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Is defense the new offense? It’s sure looking like it these days. Most of the remaining undefeated teams in the NFL—the Broncos, Patriots, Eagles, Vikings and Ravens—are getting things done with defenses that throw their opponents into unfavorable situations from the start to the end.

That’s reflected in the Week 3 edition of the NFL1000. Aaron Rodgers gets the top spot based on his marvelous performance against the Lions, but after that the next 13 players on our master list do their thing on the defensive side of the ball.

In any other week, Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins might have been the top player overall, and it would have been well-deserved after his performance against the Texans on Thursday night. Collins made several ridiculous run reads and dropped into coverage as well as he always had. It was a franchise-defining performance for a New England defense that has taken over the team and allowed two young quarterbacks to shine during Tom Brady’s suspension.

Similarly, the Eagles are succeeding with offensive rookies Carson Wentz and Wendell Smallwood, in part because their overhauled defense, led by brilliant coordinator Jim Schwartz, is playing lights-out football. Philly has allowed just 20 points through three games, and we have two of those defenders—defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and defensive back Malcolm Jenkins—in our top 10 this week. Right outside the top 10 is safety Rodney McLeod, a tremendous free-agent acquisition who’s helped the Eagles’ secondary shine.

With all that said, the Vikings may have the league’s scariest defense right now, and defensive end Everson Griffen is a huge part of that. Griffen has been a great player for a long time, but he’s taken his game to a new level in 2016. He terrorized Carolina’s offense with three sacks, two quarterback hits and four quarterback hurries, adding three run stops for good measure. If head coach Mike Zimmer can keep his young cornerbacks playing on point (rookie Mackensie Alexander is starting to stand out), this defense could be an unsolvable problem.

Part of Bleacher Report’s NFL1000 player rating methodology that matters is the ability to look at our grades from week to week (as you, dear reader, can) and suss out which patterns are turning into trends and which are flukes in the relatively small sample size of an NFL season.

There are many ways to dissect and learn from what the NFL presents on the field every week, and the NFL1000 goes as deep as any to tell you just what’s going on out there. If you're looking for more details on some of the grades, make sure to check out this week's scouting notebook.

With a 17-person crew of experienced evaluators, we'll comb through the game tape each week to bring you concise, clear evaluations of every player in the NFL. We'll tell you which rookies are rising and which undrafted players are coming out of nowhere to make an impact. We'll tell you which players are rising and falling in performance and why.

There is no predetermined narrative with these grades. No mysterious "clutch factor." No tweaked-out quarterback ratings that defy explanation. Our grades are based on pure scouting, and lots of it. We grade the key criteria for each position based on a series of attributes and add in a score for positional importance.

In the case of a tie, our scouts ask, "Which player would I want on my team?" and adjust accordingly.

Is it a subjective process? Of course—that's what scouting is and, as we like to say, ties are no fun.

Each player is evaluated and graded by our crack team of scouts, who possess more than 100 combined years of experience in playing, front-office work, coaching and media. Cian Fahey, John Middlekauff, Alex Kirby, Mark Schofield, Duke Manyweather, Ethan Young, Joe Goodberry, Justis Mosqueda, Charles McDonald, Zach Kruse, Derrik Klassen, Jerod Brown, Ian Wharton, Kyle Posey, Mark Bullock, Chuck Zodda and Doug Farrar have watched tape for months to bring you these grades, and we'll be bringing you player grades based on the game action every week.

Here are the NFL1000 player grades for Week 3 of the 2016 NFL season.

All advanced stats are courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL1000 team of scouts was given a series of important attributes to grade for every player in their positional review. Using a grading scale starting at 0 and going up to anywhere from 10 to 40 based on the position and the attribute, our scouts have graded each player based on their own expertise and countless hours of tape review over the years. Our evaluators were given specific positional assignments based on their proven fields of expertise. 

• Doug Farrar: Lead scout/centers
• Cian Fahey: Quarterbacks
• John Middlekauff: Running backs/fullbacks
• Alex Kirby:- Wide receivers/tight ends
• Mark Schofield: Wide receivers/tight ends
• Duke Manyweather: Offensive tackles
• Ethan Young: Offensive guards
• Joe Goodberry: Defensive ends
• Charles McDonald: Defensive tackles
• Zach Kruse: 3-4 outside linebackers
• Derrik Klassen: 4-3 outside linebackers
• Jerod Brown: Inside linebackers
• Kyle Posey: Cornerbacks
• Ian Wharton: Cornerbacks
• Mark Bullock: Safeties
• Chuck Zodda: Special teams

Every NFL player with snaps in offensive and defensive roles is observed and graded based on a multitiered process that marks specific attributes per position. As we're combing through All-22 footage to assess each performance, there are additional factors to consider.

