.
In Week 3, the Giants showcased what the offense could look like when it featured running back Rashad Jennings, but Manning was the linchpin against Washington with a fantastic 300-yard, four-touchdown passing performance that saw him lean on tight end Larry Donnell in the red zone but also spread the ball out to seven different receivers.
The defense, meanwhile, picked on Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins, who turned the ball over five times.
Week 4 Grade: A
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 5 Opponent: Atlanta Falcons (Home)
New York Jets (1-3)
22 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Lost to Detroit Lions 24-17
General rule of grading: Things are bad when the fans are calling for the quarterback's backup and the starter ends up cursing at said fans.
This game got a lot closer than it should've been, and that boosted the Jets' grade a tad while deflating the Lions' grade on a previous slide. The Jets' run game continued to look good against a Lions defense missing its middle linebacker.
Overall, though, this was a lackluster performance with too little, too late in terms of comeback to get the home victory.
Week 4 Grade: C-
2014 Cumulative: C
Week 5 Opponent: San Diego Chargers (Away)
Oakland Raiders (0-4)
23 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Lost to Miami Dolphins 38-14
If the Raiders can't win on the East Coast, they didn't stand a chance across the pond.
The wheels came off a bit for rookie quarterback Derek Carr—literally, as he injured his ankle—and backup Matt McGloin threw two interceptions in relief. The running game is still extremely suspect, and the defense stinks.
Worse yet, the offensive line (one of the few minor bright spots on a weekly basis) had an off day as well.
That's an F.
Week 4 Grade: F
2014 Cumulative: D
Week 5 Opponent: Bye
Philadelphia Eagles (3-1)
24 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Lost to San Francisco 49ers 26-21
Lose in the trenches and you deserve to lose the game, period.
The Eagles have tons of talent on the field at any given moment, but games like this happen when a team isn't capable up front on both sides of the ball. 49ers running back Frank Gore looked five years younger bursting through wide-open holes, while Eagles running backs LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles were bottled up.
The lack of protection hurt quarterback Nick Foles as well, who had as bad a game as he's had in an Eagles uniform, not counting this year's preseason.
Week 4 Grade: B
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 5 Opponent: St. Louis Rams (Home)
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
25 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Lost to Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-24
First response to this Steelers loss was to hand them an F.
Seriously, there is no reason to lose to the Buccaneers when the team has this much talent. It's maddening, and it didn't look anything like the Steelers team that trounced the Carolina Panthers just a week before. I actually feel marginally dirty for not giving them the worst grade possible.
Yet the Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown train kept rolling as the two combined for 131 yards and two touchdowns. So although the outcome was embarrassing, all was not lost.
Week 4 Grade: D
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 5 Opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars (Away)
San Diego Chargers (3-1)
26 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Def. Jacksonville Jaguars 33-14
Remember, in grading: no excuses!
The only thing keeping the Chargers' beatdown of the Jaguars from being an A is the terrible run game. Now, I know what the excuses are, but I don't grade teams on what they could have on the field. I grade what's out there, and what's out there in the run game for the Chargers is ugly—blocking and ball-carrying alike.
Other than that, this was textbook "getting it done" for a top team against a bottom-feeder.
Week 4 Grade: B+
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 5 Opponent: New York Jets (Home)
San Francisco 49ers (2-2)
27 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Def. Philadelphia Eagles 26-21
Still waiting for a full-game effort from the 49ers, but this game was a huge step in the right direction, as the run game got going against a hapless Eagles defensive front. In much the same way, the 49ers defensive line harassed Nick Foles into mistakes, allowing them to put this game away.
Colin Kaepernick could've been better through the air, and again, this game looked harder than it should've been because of some unforced errors. Getting the home win was extremely important, though—even if by a close margin.
Week 4 Grade: B
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 5 Opponent: Kansas City Chiefs (Home)
Seattle Seahawks (2-1)
28 of 32
The Seattle Seahawks were off this week.
2014 Cumulative: A-
Week 5 Opponent: Washington (Away)
St. Louis Rams (1-2)
29 of 32
The St. Louis Rams were off this week.
2014 Cumulative: C-
Week 5 Opponent: Philadelphia Eagles (Away)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3)
30 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Def. Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24
Quarterback Mike Glennon wasn't great, but he put the team on his back in a way Josh McCown has looked unable to do. Some of it was just picking on a Steelers defense that has fluctuated from "bad" to "very bad" for much of the year, but we haven't really seen the Buccaneers able to pick on anyone to this point in the season.
Week 4 Grade: B-
2014 Cumulative: D+
Week 5 Opponent: New Orleans Saints (Away)
Tennessee Titans (1-3)
31 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Lost to Indianapolis Colts 41-17
The worst team in football right now.
Very little is going right for the Titans. Cornerback Coty Sensabaugh is playing well, and the defense and offensive line both have a couple of pieces. But the entire team is contributing to losses like this with poor play and poor coaching, all wrapped up in a nice little bow with some of the worst quarterbacking the league has seen in some time.
Week 4 Grade: F
2014 Cumulative: D
Week 5 Opponent: Cleveland Browns (Home)
Washington (1-3)
32 of 32
Week 4 Outcome: Lost to New York Giants 45-14
Quarterback Kirk Cousins lost some luster against the Giants with a terrible turnover-prone performance. The running game was still terrible, and the receivers couldn't get open. The defense gave up a gigantic amount of yardage and points to a Giants passing offense that had spent the first few weeks of the season yawning.
A fanbase that wanted nothing to do with Robert Griffin III a few days ago suddenly can't wait until he's healthy.
Week 4 Grade: F
2014 Cumulative: C-
Week 5 Opponent: Seattle Seahawks (Home)
Michael Schottey is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report and an award-winning member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Find more of his stuff on his archive page and follow him on Twitter.
All traditional box score stats courtesy of ESPN.com. Advanced stats and metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
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