NFL Report Card Week 17: Handing out Grades to All 32 Teams

Coming in to the final day of action for the 2011 NFL regular season, every team in the league had an opportunity to make a lasting impression on their fans, their head coach and general manager, and to their teammates, with the effort they gave in the final game of the season.

For the teams that already were eliminated from the playoffs, we will look to see how much fight they brought to their last game. For the teams that were in contention but were eliminated on Sunday, we will take a hard look to see how well they played, even though they faced very long odds of reaching the second season.

For the teams that had already clinched a playoff berth, as well as home field advantage in the playoffs, it would make sense for them to rest some of their regular guys, but we were asked to assign a grade to every team, not just to those who played their regular starters.

So, let's see how each team graded out in the final week of this wild 2011 NFL season.

Arizona Cardinals

Entering play in Week 17, the Arizona Cardinals were 7-8 and had been eliminated from the playoffs. They did have the chance to get back to a .500 record with a win at home against the Seattle Seahawks, who interestingly enough had the same 7-8 record. So, it looks like it will come down to who wants to be a .500 team more than the other guy.

These teams were evenly matched as their records indicated. Arizona slightly outgained the Seahawks, 388 yards to 369. There wasn't a big margin of difference in passing yards or rushing yards. The Cardinals did blow a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, as they were up 20-10, but the Seahawks fought back to force overtime. In overtime, the Cardinals nailed a 28-yard field goal by Jay Feely to win 23-20.

John Skelton once again led the Cardinals to a victory, and it has to be a fair question to debate in Phoenix as to who is the best quarterback on the Cardinals roster. The Cardinals did allow Seattle to gain 369 yards of offense, but at least they did come up with four sacks on the day.

Larry Fitzgerald went nuts with nine catches for 149 yards and LaRod Stephens-Howling had a solid day with 21 rushes for 93 yards.

Cardinals overall grade: B-

Atlanta Falcons

At 9-6, the Atlanta Falcons had already sewed up their Wild Card playoff berth, but they were awaiting the conclusion of the regular season to determine who their first-round opponent would be. The Falcons had a chance to end the season on a high note, as they hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are in the midst of closing out their 2011 season with a nine-game losing streak, with a strong chance to make it 10 straight.

The Falcons easily beat the Bucs as Atlanta ripped off 42 straight points to open up the game. Tampa Bay didn't know what had hit them, as they have been thought to have the bus running weeks ago. The Falcons called off the dogs, and the Bucs scored 24 straight points to make it slightly interesting. Atlanta won 45-24 and now owns the No. 5 seed in the NFC.

The Falcons offense churned out 428 yards of offense, went 6-of-11 on third downs and didn't allow a sack. The defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions. Michael Turner rushed 17 times for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Julio Jones had four catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns. 

The Falcons easily upped their scoring average of 23.8 points per game, so hopefully this gives them some extra confidence heading into the Wild Card Round.

Falcons overall grade: A-

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens had quite a lot at stake in Week 17. Win on the road at Cincinnati, and the Ravens would guarantee a first-round bye in the playoffs and would host at least one playoff game by becoming one of the top two seeds in the AFC. If the Ravens lost, however, they could tumble all the way down to the fifth seed and would not host any playoff game at all.

The Ravens were 5-0 in the AFC North coming into the Bengals game, so a perfect 6-0 sweep against the AFC North would be quite a feather in their cap. How did the Ravens perform in Week 17?

The Ravens won a quality game on the road with a hard-fought 24-16 victory, which ensures that the Ravens have a first-round bye and will host at least one playoff game.

The Ravens and the 49ers (also known as brothers Harbaugh) were the only teams in the NFL in Week 17 that did not have a turnover. By taking care of the ball, the Ravens picked up the key win. They also protected Joe Flacco, as the Bengals only had one sack on the day.

Ray Rice had 21 rushes for 191 yards, and the Ravens racked up 221 yards on the ground overall. They only attempted 18 passes for the game, and Flacco completed 15 of those. The Ravens played an effective and efficient game, allowing them to end the year as the No. 2 seed in the AFC.

