NFL Report Cards: Team-by-Team Grades for Week 5
What does it take to win in the NFL?
Often, the buck stops with the quarterback, the head coach or the general manager. Maybe the coordinator takes some slack (rightfully or not) when his unit isn't performing up to snuff, or perhaps there's a general sense that so-and-so is awful because the only time we notice him is when he's doing something awful.
Rarely is football that simple.
Think about it. Twenty-two mobile parts, all moving at nearly superhuman speeds for only a couple of seconds. Did that guy blow his block, or was there a miscommunication with another blocker? Was it a blown coverage, or did a safety slip out of the picture and the receiver take advantage of it? Are the scheme and game plan faulty, or are the players just not executing?
These are the questions that feed our love of the game.
It's not as simple as "X must do Y better." Never! Instead, these are all fluctuating scales of impact that fuel healthy debates as well as lazy narratives.
These grades are my opinion, sourced by watching each game as carefully as I can and creating my own takeaways. If you disagree or have another takeaway you think is more relevant, the comments section is below.
What it takes to win in the NFL could be written in volumes and isn't distilled easily into sound bites or columns. It's a diverse game on a rich tapestry, and it deserves far more than just the most basic of overviews.
Criteria for Grading
- Coaching decisions and how a team performed 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-plus.
- 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 bad ones.
Each team also gets a "game ball" and a "game goat" to clue you in to some of the things that went into the assessment of the team. Many will be obvious to those who watched the game, but some will require a deep dive into the stats or film. Though much of the commentary will center on those choices, the grades are a look at the entire team.
Each team also gets a cumulative grade, averaging grades thus far in the current season. This will be a running metric all season long. A reminder, though, that this is simply an average. Early on, massive outliers (both positive and negative) will affect those averages.
Grab your red pens. We're on to the grades!
Arizona Cardinals (3-1)
1 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to Denver Broncos 41-20
Game Ball: Andre Ellington, Running Back (Pictured Above)
Game Goat: Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie, Cornerbacks
Ellington gets the game ball as the team's leading rusher and receiver. He scored 12 of the team's 20 points and accounted for almost 70 percent of its offensive yardage. In a game in which just about everything went wrong by the end, Ellington managed to continue his impressive season.
The vaunted cornerbacks, however, did not.
For all the talking Peterson did coming into the season, he's been terrible this year—though, perhaps, not as bad as Cromartie looked against Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, who went right at him time and again. In 15 passes toward Cromartie, Manning completed seven for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Peterson allowed four catches on six targets for 55 yards.
Week 5 Grade: C+
2014 Cumulative: B
Week 6 Opponent: Washington (Home)
Atlanta Falcons (2-3)
2 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to New York Giants 30-20
Game Ball: Antone Smith, Running Back (Pictured Above)
Game Goat: Left Side of the Line
Just road woes or symptomatic of something larger?
The Falcons looked ineffective and (at times) apathetic against the Giants. While I was impressed with the Falcons' ability to stop the run, much of that had to do with an injury to Giants running back Rashad Jennings, who left in the third quarter after averaging 5.5 yards per carry to that point.
The Falcons running attack, though, was not as effective, and that's par for the course against a solid Giants rushing defense. Left tackle Jake Matthews was particularly ineffective in the run game, and both he and left guard Harland Gunn were sieves while pass-blocking.
It was nearly impossible to hand out a game ball, but Smith gets it for his 74-yard reception and three catches on three targets. He's earned a bigger role, and the Falcons should give it to him.
Week 5 Grade: C
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 6 Opponent: Chicago Bears (Home)
Baltimore Ravens (3-2)
3 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to Indianapolis Colts 20-13
Game Ball: C.J. Mosley, Linebacker
Game Goat: Joe Flacco, Quarterback (Pictured Above)
I can already sense some questions about a B-plus cumulative grade for a 3-2 team, but it's important to remember that both losses have come at the hands of good teams (Cincinnati and Indianapolis) by a combined 14 points, and this past week's loss was on the road.
Baltimore seemed to shoot itself in the foot time and time again. Flacco was not very good, and he played more to not make mistakes than to take shots down the field. The Colts darn near tried to hand the Ravens the game with four turnovers, but Baltimore gave three of them right back. The defense held Luck and Co. to just 20 points, but the offense couldn't capitalize.