We'll adjust for opponent based on the obvious notion that the cornerback we're grading is doing a better job if he's shutting down Antonio Brown than if he's negating the efforts of a seventh-round rookie receiver.

We'll also adjust for players with multiple responsibilities in the course of a game and over the course of time. Think of guys like J.J. Watt and Michael Bennett on the defensive line--how they seamlessly switch from gap to gap. Or how cornerbacks such as Chris Harris and Tyrann Mathieu dominate outside and in the slot. Or how receivers such as Doug Baldwin and Larry Fitzgerald bedevil those cornerbacks from multiple field positions.

That's more important than ever in today's NFL, and we pay attention to it.

We will not adjust for injuries. If a player is underperforming because of an injury, that's part of his performance, fair or unfair, and it needs to be graded accordingly.

Grading any player is a subjective process, but with a series of attributes per position and a specific direction as to what to grade and how, we'll work to make it as definitive as possible.

Here are the NFL1000 player grades for Week 3 of the 2016 NFL season.

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Aaron Rodgers was obviously sick of hearing how his offense was broken, so he decided to do something about it. After two iffy games to start the 2016 season and an entire 2015 campaign in which head coach Mike McCarthy’s route concepts left him with little room to breathe, Rodgers met his coaching staff more than halfway in Green Bay’s 34-27 win.

Armed with a few more diverse scheme options, Rodgers completed 15 of 24 passes for 205 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Not exactly all-time numbers, but when you watch the tape there’s nobody else who could have been our No. 1 player this week. Rodgers was ridiculous with his overall accuracy, especially with the deep ball. It was Aaron Rodgers at his best.

Justis Mosqueda, the newest member of our NFL1000 team, wrote more specifically about how McCarthy and his staff helped Rodgers out. If this holds, the Packers will be a real threat to the rest of the NFL…if they can hold off the surging Vikings in their own division, that is.

After Rodgers, it’s all defense for a while. You’re familiar with the fantastic efforts of guys like Von Miller and Aaron Donald, but let a few new names sink in. Baltimore’s Zach Orr is a point man for a good defense, Philly’s Rodney McLeod is one of the most underrated safeties in the business right now, and Miami safety Reshad Jones has been one of the league’s more consistent performers in recent years.

You’ll find all of this week’s NFL1000 grades per position on the following pages, but here’s the top 50 for Week 3.

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The fifth-ranked quarterback in Week 3 would have ranked 15th in Week 2. 

Week 3 was disastrous for the quarterback position. Twenty-three quarterbacks couldn't even grade as high as 70 overall. Big names such as Cam Newton, Carson Palmer, Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers played some of the worst football they have in years. Meanwhile, Ryan Fitzpatrick set quarterbacking as an ideology back 20 years with his atrociously bad display. Fitzpatrick threw six interceptions but could have thrown 10. If you removed all of his throws that were caught by defenders he'd still have been the worst quarterback in the league last week.

Aaron Rodgers was the only big-name quarterback to live up to expectations. It's tough for Rodgers to surpass expectations because of the high standard he is held to, but his Week 3 display was as close to flawless as you're likely to see this season. Rodgers' 93 overall grade reflects how he took care of the football while making difficult downfield throws with consistency from both inside and outside of the pocket.

Rodgers contributed four touchdowns and no interceptions to a game week that had 38 touchdowns and 36 interceptions.

Touchdowns and interceptions don't carry as much weight in these evaluations as they will elsewhere. These rankings care more about the opportunities a quarterback creates than those that are taken advantage of. If a quarterback throws the ball straight to a defender and the defender drops it, the play throw/decision from the quarterback is all that matters.

The quarterback doesn't control if the ball is caught or not so it doesn't make sense to judge him based on the play's outcome. Furthermore, if the quarterback makes that throw when his team is leading against making it when his team is trying to come back in the fourth quarter, the grading adjusts accordingly.

It works the other way too. If a quarterback finishes a game with three interceptions but all three were a result of errors from teammates, he won't be punished in his grade. Unfortunately for Ryan Fitzpatrick, his mistakes were all his own last week.