Ravens Overall Grade: B +

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills (6-9) entered play in Week 17 with a chance to sweep the New England Patriots and deal New England's chances for home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs a serious blow. The Bills prevented the Denver Broncos from clinching the AFC West title the week before, and winning a second game in a row would be a better way for the Bills to end the disappointing 2011 season, considering their hot 5-2 start.

The Bills lost Kraig Urbik and Demetrius Bell last weekend, and Brad Smith was also been ruled out for this week, so their work is cut out for them. 

The Bills jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter based on Ryan Fitzpatrick playing an outstanding first quarter as he turned all three drives into three touchdowns. But Stevie Johnson went against Chan Gailey's rule about excessive celebration with a new t-shirt expression (Happy New Year), which led to Gailey deciding to bench Johnson for the remainder of the game.

Things went quickly downhill from there as the Patriots reeled off the next 49 points to win going away 49-21. The Bills defense did intercept Brady once and sacked him four times on the day, which was tied for second most in the NFL this week.

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw four interceptions and will wind up leading the NFL in that category. The Bills' first-quarter start was their only saving grace, but at least they did come to play. Chan Gailey made two gambles on fourth down in the first quarter, and both were converted, leading to touchdowns.

Bills Overall Grade: C -

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers (6-9) entered Week 17 with the knowledge that they own one of the first 11 draft picks in 2012, with a chance to find some new talent to support Cam Newton. A win on the road at New Orleans would be a great testament to how far this team has come in 2011, but it would also cost the Panthers draft position in the first round.

Cam Newton got a chance to see Drew Brees perform up close as the Saints cruised to a 45-17 win. It was still a game at halftime, as the Panthers were only trailing 24-17. But the second half was all New Orleans and all Drew Brees, as they shut out the Panthers 21-0 to win going away.

The Panthers defense could be accused of mailing in this game, as they allowed a whopping 617 yards of offense, the most allowed by any team. The Panthers gave up over 400 yards passing and over 200 yards of rushing. Not only that, but the Panthers were one of four defenses that failed to come up with a sack on Sunday. That just won't get the job done.

The Panthers only managed to net 137 yards in passing, so this game will be staying with them over the offseason. Not the kind of game you want to close out the year with.

Panthers Overall Grade: D +

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears went from 7-3 to 7-8 just like that. Five straight losses and counting. The end of the season couldn't come quickly enough for Bears fans to forget about 2011 and look ahead to 2012. The Bears could at least end the losing streak, considering that they were playing the lowly Minnesota Vikings, who of course were also missing their top running back in Adrian Peterson. Misery loves company.

How does a team give up seven sacks and still win? That is a good question for the Bears, as quarterback Josh McCown was constantly under duress as the Vikings pounded him for seven sacks on the afternoon, 3.5 of them coming from Jared Allen.

The Bears offense only managed to generate 10 first downs for the game, which was easily the lowest production of any NFL team in Week 17. While the Bears average 321 yards of offense on the year, in Week 17 they only managed 209 yards. On top of all that, the Bears also gave up three turnovers to Minnesota.

Good thing that they knocked Christian Ponder out early, or the losing streak would have stretched to six games. Even though the Bears won this game, I can't award them a very high grade due to so many deficiencies on offense. The Bears have a lot of work to do on offense.

Bears Overall Grade: C -

Cincinnati Bengals

How big was Week 17 for the Cincinnati Bengals? Out of the four AFC Wild Card teams still in the hunt for the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs, only the Bengals were in a position to control their own destiny by securing a playoff spot with a home victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The funny thing is that if the Bengals won, they could very well have knocked the Ravens all the way down to the fifth seed in the process. So, this was one of the more highly-contested matches of the weekend.

The Bengals wound up dropping the game to Baltimore 24-16, but due to other key AFC contenders losing their Week 17 games, the Bengals were able to hold on to the No. 6 seed in the playoffs. As a result, they will travel to face the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round.

The Bengals were still in the game late when a blatant pass interference call against the Ravens was missed that could have turned the fortunes around in this game. As it was, the Bengals did manage to convert eight different third-down opportunities against the tough Ravens defense, showing that they have some positive things going for them.