Mosley gets the game ball for his part in that defensive effort, with 15 tackles, a hit on Luck and an interception.
Week 5 Grade: B-
2014 Cumulative: B+
Week 6 Opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Away)
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Buffalo Bills (3-2)
4 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. Detroit Lions 17-14
Game Ball: Marcell Dareus, Defensive Tackle
Game Goat: Cyril Richardson, Offensive Guard
Going into Detroit and winning in that atmosphere has become a bigger hurdle recently. This year it's even more impressive for the Bills against that Lions defense and with a brand-new Kyle Orton under center.
The Bills defense, and its intensity, seemed to be the biggest factor in this game, as Dareus had himself a day, even with fellow tackle Kyle Williams out. He downright lived in Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford's face, collecting five total tackles, two behind the line of scrimmage, three sacks and two more quarterback hits.
In the other trench, Richardson had about as bad a day as one could imagine as he dealt with the Lions' formidable defensive front. His day was a menagerie of missed assignments and yellow flags.
Week 5 Grade: B
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 6 Opponent: New England Patriots (Home)
Carolina Panthers (3-2)
5 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. Chicago Bears 31-24
Game Ball: Cam Newton, Quarterback
Game Goat: Kelvin Benjamin, Wide Receiver
Newton is clearly maturing as a passer, and it's paying dividends. Even without much help from Benjamin, who only caught three of 11 targets and fumbled, Newton was able to hit eight different receivers and put his team in a position to win this game.
Defensively, the line was much improved from recent weeks—especially on the interior, where tackles Star Lotulelei, Dwan Edwards and Kawann Short all stepped up their play against a good Bears interior offensive line.
Week 5 Grade: B
2014 Cumulative: C
Week 6 Opponent: Cincinnati Bengals (Away)
Chicago Bears (2-3)
6 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to Carolina Panthers 31-24
Game Ball: Matt Forte, Running Back
Game Goat: Jay Cutler, Quarterback
This was a good team effort deep-sixed by a few bad throws from Cutler.
Cutler is a high-risk/high-reward passer. That's who he is and who he is always going to be. While that's true, however, he can still do better and manage when he takes those shots. His later interception on a second-down overthrow to Santonio Holmes (while up by three) is a perfect example.
Forte, however, was fantastic. Limited on the ground to only 61 yards, he was a massive factor in the pass game with 12 receptions for over 100 yards.
Week 5 Grade: C
2014 Cumulative: C
Week 6 Opponent: Atlanta Falcons (Away)
Cincinnati Bengals (3-1)
7 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to New England Patriots 43-17
Game Ball: Mohamed Sanu, Wide Receiver
Game Goat: Vincent Rey, Linebacker
In a game in which wide receiver A.J. Green was limited for much of the meaningful action by Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis, Sanu stepped up in a big way. It was only 70 yards on five catches with a touchdown, but he's continued to show that he can be a fine secondary target when Green isn't able to dominate.
The linebacking corps, however, was a big part of the lopsided score.
Many are going to pick on Emmanuel Lamur, and rightfully so, but I'm giving my goat "award" to Rey, who allowed all six of the receptions to his area of the field. Brady figured out he could pick on Rey early, and it was key to finding his rhythm.
Week 5 Grade: D+
2014 Cumulative: B
Week 6 Opponent: Carolina Panthers (Home)
Cleveland Browns (2-2)
8 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. Tennessee Titans 29-28
Game Ball: Travis Benjamin, Wide Receiver (Pictured Above)
Game Goat: Buster Skrine, Cornerback
OK, look...I know it was a great win, and everyone's probably really excited. So, if you don't want Debbie Downer over here harshing your buzz, I'd hit that right arrow key pretty quickly.
Reality check: This was an absolute mess of a game between two of the league's worst teams. The Browns came back to win, yes, but they also played terribly (against the Titans, no less) to be in that situation in the first place.
Now, with that out of the way...
A lot of people would give the game ball to quarterback Brian Hoyer, because...narrative. However, he darn near threw the game away on two late interceptions, one of which was called back. He wasn't bad, but I don't think he deserves nearly the slobbering praise some would heap on him after the win.
Benjamin, however, caught the game-winning touchdown and one other late touchdown. He was targeted four times and caught all four for 48 yards.
