NFL Report Cards: Team-by-Team Grades for Week 15
As the temperature drops around the NFL landscape, it's time for playoffs races to begin heating up.
Four teams qualified for the playoffs in Week 15 and many more are to follow. Teams are still jockeying for position among themselves as they look for home-field advantage and a Wild Card Round bye.
Of course, not every team is playing with those lofty heights in mind. Some are simply trying to finish out the year, save their jobs (coaches and players alike), show improvement in the last couple games of the season or play spoiler.
To aid you as you make sense of all of this, Bleacher Report has tasked me with grading every game, every week, and separating the pretenders from the contenders.
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 played in: at home, away, weather, etc.
Not Considered
- Excuses. I grade the team on the field, not the ideal squad 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+ grade.
- Results. A team can look really bad and win a game, while another team can look 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 cumulative mark, which averages 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. Teams that are playing well right now but did poorly in the past (and vice versa) will have those past efforts equally rated in their grades. For a snapshot look at how a team is performing at this moment, Matt Miller's power rankings are a great resource.
Grab your red pens. We're on to the grades!
Arizona Cardinals (11-3)
1 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. St. Louis Rams 12-6
If you're really bummed (read: livid) about the grade being so low, check out the intro slide. There are a lot of excuses as to why the Cardinals didn't play well, and all of those factor into how awesome it was that they still got the win, but none of that is part of the objective reality of how they played, which wasn't great (especially on offense).
Week 15 Grade: B
2014 Cumulative: B
Week 16 Opponent: Seattle Seahawks (Home)
Atlanta Falcons (5-9)
2 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers 27-20
Looking ahead at this matchup, it could've gone either way as these teams have both been intermittently good at various points this season. It just wasn't one of those kinds of days for Atlanta.
Wide receiver Harry Douglas stepped up in the absence of Julio Jones and against a spotty Pittsburgh secondary. He had 131 receiving yards, but that was just about the only real positive for a Falcons team that doesn't deserve a whole ton of defensive credit either because the Steelers offense played poorly as well. Though, the plus down there is for some solid run defense.
Week 15 Grade: C+
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 16 Opponent: New Orleans Saints (Away)
Baltimore Ravens (9-5)
3 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. Jacksonville Jaguars 20-12
Blech...
The Jaguars defense has improved greatly in recent weeks, but this game was far too close for a Ravens team that is likely headed to the playoffs. Against Jacksonville, the Ravens were about as good as expected on defense, but the offense was simply putrid.
Week 15 Grade: B
2014 Cumulative: B
Week 16 Opponent: Houston Texans (Away)
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Buffalo Bills (8-6)
4 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. Green Bay Packers 21-13
I typically only give a third of a letter grade one way or the other for level of competitions, but I'm giving the Bills two bumps up for beating the Packers. It was a phenomenal win, if not completely out of the ordinary, because the Bills defense has been doing this to good offenses for a while.
As for the Bills offense, though, it didn't really exist.
The Bills scored 21 points overall and 12 of those were on Dan Carpenter field goals while two more were from a safety. That's one touchdown...which was a punt return!
Week 15 Grade: B+
2014 Cumulative: B
Week 16 Opponent: Oakland Raiders (Away)
Carolina Panthers (5-8-1)
5 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19-17
Without Cam Newton, the Panthers clawed tooth and nail just to beat a lowly Buccaneers team that has a good shot to be drafting No. 1 overall this spring. This is par for the course for a Panthers team that has underachieved all season long.
Let's be clear...this game was not so close only because Derek Anderson was under center. The Panthers have enough talent (read: every team in the NFL has enough talent) to still beat the Buccaneers handily with a Derek Anderson-type under center. But the Panthers offensive line, running game and (at times) even their defense made it clear that the margin of talent between the Panthers and Buccaneers isn't quite as wide as it should be.
Week 15 Grade: C+
2014 Cumulative: C
Week 16 Opponent: Cleveland Browns (Home)
Chicago Bears (5-9)
6 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to New Orleans Saints 31-15
This was one of the ugliest prime-time football games of the past decade.