The Bengals only gave up the ball one time via fumble and protected Andy Dalton, who was only sacked once for the day. But the defense was not able to force a turnover, and that is something they will need to do to help out the offense, who failed to live up to their average of 21.9 points per game.

They will have to be better on both sides of the ball if they expect to win their first game of the playoffs against a high-quality opponent. Giving up 191 yards to Ray Rice is another indication that the Bengals have to step up their play.

Bengals Overall Grade: C

Cleveland Browns

Seneca Wallace was starting in place of Colt McCoy in Week 17, and he drew the defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers to see what he could do. The Steelers defeated the Browns 13-9 in another low-scoring game.

Wallace didn't have a stellar day, as he only managed to complete 16-of-41 passes for just 177 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and a QB passer rating of 42.4. Ugh. At least Wallace led the Browns in rushing, as he picked up 44 yards on three carries, which is another way of saying that Peyton Hillis failed to leave much of an impression today. Hillis gained just 30 yards on 10 rushes. 

Josh Cribbs managed seven receptions for 91 yards and was probably the lone bright spot for the Browns. The offense needs a major upgrade in Cleveland, and Sunday was another painful example of just how short on talent the Browns are.

The 240 yards of offense was a full 52 yards below their average. The 14 first downs were tied for second fewest in the NFL this week. Their nine points were below their NFL low of 13.9 points per game.

Of some consolation is that the Browns kept the game competitive against the Steelers and didn't mail this one in. They had a chance to win right up until the final minutes, so there is something to be said for that. However, the overall performance on offense is just too much to ignore.

Browns Overall Grade: D

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys had a chance Sunday night to make all of the bad fourth-quarter blown leads magically disappear if they could just defeat the New York Giants, which would guarantee them a berth in the playoffs as the NFC East division winners.

However, the Cowboys failed to deliver on that prospect, as they came out flat, falling behind 21-0 at halftime. The Cowboys managed to trim the lead to 21-14 early in the fourth quarter, only to see the Giants add 10 more points to pull away 31-14.

The Cowboys had trouble in this game with the New York Giants' pass rush, as they gave up a whopping six sacks. The Cowboys were only able to convert just 4-of-12 third-down opportunities and were outgained by the Giants 437 to 300.

In addition, the Giants took great care of the ball, as they committed no turnovers, while the Cowboys turned the ball over twice. This will go down as another year of frustration for the Cowboys and Jerry Jones.

Cowboys Overall Grade: C -

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos entered Week 17 in the driver's seat. All they had to do was win a game at home against the Kansas City Chiefs, and they would clinch the AFC West division title. If the Broncos lost the game, and the Oakland Raiders defeated the San Diego Chargers, the Raiders would move on and the Broncos would be eliminated. So, there was plenty of motivation for the Broncos to play a solid game.

But that did not happen. The Chiefs scored the only touchdown of the game in the final seconds of the first quarter, and the Broncos had the final three quarters for Tim Tebow to engineer one of his famous comebacks to pull out another Broncos win. But, as the Chiefs learned from watching the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills before them, the league is starting to catch up as to how to defend Tebow.

The end result was that the Broncos were only able to manage one measly field goal for the day. The only reason that they got the field goal was due to a Javier Arenas muffed punt, or the Broncos probably would have been shut out for the day.

Tebow only managed to compete six of 22 passes for a total of 60 yards. He averaged 2.7 yards per pass attempt, threw one interception and no touchdowns. His QBR for the day was an anemic 20.6. As well as the Broncos defense kept the Chiefs offense in check, it is rather interesting that the Broncos never considered making a change at quarterback, as they had so much riding on this game.

Broncos fans are now seeing the ugly downside of what Tebow at quarterback can mean to the team, and the realization is that the Broncos will be hard-pressed to win a single playoff game, playing this brand of offense. The Broncos average 20.4 points per game, and three points is far below their average.

Broncos Overall Grade: C -

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions ended their day with the knowledge that they have secured the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs. They also know that the combination of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson is looking very solid for the playoffs. That covers the good news.