Diving deeper into the grading method for this project, another important piece of the puzzle is opportunities a quarterback missed. If a quarterback's receiver runs a great route and gets open but the quarterback misses the throw or doesn't see him when you'd rationally expect him to see him, he will be punished in his grading. This was a major issue for Brock Osweiler in Week 3 as he repeatedly didn't see his receivers when they were open downfield despite having time in the pocket to do so. Osweiler was pressured often too, but too many of his mistakes were of his own creation.

Quarterbacks need to be judged within the context of their supporting cast but without letting that supporting cast corrupt the evidence. If you don't face any pressure, or at least minimal pressure, because you play behind a great offensive line (Carson Wentz, for example), you are less likely to grade as high as a quarterback who plays to the same level behind an offensive line that is overwhelmed on every snap (Sam Bradford).

Context is huge for these evaluations. We need to understand how the player fits and how functional his skill set is instead of solely focusing on how far he can throw the ball or how many times he can get up after big hits.

While the presentation may be just four categories, each category is layered when it comes to the actual evaluation.

To get a high accuracy grade you need to consistently put the ball in the right spot to different levels of the field. If 90 percent of the passes you throw only travel a few yards past the line of scrimmage, you won't be given as much credit as someone who is fitting the ball into tight windows downfield at an above-average rate. The "Arm" category is about more than just arm strength. It's about arm talent. You need to show off velocity, touch (control of trajectory) and an ability to throw from uncomfortable platforms to score high in that category.

The pressure category is self-explanatory for the most part. Do you work from tight pockets and deliver the ball accurately and on time against pressure? High grade. Do you make mistakes against pressure or rush to get rid of the ball to avoid pressure? Low grade. That category also values the player's contributions as a runner. As such, Tyrod Taylor's grade is higher than you'd expect this week because of his two long runs, one that was a designed option play and one that was a scramble for a touchdown.

The decision-making category requires that you take care of the football but not to the point that you handicap the offense. You need to make good pre-snap and post-snap reads to get high marks in this category. Turnovers or turnover opportunities for the defense will heavily hit this grade.

Grading Scale

Acc: Accuracy (Graded out of 25)

Arm: Arm Strength (Graded out of 25)

Press: Pressure/run threat (Graded out of 20) (Pressure weighted at 15, run threat at 5)

Dec: Decision-Making (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Tom Brady—suspension
• Tony Romo—injury

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The main theme of Week 3 for NFL runners was just how many star players missed time and forced backup players to contribute. Adrian Peterson is more than likely out for the year, though you can never count him out as he has shown before in coming back from a major knee injury. Arian Foster, Jonathan Stewart, Ameer Abdullah, Doug Martin, Thomas Rawls and Rashad Jennings all did not dress because of injuries. The good news is that all these guys should be back in a week or so except for Abdullah, who is done for the year. This is major blow for the Lions.

Every running game that was missing its starting back struggled, leading to losses, except for the Seahawks, who had a breakout performance from Christine Michael. He shredded a 49ers defense that looked lost in Seattle. 

In Week 3, a ton of guys had big-time performances. LeSean McCoy helped a desperate Buffalo team get in the win column against the Cardinals. He shredded Arizona inside the tackles, making guys miss and showing the home run capability that made him a star in Philly. DeMarco Murray and Devonta Freeman both had big days.

While Freeman continues to be one of the more versatile backs in the NFL, Murray is working on his Comeback Player of the Year candidacy by the week. Murray bounced off Raider defenders all game and added a touchdown. David Johnson was the only bright spot for the Cardinals as he dominated inside and out while also torching the Bills in the passing game. He is one of the most complete players in the league

It was a big week for the old-school bruising backs. LeGarrette Blount is quietly the Patriots' offensive MVP. He dominated a good Texans defense—breaking tackles and carrying a unit that was led by a first-time rookie QB. He leads the NFL in rushing. Eddie Lacy may not be skinny, but he sure is running a lot harder than he was in 2015. He helped wear out a Detroit front and had his first 100-yard game of the year.

Another physical back, Isaiah Crowell, had another excellent game for the Browns in an overtime loss. He showed home run-hitting speed and physicality to make him an NFL bell cow. He also has a talented sidekick in Duke Johnson, who might be a top-five pass-catching back. The Browns have a good running game.