Only, at some point, the Saints realized that and actually made adjustments. The Bears simply stay in a quagmire of their own design. If you want to make excuses for them—injuries, etc.—go ahead (I don't grade excuses, check the intro slide). The team on the field, though, was atrocious and every bit an F as I've given out all season—especially against the Saints, who aren't a team the Bears should be getting embarrassed by at home.
Week 15 Grade: F
2014 Cumulative: C-
Week 16 Opponent: Detroit Lions (Home)
Cincinnati Bengals (9-4-1)
7 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. Cleveland Browns 30-0
This was supposed to be the biggest "Battle of Ohio" in sometime—not only because of the addition of Browns QB Johnny Manziel, but also because the AFC North is up for grabs and three of the four AFC North teams could end up in the playoffs.
Nope, just more domination by the Bengals of the Browns.
Dalton had an off day, and I almost removed the Bengals' plus because of it, but the entire team picked him up, and Jeremy Hill's 148 rushing yards were more than enough to carry the squad thanks to a perfect defensive effort.
Week 15 Grade: A+
2014 Cumulative: B
Week 16 Opponent: Denver Broncos (Home)
Cleveland Browns (7-7)
8 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to Cincinnati Bengals 30-0
The Browns overachieved for much of the early part of the season, but the wheels have come off. It wasn't just Johnny Manziel that deep-sixed this game for Cleveland, as it didn't come in with enough time to prepare him nor with a game plan that fit his strengths. He hasn't had the preparation quarterbacks should have to start a game like this, and let's remember this wasn't some meaningless game, but a game in which both the Bengals and Browns were jockeying for playoff positioning.
Manziel has a long way to go before the stench of this game washes off of him, but pretending the fault lays solely on him for such an atrocious beatdown by the Bengals is silly at best.
Week 15 Grade: F
2014 Cumulative: C
Week 16 Opponent: Carolina Panthers (Away)
Dallas Cowboys (10-4)
9 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. Philadelphia Eagles 38-27
In a game that meant more than any game previously this season, the Cowboys didn't wilt.
Didja hear that? The Cowboys didn't wilt.
Quarterback Tony Romo was great, but wide receiver Dez Bryant was near-untouchable after a matchup a few weeks ago where Philly threw the kitchen sink at him. The defense held the Eagles to only 75 total rushing yards and (along with their special teams) created four turnovers.
Week 15 Grade: A-
2014 Cumulative: B+
Week 16 Opponent: Indianapolis Colts (Home)
Denver Broncos (11-3)
10 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. San Diego Chargers 22-10
The Broncos clinched a playoff spot by downing the Chargers with more of an old-school rushing attack than many of us are used to seeing from Denver. Dominant at the line of scrimmage, the line ensured Manning needed to pass only 22 times. When he did, he was mostly effective, and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas finished the game with 123 receiving yards.
Of course, when the defense holds anyone to only 10 points, you know it's a good day for that group.
Week 15 Grade: B+
2014 Cumulative: B+
Week 16 Opponent: Cincinnati Bengals (Away)
Detroit Lions (10-4)
11 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. Minnesota Vikings 16-14
This is the sort of win a fan can appreciate but just has to stick in the ol' craw and cause worry for later.
The Lions have had a lot of those this season and keep pressing on—now to 10 wins and a divisional lead, for now. They, and everyone, know that things are bound to come down to Week 17 in Lambeau Field, and the Lions also know that they will not be winning that game with this sort of effort.
The offense needs to be better than it has been, and consistently so. Some of it is certainly based on the line and injuries around both the line and the skill positions. Some of it, too, is learning a new offense. Still, this is a far-too-talented team to put up only 16 points on the Vikings...especially at home.
Week 15 Grade: B
2014 Cumulative: B
Week 16 Opponent: Chicago Bears (Away)
Green Bay Packers (10-4)
12 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to Buffalo Bills 21-13
Since I said it about the Lions, it definitely applies to the Packers: They're not winning the NFC North with this kind of effort.
The Packers couldn't handle Buffalo's defense, a defense that largely mimics the Lions in its ability and desire to rush effectively with as little blitzing as possible to mask deficiencies on the back end of the unit. If Rodgers couldn't handle that, Ndamukong Suh and Co. are going to have a field day with him.