The bad news is that the Detroit Lions defense was missing in action today. The Lions might have been guilty of thinking they caught a break when the Green Bay Packers decided to rest Aaron Rodgers and go with backup Matt Flynn instead. All Flynn did was throw for six touchdown passes (7, 80, 36, 58, 35 and 4 yards long), complete 31-of-44 passes for 480 yards and a QB passer rating of 136.4.

The Lions should consider this game as a dress rehearsal for their Wild Card opponent next weekend, when they have to go to New Orleans and face Drew Brees. Jumping from the smoke right into the fire.

The Lions offense had a great game, as Stafford threw for 520 yards and five touchdown passes. Calvin Johnson caught 11 passes for 244 yards, which is an insane average of 22.2 yards per catch. That part of the Lions game is just fine, thank you. 575 yards of overall offense is something to be proud of. Another example of how well the Lions offense performed was their 32 first downs, which was the high mark for Week 17.

But we would be remiss if we didn't point out the four turnovers, coming via two interceptions and two fumbles. As for the Lions improved defense, where did it go? Head coach Jim Schwartz was bemoaning the lack of defense in the press conference after the game, and he was right to feel that way. We will see next weekend how similar this game was to what happens when Drew Brees goes up against the Lions secondary.

Lions Overall Grade: C +

Green Bay Packers

As we just completed the Detroit Lions' slide, there is not much new to rehash on the Packers' team slide. In fact, both slides could be a carbon-copy of each other. While the Packers offense was purring at a high level all game, the Packers defense was giving up big yardage and points across the board.

This has to be a major concern for the Packers coming into the playoffs, that their defense would allow 32 first downs to the Lions offense. The Lions gained 575 yards of total offense on Green Bay. The Packers defense did come up with four turnovers, so that is their only saving grace from a grading perspective.

The Packers offense did manage to create six touchdown passes and 550 yards of total offense. Green Bay also had a solid day in moving the chains with 27 first downs. The 45 points was a solid show for an offense that averages 34.3 points per game. Jordy Nelson had a very strong game with nine catches for 143 yards and three touchdown receptions.

The Packers did allow three sacks to the Lions, and they only got to Matt Stafford twice with sacks. Of course, we do need to point out that the Packers rested Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson, but that only accounts for two of the Packers starters on defense.

Packers Overall Grade: B -

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans have wrapped up the No. 3 in the AFC playoffs, but with the rate that they keep seeing their starting quarterbacks get injured, they might not last very long in their first playoff appearance in team history.

Starting quarterback T.J. Yates likely separated his shoulder, which forced the Texans to turn to veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme in the pinch. Delhomme didn't play that bad, so it will be curious to see what the Texans decide to do next weekend, start Delhomme or Yates.

As for the Week 17 game, the Texans lost to the Tennessee Titans 23-22, when the Texans decided to go for a two-point conversion at the end of the game. Their playoff seed was already locked up, so they were going to either come out with a 24-23 win, or they were going to end up with a three-game losing streak to end the regular season. They wound up with the latter.

The Texans only turned the ball over once today but did give up three sacks. They held a slight advantage in yardage, outgaining the Titans 387 yards to 361. The big thing for the Texans is to have as healthy a team for the playoffs as they possibly can have. With the Cowboys dropping out of the playoff picture in Week 17, the eyes of Texas will be watching Houston to see how far they can go.

Texans Overall Grade: C +

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts had the chance to secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft with a Week 17 loss, and that is exactly what the Colts did, dropping their final game to the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-13.

The Colts offense was guilty of committing three turnovers today, via two interceptions and a fumble. The Colts allowed three sacks but also came up with three sacks of their own on Blaine Gabbert.

The Colts managed 298 yards of offense which is not that far from their average of 286.1 yards per game. They actually outgained Jacksonville 298 to 261. But the three turnovers proved costly, so now the Colts can go to the drawing board and figure out what to do with their organization, which appears to be in dire need of some sort of reorganization.