Despite his team's big win on the road, Todd Gurley ran a little hesitant against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We saw flashes of his elite talent, but it was his most consistent game from a mentality standpoint. Despite having a good day from a stat perspective, Carlos Hyde had over 65 of his yards when his team was down 37-3 and Seattle was in its nickel defense. While he did run hard, his yardage came in garbage time when the game was well out of reach.

Grading Scale

In: Inside Running (Graded out of 25)

Out: Outside Running (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Ameer Abdullah—injury
• Le'Veon Bell—suspension
• Jamaal Charles—injury
• Arian Foster—injury
• Rashad Jennings—injury
• Doug Martin—injury
• Adrian Peterson—injury
• Thomas Rawls—injury
• Jonathan Stewart—injury

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

The most under-appreciated position in the NFL had a pretty good week despite putting up little in the box score. Three guys who stood out were Malcolm Johnson, Jerome Felton and Patrick DiMarco. 

Johnson continues to clear holes in one of the better running games in the NFL that no one is talking about in Cleveland. The NFL's second-leading rusher resides in Cleveland, and Johnson has played a big reason for it. Felton helped LeSean McCoy break out against the Cardinals by opening up holes and locating an athletic second-level group. While the Saints are terrible on defense, DiMarco made sure the nation realized it by opening holes the size of the Red Sea on Monday Night Football for his backfield mates.

John Kuhn had a touchdown on a goal-line carry. And while Kyle Juszczyk didn’t fill up the stat sheet, he is a scout/coaches dream doing everything on the football field. If it wasn’t for Baltimore's wide receivers being open all day, Flacco could dump the ball to him on just about every pass.

Grading Scale

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 50)

Run: Running (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Roosevelt Nix—inactive
• Marcel Reece—suspended/released
• Nikita Whitlock—insufficient snaps

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

We can begin this week in New York, with the much-anticipated meeting between Odell Beckham Jr. and Josh Norman. While Washington won the war, Beckham may have emerged as the victor on points in this intense matchup.

The receiver was held without a touchdown, but he got the better of Norman on a few plays, including a beautiful circle/corner pattern to start the second quarter when he started to the inside and then lost the DB on his cut back toward the sideline. He got more consistent separation later in the game, including one play that he capped off with an impressive one-handed catch along the sideline. Staying with the Giants, rookie Sterling Shepard continues to impress, catching a contested throw for a touchdown on a beautifully run seam route. 

Marvin Jones Jr. put up huge numbers for the Lions in their loss to Detroit, but the grades might not reflect the production. Jones benefited from a free release at the line of scrimmage on his long touchdown pass because the defender was not ready for the snap, and also benefited from some coverage decisions by Green Bay that left him open. These led to a lower route-running score than one may expect given his numbers.

On the other sideline, Jordy Nelson looked like he is coming back into form, as he ran a number of beautiful routes on the day, including two in the red zone, one of which went for a touchdown.

Doug Baldwin turned in another impressive performance this week, catching eight passes for 164 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers. He ran a beautiful post route early in the game for a big gain, and on his touchdown reception he took advantage of the route design for a score.

He also showed an impressive adjustment on a route along the sideline, when he was running a wheel route and turned his body around to both make the catch and come down inbounds on the pass from backup quarterback Trevone Boykin. Baldwin’s effort was crucial to the Seattle victory, as his fellow receivers were all limited by the San Francisco defense.

Some bigger-name receivers saw their numbers drop this week. Julio Jones was held to only one catch for 16 yards, as the Saints defense seemed content to roll extra coverage to his side of the field and let the other Atlanta receivers enjoy single coverage. Kelvin Benjamin, along with the rest of the Carolina offense, struggled to get separation against the Minnesota defense, and Benjamin was held to only one target and zero receptions.

A similar story played out in Buffalo, in Arizona’s loss to the Bills. All of the Arizona receivers struggled on the day, including Michael Floyd, who had a drop early in the game after a well-placed throw from Carson Palmer.

In Indianapolis, T.Y. Hilton came up huge for the Colts against the Chargers all game long, but especially in the fourth quarter with a 63-yard catch-and-run for the winning touchdown. Hilton used his quick feet and excellent route-running skills to put the San Diego secondary on its heels and stay one step ahead of the competition all day, and practically put the offense on his back.