Skrine was picked on in this game, allowing five receptions and two touchdowns.
Week 5 Grade: C-
2014 Cumulative: C-
Week 6 Opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers (Home)
Dallas Cowboys (4-1)
9 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. Houston Texans 20-17 (OT)
Game Ball: Dez Bryant, Wide Receiver (Pictured Above)
Game Goat: Brandon Carr, Cornerback
The Cowboys had an easy time with New Orleans last week, but the Texans provided a little more of a street fight, winning matchups in the trenches and not allowing the Dallas offense to really get rolling as much as it would've liked.
Still, Bryant got his with 85 yards receiving and a touchdown, including a fantastic 37-yard catch to set up the game-winning field goal. People bash quarterback Tony Romo all the time for his high-risk throws, but one has to remember that was the exact same type of throw.
Defensively, it was another slightly better-than-average effort across the board, but Carr was beaten by any receiver the Texans sent at him.
Week 5 Grade: B+
2014 Cumulative: B
Week 6 Opponent: Seattle Seahawks (Away)
Denver Broncos (3-1)
10 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. Arizona Cardinals 41-20
Game Ball: Peyton Manning, Quarterback (Pictured Above)
Game Goat: Montee Ball, Running Back
Thought about giving the game ball to one of Manning's receivers because of the two interceptions, and Demaryius Thomas' 226 yards receiving were awfully tempting, but a second viewing of the game made me really appreciate the way Manning went at the Cardinals' vaunted cornerbacks. Rather than take what the defense gave him, he imposed his will on them, and it paid dividends.
Ball had only six carries (for seven yards) before leaving with a groin injury. His replacements did much better.
Week 5 Grade: A
2014 Cumulative: A-
Week 6 Opponent: New York Jets (Away)
Detroit Lions (3-2)
11 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to Buffalo Bills 17-14
Game Ball: Ndamukong Suh, Defensive Tackle
Game Goat: Alex Henery, Kicker (Pictured Above)
I'm tempted to give the goat to Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford for what was truly a terrible outing, but Henery's three missed field goals got him cut by the Lions before they even had a backup plan. He's young enough to get more tryouts, but any team looking at him will likely see the past two games as Exhibit No. 1 of why he's done in this league.
Detroit actually had a fairly dominant game set up until it managed to shoot itself in the foot time and time again. The Lions were clearly the better team on the field, but they didn't play well enough for the game to even be this close.
Week 5 Grade: C-
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 6 Opponent: Minnesota Vikings (Away)
Green Bay Packers (3-2)
12 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. Minnesota Vikings 42-10
Game Ball: Eddie Lacy, Running Back (Pictured Above)
Game Goat: Davon House, Cornerback
Tempted to give the Packers only an A-minus here because playing a Christian Ponder-led Vikings team hardly had a significant degree of difficulty. Honestly, though, this was taking care of business in spectacular form.
Lacy got over 100 yards rushing and helped pace the team while it was ahead. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers barely had to throw the ball to rack up good numbers. He could've easily gone for 400 against a Vikings team that had no answer and just kept giving the ball right back to him.
Finding a goat was nearly impossible in this beatdown. House has had better games, and Ponder had the most success throwing to his zone, but this might be the best performance by a "goat" we'll see all season.
Week 5 Grade: A
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 6 Opponent: Miami Dolphins (Away)
Houston Texans (3-2)
13 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to Dallas Cowboys 20-17 (OT)
Game Ball: Arian Foster, Running Back (Pictured Above)
Game Goat: Whitney Mercilus, Linebacker
Going into Jerry World and outrushing Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray is a tall task, but Foster stepped up to the plate in a big way. Without Foster, it's very likely this game looks a lot more like a blowout.
Still, I'm not that impressed with putting up yardage on the Dallas defense. More impressive is the ability to keep the Dallas offense to only 20 points in an overtime game. Most of that B grade is the defense's poise in limiting the Cowboys from putting this game away earlier.
One negative on the defense was Mercilus, who still looks very uncomfortable at outside linebacker.
Week 5 Grade: B
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 6 Opponent: Indianapolis Colts (Home)
Indianapolis Colts (3-2)
14 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. Baltimore Ravens (20-13)
Game Ball: Bjoern Werner, Linebacker
Game Goat: Griff Whalen, Returner (Pictured Above)
I was most impressed with the Colts' ability to stand up on defense against a very physical Ravens offensive line. Yes, the Ravens are not exactly an "explosive" offense—though they certainly have been at points this season—but the Colts were in serious danger of getting road-graded, and they held their own.