Nothing special to report on for their Week 17 performance. Everyone can now turn their attention to the offseason, because the regular season was like an offseason as well.

Colts Overall Grade: D +

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars ended the 2011 season with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts 19-13 on Sunday. The Jaguars secured the NFL rushing title for Maurice Jones-Drew, who carried the ball 25 times for 169 yards.

Jones-Drew also established a new Jaguars season high of 1,606 rushing yards for the year, breaking Fred Taylor's old team record. That is the only thing going right now in Jacksonville, as they need to bring in more talent on offense.

As far as Week 17 goes, the Jaguars managed to sweep the Colts this year by not turning the ball over (only one turnover in the game via a fumble) and by sacking the Colts three times and forcing three turnovers by the defense. Not much else to say about this team.

Jaguars Overall Grade: C +

Kansas City Chiefs

With some games generating point totals in the 40's, the NFL average points scored per team was 22.4. Not the case in Denver, as the Chiefs were the only team to register a win by scoring the meager total of seven points. The Chiefs outlasted the Broncos 7-3 by putting up a touchdown in the first quarter and making that stick for the rest of the game.

The Chiefs offense wasn't very special in Week 17, doing just enough to keep the field position battle on even ground. They only generated 14 first downs on offense, which is not very good. They only managed to create 281 yards of offense, another indication that the Chiefs offense was far from strong.

What they did well was protect Kyle Orton, who was only sacked once by the Broncos talented pass-rushing defense. In addition, they only had one turnover, and that was by special teams returner Javier Arenas, who muffed on a punt return.

The Chiefs defense turned in a solid performance, limiting the Broncos to a paltry three points. They sacked Tim Tebow twice and also created two turnovers.

Chiefs Overall Grade: C +

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins must be taking a large measure of satisfaction in knowing that they eliminated AFC East rivals New York Jets from the playoffs with a 19-17 victory to close out the 2011 season.

The Dolphins had a much stronger second half of their season, and this win is just another indication that the team is headed in the right direction. The Dolphins offense didn't put up crazy numbers, but they did what they had to to win the game.

In fact, the offense only generated 210 total yards of offense, the lowest amount of any NFL team in Week 17. Their 14 first downs were also on the low side, and they threw two interceptions on the day.

But they were able to limit the Jets to just 17 points, which was helped by intercepting Mark Sanchez three times and sacking him twice.

The Dolphins finished the year 3-3 in the AFC East and made Rex Ryan break another one of his many promises/predictions.

Dolphins Overall Grade: C

Minnesota Vikings

Jared Allen tried to single-handedly will the Vikings to a win in Week 17, but he needed more help from his teammates. The Vikings dropped a 17-13 contest to the Chicago Bears, despite Allen turning in a monster 3.5-sack performance.

The Vikings were already without star running back Adrian Peterson. To complicate matters even further, they lost quarterback Christian Ponder and had to turn to Joe Webb. Between Ponder and Webb, the duo completed just 21 of 42 passes for a 50-percent completion mark, but worse than that was throwing three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

The Vikings actually outgained the Bears by almost 100 more yards but still lost anyway. The Vikings defense kept the team in the game, as they got to Josh McCown frequently with seven sacks and also created three turnovers.

With the loss the Vikings have clinched the No. 3 overall draft slot in the 2012 NFL Draft, so they can start focusing on what to do with that pick.

Vikings Overall Grade: C -

New England Patriots

Falling behind a struggling Buffalo Bills team 21-0 in the first quarter was probably not what head coach Bill Belichick had envisioned for his Patriots team in their quest to secure home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs.

The No. 1 seed Patriots needed to jump start their offense in the second quarter, which in turn led to a long stream of 49 unanswered points, en route to a 49-21 victory over the Bills.

The New England defense was thoroughly blitzed in the first quarter but then settled down to come up with four interceptions against Ryan Fitzpatrick, returning one of them for a touchdown.

The Patriots want to end this recent streak where they spot teams a 17 or 21 point lead and then figure out a way to come back and win it in the second half. The Patriots have lost their last two playoff games, and if they don't fix this slow-start-pattern, it could easily stretch into three straight playoff losses.