Meanwhile, in Miami, a matchup of two winless teams featured two of the most fascinating players in the league, Jarvis Landry and Terrelle Pryor. First-year Dolphins head coach Adam Gase manufactured touches for Landry all over the field and put him in position to create plays down the field as well as give him room after the catch, where he could display that physical running style he’s known for.

Pryor was the utility man for the Browns, lining up many times at quarterback, as well as creating multiple explosive plays down the field at the receiver position.  The former Ohio State quarterback continues to improve at the receiver position each week. More important than any one play was that he was everything his team needed him to be in this game and he left it all on the field.

Grading Scale

Route: Route Running (Graded out of 25)

Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)

YAC: Yards After Catch (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Josh Doctson—inactive
• Donte Moncrief—injury
• Cordarrelle Patterson—insufficient snaps
• Sammy Watkins—injury
• Marquess Wilson—injury
• Kendall Wright—inactive

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Jimmy Graham may still be rounding into form after his recent injury, but a solid afternoon against the San Francisco 49ers propelled him up the rankings this week. Graham caught six passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, and was effective as a blocker as well. On his first reception of the day, he made a great adjustment on an off-target throw from Russell Wilson. On the touchdown reception, he displayed great field awareness in a scramble drill situation, mirroring his quarterback and finding open space in the red zone for the touchdown. He did lose a fumble in the game, but on the play, he showed some ability after the catch as he made the first defender miss. 

Coby Fleener had a big night on Monday Night Football, catching 11 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. He enjoyed most of his success late in the half and late in the game, catching two long passes down the seam on vertical passing concepts, when Atlanta was looking to prevent the big play. On his touchdown, he was wide-open, as the Saints used a jumbo formation on the goal line and then ran a play-action play to scheme Fleener open. Given this, while he enjoyed a big night, his scores for the week might be lower than some would expect.

Two playoff teams from last year struggled on Sunday, and the grades for their skill players dropped as a result. In Carolina’s loss to Minnesota, Greg Olsen was limited to six catches for 64 yards and was held without a touchdown. He struggled to get consistent separation and was not as big a factor as a blocker as he has been in weeks past. Arizona lost on the road to Buffalo, and its three tight ends were limited in the defeat. Darren Fells caught two passes for a total of 15 yards, and Troy Niklas snagged a single pass for no gain. All three tight ends (with the addition of Jermaine Gresham) struggled to find open space against the Bills defense.

The Packers offense seemed to get back on track this week, but you would not know it from looking at Green Bay's tight ends. Jared Cook and Richard Rodgers saw a few targets, and Rodgers did catch a flat route for a touchdown in the early going, but the bulk of the work went to the wide receivers on Sunday. After Cook exited with an injury, third-string TE Justin Perillo took his place and was used primarily as a blocker.

Grading Scale

Route: Route Running (Graded out of 20)

Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)

YAC: Yards After Catch (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Zach Ertz—injury
• Antonio Gates—injury
• Josh Hill—injury
• Mychal Rivera—inactive
• Delanie Walker—injury

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

The big storyline among left tackles is the familiar names that were inactive for Week 3, most notably Dallas Cowboys All-Pro Tyron Smith, who was inactive with a shoulder injury. In Smith's absence, Chaz Green filled in at left tackle and played decently. Green struggled during the preseason, and it was unclear how he would hold up against the Chicago Bears, but he had a very good showing in the run game and turned in an admirable performance in pass protection.

The New Orleans Saints' Terron Armstead was also inactive for Monday Night Football versus the Atlanta Falcons, and second-year man Andrus Peat filled in and did an OK job, in both pass protection and run blocking, although he had a handful of plays in pass protection where he struggled.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were without free-agent signing Kelvin Beachum, but a familiar player, Luke Joeckel, stepped right into the left tackle spot he lost in camp and played well in all aspects. Joeckel's performance against the Baltimore Ravens may have been one of the best games of his pro career, as he consistently anchored and recovered when moved off his spot. Joeckel also wasn't afraid to mix it up in the run game and looked to finish defenders every chance he got.

For the second week in a row, Tennessee Titans tackle Taylor Lewan showed solid run-blocking technique and physicality while remaining patient in pass protection, which equated to another strong performance.