Mostly, though, the Packers failed in this game because they gave up on the run far too soon. The game was never really out of reach, and running back Eddie Lacy was having himself a day. A little more patience and a little better commitment to the run likely would've led to much different results for Green Bay.
Week 15 Grade: C-
2014 Cumulative: B+
Week 16 Opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Away)
Houston Texans (7-7)
13 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to Indianapolis Colts 17-10
It's difficult to be too hard on the Texans, who are supposed to be pseudo rebuilding this year and still seem to have no luck in either the quarterback position or the health of their draft picks, but overall this wasn't a terrible game against the now-division-champion Colts.
Holding the Colts to only 17 points is a huge credit to Houston's defense, and defensive end J.J. Watt continues to play absolutely out of his mind.
If the offense can't figure something...anything...out, though, this grade will continue to slip downward for the rest of the season.
Week 15 Grade: C
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 16 Opponent: Baltimore Ravens (Home)
Indianapolis Colts (10-4)
14 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. Houston Texans 17-10
One of the least impressive "statement" wins to clinch a division that the Colts could've possibly asked for, and it sets up a big question mark heading into Jerry World next week. How tough do the Colts play without a realistic shot of overtaking Denver and New England for a top-two seed in the AFC?
The offense needs to find more of a rhythm.
It's not really about numbers. The Colts can put up big numbers from time to time and have the third-best scoring offense overall. No, it's about rhythm. What can they do—consistently—from week to week no matter what the competition? Right now, I'm not sure there's a definitive answer to that, and they'll need it when the playoffs get here.
Week 15 Grade: C+
2014 Cumulative: B
Week 16 Opponent: Dallas Cowboys (Away)
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-12)
15 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to the Baltimore Ravens 20-12
I pointed out how terrible this game was on the Ravens slide, and it certainly takes two to tango.
Though the Jaguars defense gets some (read: some) credit for helping to stifle a Ravens defense that often stifles itself just fine anyway, the Jaguars offense is simply beset by injury after injury that has wrecked a team with so little talent and depth in the first place.
The Jaguars (again, especially on defense) are playing their best football of the past few years as of late...it's just still not very good football.
Week 15 Grade: D
2014 Cumulative: D+
Week 16 Opponent: Tennessee Titans (Home)
Kansas City Chiefs (8-6)
16 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. Oakland Raiders 31-13
This game is pretty much a microcosm of Andy Reid's career as a head coach.
The Chiefs "ran up the score" with 31 of some of the least impressive offensive points one would find this season. It was the Raiders, guys...the Raiders. They give up scores like this. Yes, there's credit to be given out to all three Kansas City units and I'm not really saying this shouldn't be a proud win for the team as a whole, but there's still a lot of offensive ineptitude, even with the elevated score.
Yes, this is probably the most negative I've been about a B+ grade all season long, but the facade of the Chiefs "offense" is going to crumble sooner or later, and it should end Reid's career in the NFL.
Week 15 Grade: B+
2014 Cumulative: B
Week 16 Opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers (Away)
Miami Dolphins (7-7)
17 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to New England Patriots 41-13
Is this really the hill we want head coach Joe Philbin to die on?
All season, there was a bunch of high school-like will he/won't he drama about whether Philbin gets fired by the Dolphins, but all of that inconsistent and split opinion seems to have coalesced against him following this (admittedly embarrassing) loss.
If we're going to start firing everyone who gets embarrassed in December against the Patriots (especially in New England), we should probably just start another league with all the coaches out of work.
The Dolphins are who they are, and this is one of the first downright embarrassing losses of the season. Meanwhile, they beat the Patriots in Week 1 and have close losses to elite teams like the Broncos, Lions and Packers.
This is a better team than they were last year, and Philbin has gotten a lot out of a team that still lacks talent in key areas.
Week 15 Grade: D+
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 16 Opponent: Minnesota Vikings (Home)
Minnesota Vikings (6-8)
18 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to Detroit Lions 16-14
The Vikings went toe-to-toe with a tough Lions team and deserved to win the game if but for a few botched field-goal attempts. Still, their offense looked mostly effective and exposed some poor tackling with plenty of hard running by running back Matt Asiata and (again mostly) precision passing by quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
The Vikings are clearly taking steps forward as a team. This is a close loss that proves they have many of the building blocks already in place.