For the Week 17 contest, the tight end duo of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez was once again overwhelming for the Bills to contain. The pair combined for 15 catches, 246 yards in receptions and three touchdowns.

The Patriots gained 480 yards in total offense but did give up four sacks to the Bills, who have the worst pass rush in the league. The Patriots defense allowed Buffalo to generate over 400 yards of offense, at least 54 more yards than they average. There is still some pause for concern for the Patriots playoff run.

Patriots Overall Grade: B -

New Orleans Saints

Surprised to hear that Drew Brees turned in another magical day in Week 17? Brees continued his great play in the regular season while leading the Saints to a 45-17 victory over Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

Brees directed the Saints to 617 yards of total offense. He did throw one interception to go along with his five touchdown passes. Brees completed 28 of 35 passes for 389 yards, which all adds up to a QBR of 140.7. Can anybody slow down the Saints offense? First up is the Lions defense, and based on what we saw of them on Sunday, the answer would be a resounding no.

The Saints defense shut down Cam Newton and the Panthers offense in the second half. In fact, the Panthers offense had so many problems against the Saints, that they were the only NFL team that wasn't able to convert a single third down in Week 17. The Saints defense generated two turnovers and sacked Newton twice.

The Saints took care of Brees by not allowing a single sack. They are playing very strong ball right now and look to go far in the playoffs this year.

Saints Overall Grade: A

New York Giants

The New York Giants continued their strong play down the stretch run in December by clinching the NFC East division title in Week 17 with a 31-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants swept the Cowboys this year, and this victory was a team win.

Eli Manning took good care of the ball as the Giants managed to crank out 437 yards of overall offense without committing a single turnover. They converted roughly half of their third-down opportunities, seven out of 15, and kept the chains moving.

The defense was dominating as they sacked Tony Romo six times and came up with two turnovers against the Cowboys, which helped to keep the Cowboys nine points below their average production of 23.7 points per game.

Eli Manning turned in a "Drew Brees-type game" with a solid performance that saw him complete 24-of-33 passes for 346 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a QB passer rating of 136.7. Elite levels here.

The Giants have rallied for head coach Tom Coughlin, and they will host the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card Round. Should be a good game based on how the Giants performed Sunday night.

Giants Overall Grade:  A -

New York Jets

Is there anything more pathetic than listening to Rex Ryan put the latest spin on his meaningless New York Jets Super Bowl predictions? During the course of the first two years, I found Ryan to be entertaining, funny and motivational. Those feelings have now turned into viewing him as boring, pompous and a "hot air bag." Wonder how many times I will be reminded of Ryan while watching the floats during the various New Years Day parades?

The Jets have lost their identity, and no wonder. Ryan makes himself the focal point of the team by the way he conducts business. The way that the Jets fell apart down the stretch is the end result of hearing how great you are by your coach but not being able to back it up on the field of play.

Mark Sanchez was intercepted three times on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. The three turnovers helped to seal the Jets' fate in their 19-17 loss to Miami, which eliminated them from the AFC playoffs.

The Jets were only able to convert 4-of-11 third downs on Sunday, which helped contribute to just 17 points, a full touchdown below their seasonal average of 24.0 points per game. The defense did their part, holding the Dolphins to a NFL low of 210 yards of offense for Week 17. Too bad the offense couldn't hold up their end of the bargain. But if you listen to Ryan, he will find a new spin for the whole thing.

Jets Overall Grade: C -

Oakland Raiders

With Carson Palmer throwing for 417 yards and two touchdown passes, and leading the Oakland Raiders offense to generate 520 yards of overall offense, you would like your chances for victory. Sadly for the Raiders team, that was not the case Sunday, as they were outgunned by the San Diego Chargers 38-26 and were eliminated from the AFC playoffs in the process.

The problem was not with the Raiders offense, which as we detailed above, rose to the occasion. It was the Raiders defense that let them down, as the Chargers converted on seven out of 10 third-down chances today. The Raiders didn't sack Philip Rivers once and only created one turnover.