The Green Bay Packers rewarded David Bakhtiari with a big contract extension, and for the third week in a row, he is showing the NFL exactly why. He may not be well-known, but he has started to establish himself as an elite pass protector. Bakhtiari displays excellent balance and weight distribution, and he constantly creates leverage with his hands to anchor in pass protection. He is able to take the necessary steps that allow him to be in position to win. Bakhtiari also did a good job running his feet on contact and opening huge running lanes, specifically when he was asked to "angle drive" block on the front side of outside zone.

One of the most impressive performances of Week 3 was Trent Williams not only dominating at left tackle but kicking into left guard and being just as dominant. Williams was a monster, both on the edge and on the interior. His explosion, physicality and body control give him the perfect combination of traits to succeed regardless of position. If you are a fan of offensive line play, go watch Williams against the New York Giants. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Terron Armstead—injury
• Kelvin Beachum—injury
• Duane Brown—injury
• King Dunlap—injury
• Cordy Glenn—injury
• Matt Kalil—injury
• Tyron Smith—injury

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Green Bay right tackle Bryan Bulaga turned in a big-time performance against the Lions. He was almost flawless in pass protection and mauled defenders in the run game. Injuries have always seemed to halt Bulaga, but when healthy, he's proved to be a top-tier right tackle in the NFL.

For the third week in a row, the Jets split reps between two right tackles, Ben Ijalana and Brent Qvale, and for the third week in a row, Ijalana still grades out higher and seems to give the offense just a little more on film. At some point, it should be enough to give him the edge at a full-time role.

Riley Reiff's transition from left tackle to right tackle has paid off tremendously. His aggressiveness and skill set fit perfectly on the right edge, where you can take more chances at staying flat in pass protection. Reiff has been impressive as a run-blocker, showing the ability to consistently push the point of attack, and shows the base and power to hit, lift and drive defenders breaking any stalemate.

The importance of right tackle is often overlooked as it relates to how the general public spotlights left tackle, but any quarterback will tell you right tackles matter as well. When you factor in guys such as Von Miller, J.J. Watt and Khalil Mack, who all play over the right tackle, there can not be a significant drop-off in talent between left tackle and right tackle if you expect your offense to have success in the NFL. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Breno Giacomini—injury
• Seantrel Henderson—suspension
• Marshall Newhouse—injury
• Donald Stephenson—injury

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

In Week 1, I talked about bounce-back veterans, and last week, I discussed impressive up-and-comers. This week had a far different feel, with several no-namers getting chances to start in the wake of injuries.

The most intriguing was Jaguars left guard Chris Reed, a shot-putter from Minnesota State who showed off impressive punch and upper-body strength against Baltimore. Jeremiah Sirles stepped in at left guard for Minnesota as well and opened up some nice holes in the ground game after Alex Boone got hurt.

Unlike the other two, Lane Taylor has been playing all year, but the first-year starter's Week 3 was his best performance yet. Taylor and left tackle David Bakhtiari sealed up the left side of the Lions front seven, opening up holes for Eddie Lacy and helping get the Packers offense back on track. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jonathan Cooper—insufficient snaps
• Joshua Garnett—insufficient snaps
• Germain Ifedi—injury
• Evan Mathis—injury
• Chance Warmack—injury

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

We have a two-way tie for first place this week among NFL centers, as Travis Frederick fought his way back to the top after a relatively iffy performance against the Redskins in Week 2. Against the Bears on Sunday night, Dallas' star lineman was back to his old malevolent self. On the first Cowboys play from scrimmage, a 21-yard gain for rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott, Frederick chipped nose tackle Will Sutton at the line and then hit the second level, throwing linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski to the ground with alarming ease. Frederick was a bit too aggressive in open space against Washington, leading to multiple whiff blocks, but he was back to normal this week. When he's at his best, he's the best in the business. 

Aaron Rodgers went off impressively against the Lions last Sunday, but when you're trumpeting the fact that the Green Bay offense is back after that yearlong slumber, don't forget to give a little love to center J.C. Tretter, who had the best NFL game I've seen from him. You don't throw multiple deep balls as Rodgers did without protection, and Rodgers benefited greatly from Tretter's game. In 54 snaps, Tretter allowed no sacks, no quarterback hits and one quarterback hurry. He hit the second level well to deal with linebackers, handled Haloti Ngata's strength and spin moves with great mirroring and showed outstanding footwork to keep his base at the point of attack.