Week 15 Grade: B-
2014 Cumulative: C+
Week 16 Opponent: Miami Dolphins (Away)
New England Patriots (11-3)
19 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. Miami Dolphins 41-13
Time to talk out of the other side of my mouth.
While I said (and it's true) just a few slides ago that this game doesn't mean nearly as much for the Dolphins as the boo birds want it to, it is a statement game for the Patriots in terms of "taking care of business" at home against a team they lost to earlier in the year and clinching the AFC East.
The game couldn't have gone much better.
With the possible exception of the Packers (who beat the Patriots at Lambeau), it's hard to think of a team that would go toe-to-toe with the Patriots in Foxborough or even on the neutral site of the upcoming Super Bowl.
Week 15 Grade: A+
2014 Cumulative: A-
Week 16 Opponent: New York Jets (Away)
New Orleans Saints (6-8)
20 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. Chicago Bears 31-15
The final score and box score stats point far more toward an A than actually watching the game would lead anyone to believe. The first half was completely unwatchable thanks to subpar efforts from both teams. The Saints victory earns them some credit, but the game was far more about the Bears imploding in every possible facet of the game.
The good for the Saints: Quarterback Drew Brees played a mostly mistake-free game and had good protection (again, remember it's the Bears), the defense didn't allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter, and it's possible tight end Jimmy Graham is on his way to getting back on track.
Week 15 Grade: B+
2014 Cumulative: C
Week 16 Opponent: Atlanta Falcons (Home)
New York Giants (5-9)
21 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. Washington 24-13
The Giants knocked Washington quarterback Colt McCoy out of the game and then harassed Robert Griffin III to the tune of seven sacks and 12 total QB hits on top of that.
While much of the talk will be about wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and his 143 yards and three touchdowns (very impressive, don't get me wrong), the defense and especially the pass rush drove the bus in this game.
Week 15 Grade: B
2014 Cumulative: C
Week 16 Opponent: St. Louis Rams (Away)
New York Jets (3-11)
22 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. Tennessee Titans 16-11
Probably the lowest grade I've given a winning team all year, but anyone who endured this game knows why. This was a bad game on both sides of the ball no matter what was happening. The whole thing stunk of a semipro game. Things might've gone very differently if the Titans hadn't needed Charlie Whitehurst to play quarterback for much of the day.
There were positives for the Jets, yes, and quarterback Geno Smith looked as comfortable as he's looked, but the fact it was all against the Titans and they still managed only 16 points isn't exactly something to write home about.
Week 15 Grade: C-
2014 Cumulative: D
Week 16 Opponent: New England Patriots (Home)
Oakland Raiders (2-12)
23 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to Kansas City Chiefs 31-13
The race for the No. 1 pick is on!
The Raiders didn't have a chance to protect quarterback Derek Carr, who probably feels like he spun out and crashed. That metaphor was better than anything the Raiders showed in this one...
A big part of the lopsided loss was the inability to make any in-game or halftime adjustments. The Chiefs are a very good team, but the Raiders were toe-to-toe with them for much of the first half. Things just spiraled out of control in the third quarter, and the Raiders weren't strong enough to stem that tide.
Week 15 Grade: F
2014 Cumulative: D
Week 16 Opponent: Buffalo Bills (Home)
Philadelphia Eagles (9-5)
24 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to Dallas Cowboys 38-27
This game looked nothing like the last time these two faced off.
The final score is actually closer than much of the game was, but the Eagles fought hard to come back from a 21-0 hole only to let the Cowboys finish the game as strong as they had started it. That sums up a lot of my feelings about the Eagles with Sanchez at the helm. The talent is there to give anyone a fight, but do we really trust the quarterback to do anything more than come up short in tough situations?
Week 15 Grade: B-
2014 Cumulative: B
Week 16 Opponent: Washington (Away)
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5)
25 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. Atlanta Falcons 27-20
This game was far too close for the Steelers' comfort.