Anytime you give up at least 30 points to your opponent, you are asking for trouble. The Raiders couldn't come up with enough key stops on defense. Special teams didn't help out either, as they allowed a crucial kickoff return for a touchdown as well.

So, this is how it ends for the Raiders. They now can take their new offense with Carson Palmer and continue to tinker with it for the 2012 season. But one thing is clear, the Raiders need to work on their defense if they want to end their playoff drought.

Raiders Overall Grade: C +

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles closed out the "2011 Dream Team" with a convincing 34-10 victory over the Washington Redskins. The Eagles brought their record up to a .500 winning percentage at 8-8 with the win.

The Eagles ended NFC East play with a division-best record of 5-1. It was just the rest of the NFL that the Eagles had trouble with, as they went 3-7 against everybody else.

In Week 17, the Eagles converted on five-of-11 third-down opportunities, gained 390 yards of overall offense and scored 34 points, which is a full 10 points above their seasonal average of 24.1.

The Eagles did turn the ball over twice, and Michael Vick was sacked twice today. The Eagles defense intercepted one pass and sacked Rex Grossman once today. The Eagles team seems to be coming together, now that they are eliminated from the playoffs. Maybe with the pressure finally off, the team is able to relax and play like they were supposed to.

One of the keys today was the red zone, as the Eagles went three for five in the red zone, while holding the Redskins to zero for three in their opportunities.

Overall Eagles Grade: B -

Pittsburgh Steelers

Most people thought the Pittsburgh Steelers would walk all over the Cleveland Browns in Week 17, but that simply wasn't the case. The Steelers had a realistic chance at capturing the No. 2 seed in the AFC with a Baltimore Ravens loss, so it was surprising to see that the Steelers allowed the Browns to stay in this game even up to the final minutes.

The Steelers prevailed 13-9, but since the Ravens didn't lose, the Steelers are now the owners of the No. 5 seed and will travel to face the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow in Colorado. Based on what the Broncos have exhibited in their past three games, you would think that the Steelers would have little trouble in advancing. But we also thought the same thing about Cleveland, so you just never know.

In Week 17, the Steelers converted on eight of their 16 third-down opportunities to keep the chains moving. They generated 360 yards of total offense, but only had 13 points to show for it, which is far below their seasonal average of 20.8 points per game. It didn't help that the Steelers fumbled the ball away twice today. They also allowed Ben Roethlisberger to be sacked twice.

The Steelers defense only allowed Cleveland to convert on four different third downs. The 240 yards of total offense was one of the lower totals around the league. The Steelers defense did come up with one turnover and two sacks for the day.

Steelers Overall Grade: C +

San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers were able to pull out a win in Week 17 by defeating the Oakland Raiders 38-26, but the victory may not be enough to prevent head coach Norv Turner from being fired. At least the Chargers were able to deal their AFC West rival Oakland Raiders from reaching the playoffs, so they will have to take a measure of satisfaction from that accomplishment.

The Chargers offense was very efficient on Sunday, as they converted 70 percent of their third-down opportunities (seven for 10) and only committed one turnover. Philip Rivers was only one of four NFL quarterbacks that never was sacked on Sunday. The Chargers generated 463 yards of overall offense, and they also came up with 25 first downs. They needed all of them due to the Raiders' 520 yards of offense.

The Chargers defense was not doing many favors for the offense today, as the game evolved into a shootout. Another year in the books, and another Chargers team of promise that came up empty. It will be curious to see who the Chargers ultimately hire to try to turn their fortunes around.

Chargers Overall Grade: C

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks had a chance to even their regular-season record at 8-8 with a win against the Arizona Cardinals, but they came up just short in dropping the game in overtime 23-20. The Seahawks deserve a measure of credit for rallying in the fourth quarter when they were down by 10 points to force the game into overtime.

The Seahawks had no playoff games to play for this year but made the rally out of pride in what they are trying to accomplish. They could have easily opted to mail in the fourth quarter, but they chose to fight to the bitter end. Have to like that.