A third center had a performance worthy of special mention this week, and it's the kind of thing we love to feature at NFL1000 HQ, because it's a story you may not hear elsewhere. Cleveland's John Greco is a nine-year veteran with most of his starts at either left or right guard for the Browns over the last few seasons. But with starting center Cameron Erving hurt, Greco stepped into the middle position in a very weird situation—head coach Hue Jackson made the call to alternate between quarterback Cody Kessler and Swiss army knife Terrelle Pryor.

Pryor is more comfortable in shotgun and pistol, while Kessler appears to prefer taking his snaps under center. With negligible recent experience at the position, two completely different quarterbacks to deal with and Ndamukong Suh right over his head or to his side for most of the game, Greco did amazingly well. He allowed one hit and two hurries, and performed one of the toughest things for any center to do (a shotgun snap followed immediately by a gap block on a nose tackle) seamlessly. Greco's performance won't get its due on any stat sheet, but we'll recognize it here.

This year's rookie centers, Indianapolis' Ryan Kelly and Chicago's Cody Whitehair, also had strong performances, and you can read more about them in this week's Rookie Review when it comes out on Friday. Connoisseurs of great center play should watch the Cowboys-Bears game to see Frederick and Whitehair show how the position should be played.

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Cameron Fleming—injury
• Brandon Linder—injury
• Mike Pouncey—injury

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Again, people may wonder why Timmy Jernigan grades out so highly, and I ask everyone to put on the tape and enjoy the show. Jernigan is playing at an All-Pro level as a pass-rusher and run defender. He tipped two passes this past week, and both should've been intercepted (one was). He also had another sack and displayed a wide tackle radius. 

Following Jernigan are the usual suspects: Jurrell Casey, Mike Daniels and Cam Heyward. All three had strong weeks and remain among the best at their position.

Dropping off this week is J.J. Watt. Maybe he doesn't look fully healthy, but the Patriots didn't give him a chance to show it. New England stayed away from Watt as much as possible and gave him extra attention in pass protection.

The Texans aren't helping their stud defensive end much, either. Too often you'll see just three rushers against five or six blockers. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney are asked to beat double-teams too often, and with the news that Watt reinjured his back and will miss at least several weeks, the pressure is more on Clowney than ever before. 

Grading Scale

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 15)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 30)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Carl Nassib—inactive
• Kendall Reyes—inactive

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This week's best performance on defense was easily the Vikings' domination of the Panthers. Leading that charge was Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter. Both players had great days rushing the passer. Griffen recorded three sacks himself.

One under-the-radar player who some might be taking notice of in Dallas is Tyrone Crawford. Since he moved to left defensive end, he's looked much more comfortable and has been good against the run. He's a big guy, and offenses are finding it hard to get around the edge on his side. 

Grading Scale

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Ezekiel Ansah—injury
• Robert Ayers—inactive
• Mario Edwards Jr.—injury
• Randy Gregory—suspension
• DeMarcus Lawrence—suspension
• Rob Ninkovich—suspension
• Jared Odrick—inactive

Michael Thomas/Getty Images

Some of the more notable defensive tackles in the league struggled during their Week 3 games. Most notably, Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy didn't play up to their standard. Suh slugged through a game against the Cleveland Browns and McCoy (and the entire Tampa Bay defensive line) was lethargic in the Bucs' loss against the Los Angeles Rams.

On the flip side of that same game, Aaron Donald played extremely well against the Bucs, getting penetration against the run and affecting the quarterback. Donald finished as the week's top defensive tackle, barely edging out Fletcher Cox, who had a dominant showing against David DeCastro and the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

No player quite encapsulated the "bad" portion of defensive line play quite like Will Sutton for the Chicago Bears. Sutton was ran over, ran around and embarrassed in pass protection by the Cowboys offensive line. The Bears desperately need Eddie Goldman back or they're going to keep struggling versus the run.

If you're looking for a game with overall poor defensive tackle play, look no further than the Monday night game between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. Outside of Grady Jarrett and Nick Fairley, the defensive tackles on both teams struggled immensely.

The Minnesota Vikings have a wealth of defensive tackle talent even with Sharrif Floyd out after knee surgery. Linval Joseph, Tom Johnson and third-year pro Shamar Stephen did their fair share to disrupt the Panthers offense en route to a shutout in the second half and eight sacks throughout the game.

Other standout players this week were Leonard Williams of the New York Jets, Dontari Poe of the Kansas City Chiefs, Damon Harrison of the New York Giants and Bennie Logan of the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Grading Scale

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 25)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100