Though the numbers for the passing game were fantastic (partly because wide receiver Antonio Brown against the Atlanta secondary is an athletic mismatch), the Steelers couldn't consistently move the ball because the Falcons all but shut down their run game.
There's some credit, too, for holding the Falcons to only 20 points, but the actual eye in the sky showed a Falcons team that was struggling for reasons that had more to do with injury than matchup. Play this same game 10 times and I'm not sure the Steelers win more than five of those with this kind of effort.
Week 15 Grade: B
2014 Cumulative: B
Week 16 Opponent: Kansas City Chiefs (Home)
San Diego Chargers (8-6)
26 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to Denver Broncos 22-10
Want to blame quarterback Philip Rivers and his two interceptions for the loss? Sure, go ahead.
Yet, that ignores the fact that the Chargers had only 2.8 yards per rush attempt as a team. Now, ironically, that's the exact same number as the Broncos, but the Broncos stuck with the run, rushing 19 more times for a total of 111 to the Chargers' 56.
The Chargers are at their best with a balanced offense. Head coach Mike McCoy knows this. It just didn't happen against Denver.
Week 15 Grade: C-
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 16 Opponent: San Francisco 49ers (Away)
San Francisco 49ers (7-7)
27 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to Seattle Seahawks 17-7
This loss probably feels worse than a C+ for many fans as the 49ers' offensive ineptitude in Seattle continues with quarterback Colin Kaepernick and head coach Jim Harbaugh running the show. Really, though, things weren't that bad and the defense played well.
Had the 49ers found any answer after halftime, this could've been a much better game. They couldn't...again, and that will likely be pointed out if the front office doesn't end up keeping Harbaugh.
Week 15 Grade: C+
2014 Cumulative: C
Week 16 Opponent: San Diego Chargers (Home)
Seattle Seahawks (10-4)
28 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Def. San Francisco 49ers 17-7
I love watching the Seahawks defense. Since the midway point of the season, it has been a hallmark of each and every week. The defense is pumping on all cylinders thanks to the return of linebacker Bobby Wagner (who had 10 tackles and was solid as a rusher against the 49ers) and others.
I can't give them more than a B+ no matter what they do defensively until their offense starts pulling some of the weight. They won the Super Bowl in the same matter last year, though, so what do I know?
Week 15 Grade: B+
2014 Cumulative: B
Week 16 Opponent: Arizona Cardinals (Away)
St. Louis Rams (6-8)
29 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to Arizona Cardinals 12-6
This game set offensive football back a few decades, but that's thanks to injuries for both teams at quarterback and a couple of really good defenses on top of it.
In reality, though, the Rams lost this game because they gave it away. Two turnovers is more than the difference in a game where a touchdown was impossible for both teams to come by.
Week 15 Grade: B-
2014 Cumulative: B-
Week 16 Opponent: New York Giants (Home)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-12)
30 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to Carolina Panthers 19-17
If the season ended today, the Buccaneers would have the top draft pick, and they need it!
Defensively, they played well but not great considering the Panthers were without Cam Newton and haven't been that good offensively anyway. Offensively, the team just lacks direction and doesn't have the talent at quarterback to consistently get the ball to the talented receiving corps.
Week 15 Grade: D+
2014 Cumulative: D+
Week 16 Opponent: Green Bay Packers (Home)
Tennessee Titans (2-12)
31 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to New York Jets 16-11
The Jets were, mathematically, my worst team heading into the week, though the Titans were close! Now, they have the mantle all to themselves. Kudos.
The bright side is that quarterback Charlie Whitehurst and his Pantene-fresh locks were in full display on Sunday. I mean, that's not a bright side for the Titans, but it was the only aspect of this game that wasn't terrible.
Week 15 Grade: F
2014 Cumulative: D
Week 16 Opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars (Away)
Washington (3-11)
32 of 32
Week 15 Outcome: Lost to New York Giants 24-13
Running out of things to say about the terrible season Washington is having. This wasn't the worst game considering its starting QB got knocked out of the game, until you realize the backup once cost it three first-round picks.
Other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?
Week 15 Grade: D-
2014 Cumulative: D
Week 16 Opponent: Philadelphia Eagles (Home)
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