For the game, the Seahawks were only able to convert on just three of 16 third-down opportunities, and that was probably the main reason they lost the game. The team generated 369 yards of offense, which is a full 70 yards above their average. They threw one interception on the day and allowed four sacks, which is another contributing factor to the loss.

The defense had trouble containing Larry Fitzgerald, but who doesn't? Fitzgerald had nine catches for 149 yards. The defense did come up with two turnovers and managed to come up with two sacks.

Overall Seahawks Grade: C +

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers were playing to sew up the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. All they had to do was get by the lowly St. Louis Rams, who were playing the game without starting quarterback Sam Bradford.

While on paper this game should have been a blowout win for the 49ers, the Rams decided to fight the good fight and stuck in this game until the end, eventually losing 34-27. The 49ers took good care of the ball by not committing any turnovers on the day. The offense did give up three sacks however, so that is something that needs to be addressed.

Each offense generated 27 points, but the winning margin of victory was a trick play created by special teams. Kicker David Akers found a wide-open Michael Crabtree standing alone by the sidelines and threw him a touchdown pass from field goal formation to help seal the deal.

The 49ers now enjoy a bye week and await the results of the Wild Card Round to see who their next opponent will be.

49ers Overall Grade: B -

St. Louis Rams

As we just detailed on the prior slide, the St. Louis Rams turned in a gutsy performance against the favored San Francisco 49ers. The Rams were starting Kellen Clemens for the injured Sam Bradford, and Clemens came through with a touchdown run and a touchdown pass, before getting hurt himself in the second half.

The Rams may be making a change at the head coach ranks, so they had mixed feelings coming into Week 17. Some old problems resurfaced in this game, as the Rams threw two interceptions and allowed three sacks on the day.

The 27 points was a welcome sight, as the Rams have been starving for points, averaging a league-low 11.1 points per game. The Rams defense even showed some spirit by coming up with three sacks.

Rams Overall Grade: C +

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With the Tampa Bay Bucs' season headed down the drain thanks to a 10-game losing streak, the question wasn't if Tampa Bay had already turned on the buses to leave at halftime. The buses have been turned on weeks ago, we just weren't sure which week they began idling.

When the Atlanta Falcons opened up a 42-0 lead, you knew that the Bucs were there in uniform only. They left their heart as a team weeks ago and have simply been going through the motions. It would not be a shock at all to see the Bucs fire the NFL Coach of the Year from 2010, Raheem Morris, as it is clear that the Bucs have stopped playing for him, and he can't seem to find a way to reach his young troops.

Bucs Overall Grade: F

Tennessee Titans

Think about all of the AFC teams that were on the outskirts of qualifying for the playoffs in Week 17. That list included the New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals and the Tennessee Titans. All of those teams lost in Week 17 except the Titans, yet they still got eliminated from the playoff picture.

The Titans generated 361 yards of overall offense and only fumbled the ball away one time on Sunday against the Houston Texans. They won the game 23-22 when the Texans failed to convert on a two-point play in the waning moments of regulation play.

The Titans allowed three sacks but were able to turn the tables and sack the Texans three times as well. 

For their defense, the Titans were able to knock rookie quarterback T.J. Yates out of the game with a shoulder injury and had to hold off a comeback from the backup quarterback Jake Delhomme.

Now that the 2011 season is over, hopefully Chris Johnson will come to camp happy in 2012 and in shape and ready to go from Week 1. That would be a refreshing change of pace.

Titans Overall Grade: B -

Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins closed out the 2011 season with a 34-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Redskins got a nice touchdown catch and run from Roy Helu as their only real great play on the day.

The Redskins generated 377 yards of total offense, while allowing the Eagles 390 yards. The Redskins threw one interception and allowed one sack. But for all of the offense they had to show, the Redskins could only convert that into 10 points, well below their average of 18.5 points per game.

The Redskins defense did create two turnovers, one interception and one fumble recovery. They also came up with two sacks of Michael Vick. But for all of those positives, the Redskins also allowed the Eagles to score 34 points, which is 10 points more than they average.

The Redskins can now turn their attention to the upcoming draft and figure out what they are going to do with all their draft picks.

Redskins Overall Grade: D +