Werner had one of his best games as a pro, with two sacks and two extra hits to go along with it.
Difficult to pick a goat here, but Whalen gets the nod because fumbling as a returner is a pretty great shortcut to having to find a new job.
Week 5 Grade: B+
2014 Cumulative: B+
Week 6 Opponent: Houston Texans (Away)
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-5)
15 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers 17-9
Game Ball: Paul Posluszny, Linebacker
Game Goat: Blake Bortles, Quarterback
Just because Bortles is worlds better than Chad Henne doesn't mean he can't also be the worst player in any given game. He threw two interceptions, only had 5.3 yards per attempt and just couldn't seem to find a groove against the Steelers defense.
Defensively, the Jaguars performed as well as many expected them to look this season, holding the Steelers to only 17 points and forcing a turnover.
Week 5 Grade: C
2014 Cumulative: D
Week 6 Opponent: Tennessee Titans (Away)
Kansas City Chiefs (2-3)
16 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to San Francisco 49ers 22-17
Game Ball: Justin Houston, Linebacker (Pictured Above)
Game Goat: Marcus Cooper, Cornerback
Quarterback Alex Smith lost the narrative-driven battle with 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, but overall, the game was decided by a couple of defenses playing really well.
Houston finished with a sack, two tackles for loss and another QB hit. Those numbers really don't paint the full picture, though, as Houston was a considerable source of havoc all day for Kaepernick.
Where Kaepernick was comfortable was throwing at Cooper. He targeted Cooper nine times and ended up with four completions, 81 yards and the 49ers' only touchdown.
Week 5 Grade: B-
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 6 Opponent: Bye
Miami Dolphins (2-2)
17 of 32
The Miami Dolphins were off on bye this week.
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 6 Opponent: Green Bay Packers (Home)
Minnesota Vikings (2-3)
18 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to Green Bay Packers 42-10
Game Ball: N/A
Game Goat: Christian Ponder, Quarterback (Pictured Above)
Refusing to hand out a game ball for all the terribleness here, as everyone who came close to earning one had some glaring mishap that made it silly to laud him for his efforts. Running back Matt Asiata ran OK but also had a fumble. Safety Harrison Smith had an interception but also struggled in coverage and gave up a touchdown.
Ponder was absolutely terrible, but he wasn't the only one.
Week 5 Grade: F
2014 Cumulative: C
Week 6 Opponent: Detroit Lions (Home)
New England Patriots (3-2)
19 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. Cincinnati Bengals 43-17
Game Ball: Tom Brady, Quarterback (Pictured Above)
Game Goat: Alfonzo Dennard, Cornerback
This game was all about Brady and an edge that not only he but a number of his teammates brought to the table. Tight end Rob Gronkowski and running back Stevan Ridley earned some dap as well, but Brady's effectiveness and efficiency put this game away early.
Dennard gave up one of the two Bengals touchdowns.
Week 5 Grade: A
2014 Cumulative: C
Week 6 Opponent: Buffalo Bills (Away)
New Orleans Saints (2-3)
20 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 37-31 (OT)
Game Ball: Pierre Thomas, Running Back
Game Goat: Curtis Lofton, Linebacker (Pictured Above)
Pierre Thomas isn't what he used to be, but he might be more useful for the Saints offense, as there are moments when he is all that works in the run or the pass game. It's not just veteran savvy; it's a level of well-roundedness that's turned him into quarterback Drew Brees' Swiss army knife.
While many blame defensive coordinator Rob Ryan for the Saints' difficulties, the players are letting him down on the field too. Against Tampa Bay, Lofton had a number of missed tackles and blown assignments. He's not flowing to the ball with purpose, and unless Ryan keeps calling the play where he's supposed to get blocked, some of this is probably on him.
Week 5 Grade: C
2014 Cumulative: C
Week 6 Opponent: Bye
New York Giants (3-2)
21 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. Atlanta Falcons 30-20
Game Ball: The Offensive Line
Game Goat: Antrel Rolle, Safety
After a rough start to the season, the Giants are pulling themselves out of the depths thanks largely to an offensive line performance they're not accustomed to. It's helped quarterback Eli Manning immensely, although not in this game, as he could've been far better. It's also helped the team win in spite of his efforts.
Rolle was targeted from the beginning. Four different receivers combined to beat Rolle with five receptions on five targets, 99 yards and a touchdown.
Week 5 Grade: B
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 6 Opponent: Philadelphia Eagles (Away)
New York Jets (1-4)
22 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to San Diego Chargers 31-0
Game Ball: Geno Smith, Quarterback
Game Goat: Rex Ryan, Head Coach (Pictured Above)
Giving the game ball to Smith. He played terribly, but maybe now fans will stop clamoring for backup quarterback Michael Vick, who was also terrible.
Ryan gets the goat for his awful handling of the quarterback situation, the offense in general and the simple fact that his team was goose-egged.
Week 5 Grade: F
2014 Cumulative: C-
Week 6 Opponent: Denver Broncos (Home)
Oakland Raiders (0-4)
23 of 32
The Oakland Raiders were off on bye this week.
2014 Cumulative: D
Week 6 Opponent: San Diego Chargers (Home)
Philadelphia Eagles (4-1)
24 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. St. Louis Rams 34-28
Game Ball: Jason Peters, Offensive Tackle (Pictured Above)
Game Goat: Nate Allen, Safety
It's difficult to give out a game ball when the Eagles darn near lost this game.
I landed on Peters, who had a great game keeping Nick Foles clean against a potentially tough Rams defense.
Allen has been praised in this space before, so I need to be fair when he's awful as well. He seemed to regress as a run defender this week and was beaten all three times the Rams threw his way, including once for a touchdown.
Week 5 Grade: B-
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 6 Opponent: New York Giants (Home)
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)
25 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. Jacksonville Jaguars 17-9
Game Ball: David DeCastro, Offensive Guard
Game Goat: The Defensive Line
How did the Steelers let this game stay so close?
In fact, I'm giving the Steelers the same C for this game that I gave the Jaguars. It was a poor effort for the talent that was on the field, and when one adjusts for level of competition, the grade (for all intents and purposes) could be lower.
DeCastro had one of his best games in a while against the Jaguars, and the Steelers found success running behind him time and again.
On the other side of the ball, though, the defensive line managed to collect no sacks and no tackles for loss (all of those went to linebackers), and only one of them (veteran Brett Keisel, pictured above) managed to hit Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles.
Week 5 Grade: C
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 6 Opponent: Cleveland Browns (Away)
San Diego Chargers (4-1)
26 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. New York Jets 31-0
Game Ball: Branden Oliver, Running Back (Pictured Above)
Game Goat: The Offensive Line
A poor Week 1 performance is holding the Chargers' cumulative grade back right now, but that should sort itself out after a trip to Oakland in Week 6. This is a good example of what I said in the intro slide about the metric being an average, as the Chargers are clearly playing like one of the best teams in football right now.
Oliver—with over 100 yards rushing and over 60 yards receiving—was an easy choice for game ball, though quarterback Philip Rivers was fantastic against a bad Jets secondary. I thought it would be harder to pick a goat. Then, on second viewing, I noticed that, to a man, the Chargers offensive line had an off day with a rough matchup against the Jets defensive line.
What Rivers and Oliver did was in spite of poor blocking. That makes it all the more impressive.
Week 5 Grade: A
2014 Cumulative: B
Week 6 Opponent: Oakland Raiders (Away)
San Francisco 49ers (3-2)
27 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. Kansas City Chiefs 22-17
Game Ball: Joe Staley, OT and Mike Iupati, OG
Game Goat: Colin Kaepernick, Quarterback (Pictured Above)
It was supposed to be the battle of the quarterbacks, but Kaepernick was ineffective as both a runner and a passer and barely got out of his team's way enough to win this ballgame. Barely 50 percent passing isn't going to get it done, and that's one of the reasons this game was so close.
Thankfully, he was picked up by a good defensive effort and yeoman's work by the left side of his offensive line, which (mostly) kept him clean and provided smooth sailing for the running game.
Week 5 Grade: B
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 6 Opponent: St. Louis Rams (Away)
Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
28 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Def. Washington 27-17
Game Ball: Russell Wilson, Quarterback
Game Goat: James Carpenter, Offensive Guard
This game shouldn't have been so close, but a ridiculously undisciplined effort on the part of the Seahawks offense—especially Carpenter, who led to two Percy Harvin touchdowns being called back—kept Washington in the game more than it should have been.
Wilson was outstanding, making two or three throws in this game that only a handful of quarterbacks in the NFL could even come close to completing. Over 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing is going to get a quarterback the game ball just about every time.
Defensively, the Seahawks were fantastic stopping the Washington zone-blocking rushing attack. Due to it being Monday night, I did not have time for a second viewing before publishing the grades, but the live viewing revealed a number of times when the backside contain had the cutback lane completely cut off. It was textbook.
Week 5 Grade: A-
2014 Cumulative: A-
Week 6 Opponent: Dallas Cowboys (Home)
St. Louis Rams (1-3)
29 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to Philadelphia Eagles 34-28
Game Ball: Brian Quick, Wide Receiver (Pictured Above)
Game Goat: T.J. McDonald, Safety
Each week, I'm more and more impressed with quarterback Austin Davis as a passer, but fumble issues kept him from getting the game ball this week. Instead, it went to Quick, who has definitely started to evolve his personal game as a receiver and become more of a reliable No. 1-type target.
On defense, McDonald was picked on time and again by the Eagles tight ends. Had he played just a little better, it's likely the Rams' comeback efforts would have been more successful.
Week 5 Grade: C+
2014 Cumulative: C
Week 6 Opponent: San Francisco 49ers (Home)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-4)
30 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to New Orleans Saints 37-31 (OT)
Game Ball: Vincent Jackson, Wide Receiver
Game Goat: Dane Fletcher, Linebacker
The Buccaneers have been awful this season, but they have stepped it up a notch the past two weeks, nearly winning this game in New Orleans, which is never an easy task. A big part of their success against the Saints was the seemingly superhuman effort of Jackson, who only finished with eight catches for 144 yards but likely could've had more if quarterback Mike Glennon had fired a few closer to him.
Much like Saints middle linebacker Curtis Lofton, Fletcher looked lost—milling around on defense, only to get blocked, missing three tackles and being completely useless in coverage.
Week 5 Grade: C-
2014 Cumulative: D+
Week 6 Opponent: Baltimore Ravens (Home)
Tennessee Titans (1-4)
31 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to Cleveland Browns 29-28
Game Ball: Jake Locker, Quarterback
Game Goat: Ken Whisenhunt, Head Coach (Pictured Above)
It would have been difficult for a team to look worse than the Browns did in the first half Sunday, but by golly, the Titans figured out a way.
Honestly, the goat distinction could've gone to either the offensive line or the running backs just as easily. A ridiculously poor effort by both led to the Browns' comeback efforts. Whisenhunt, however, makes an easier target, as questionable play selection in the second half allowed the Browns to catch up.
Had Locker stayed healthy, the Titans might have won this game handily. He was playing about as well as he's played in the NFL before Charlie Whitehurst (who had a solid game in relief as well) came in.
Week 5 Grade: D
2014 Cumulative: D
Week 6 Opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars (Home)
Washington (1-4)
32 of 32
Week 5 Outcome: Lost to Seattle Seahawks 27-17
Game Ball: Kirk Cousins, Quarterback (Pictured Above)
Game Goat: Bashaud Breeland, Cornerback
This game should not have been nearly as close as the score, and I'm not going to give Washington graded credit for Seattle's unforced mental errors. I'm not sure anyone would've been surprised—given the way Washington played—if the score had been closer to 40-17.
The offensive line and the running game were both atrocious. Yes, it was Seattle, but this team has been built to zone-block for a while, and it still looks like a novice. Defensively, things were just as much of a mess, and the rookie Breeland's efforts on the outside (four missed tackles, poor coverage) were a reminder of how battered this Washington team has been with injuries.
Still, there were positives.
Cousins had a great week against a very tough defensive matchup. He's looking more and more comfortable with his receivers—especially throwing deep—and is starting to command this team like he belongs under center...regardless of the health of Robert Griffin III.
Week 5 Grade: C-
2014 Cumulative: C-
Week 6 Opponent: Arizona Cardinals (Away)
Michael Schottey is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report and a 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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