Chris Simms' Team-by-Team Grades for NFL Week 8

Welcome to Patriots Dynasty 101.

Please open your textbooks to the first sentence of the first page. 

Now read along with me: "Players are always expendable."

That means Jamie Collins can be shown the door at any time. So can Chandler Jones, Wes Welker, Asante Samuel, Vince Wilfork, Aqib Talib, Lawyer Milloy…the list goes on. Even Tom Brady will face the Patriots' ax someday. When you've built a football empire like Bill Belichick has, only the scheme and system matter.

Belichick's team is the only one in football that won't miss a talent such as Collins. It'll plug upstart linebacker Elandon Roberts right in. And it'll keep earning high marks every time I put out these weekly grades. Simple as that.

Dallas Cowboys

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Offense: Go ahead and praise Dak Prescott for making the seamless transition from college ball. Just make sure you praise Jason Garrett too. Dallas’ head coach has made it easy on his rookie passer through seven games. The latest example: a Mississippi State-like no-huddle that got Prescott in his comfort zone against the Eagles.

Defense: This Cowboys defense is a different animal with Sean Lee manning the middle. He’s finally healthy, and it shows. Lee dragged down Darren Sproles on third down to make what probably was the biggest defensive play all night. If he can stay healthy, the Cowboys will stay in serious contention.

Grade: A-

Philadelphia Eagles

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Offense: Rumor has it the Eagles are sniffing around about Alshon Jeffery or Torrey Smith, per ESPN's Adam Schefter and CBS' Jason La Canfora. A trade makes sense; Carson Wentz is operating the league’s most horizontal offense. Sproles screens and Jordan Matthews crossing routes move the ball, but they don’t force an opponent to defend the whole field. Their head coach is just as conservative. Why not take a timeout at the end of the half, Doug Pederson?

Defense: Jim Schwartz’s defense held Ezekiel Elliott under 100 rushing yards. That’s how you beat the Cowboys. But it let up too many big passing plays in the fourth quarter to seal the deal. Brandon Graham and Co. couldn’t get any heat on Prescott in overtime, either.

Grade: B-

Washington Redskins

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Offense: Kirk Cousins is an early-career Eli Manning. He’s going to miss—and he’s going to miss high—on big fastball throws down the field. Like Manning, though, Cousins has an above-average line in front of him that keeps his mistakes and turnovers to a minimum. It also opens holes for whatever running back lines up behind No. 8 in the backfield.

Defense: At first glance, it looks like the Redskins didn’t play a ton of defense. Look a little deeper: Su’a Cravens and Ryan Kerrigan both came up with big sacks that interrupted potential game-winning Bengals drives. Chris Baker also stuffed a quarterback sneak and came up with the football. Not too shabby.

Grade: B

Buffalo Bills

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Offense: We know how discombobulated this unit looks without its star tailback. But I don’t think enough has been made about the Bills’ paper-thin receiving corps. At one point, Buffalo’s starting receivers were Justin Hunter, Walter Powell and a hobbled Robert Woods. Maybe they should’ve brought Chris Hogan back?

Defense: Sure, Rex Ryan’s defense didn’t put up much of a fight. I’m taking the high road, though. Shaq Lawson (sack) and Marcell Dareus (sack, two tackles for loss) will assimilate over time. Once they find their groove, we’ll be able to truly judge what this unit can accomplish.

Grade: C

New York Jets

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Offense: Three completions in the first half. Three touchdown drives in the second half. It seems this quarterback roller coaster is wearing on everyone. Credit Quincy Enunwa (93 yards on four catches) and another big Matt Forte day (82 rushing yards on 25 carries with two touchdowns) more than anything Ryan Fitzpatrick did.

Defense: Darrelle Revis can’t keep up with physically imposing receivers any longer. The latest example: former quarterback Terrelle Pryor's six receptions for 101 yards. It could’ve been 15 if the Browns offense targeted him more. The end is near for the cornerback formerly known as Revis Island.

Grade: B

New England Patriots

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Offense: Brady is one of the NFL’s most elusive passers at the ripe age of 39. I’m not even kidding—the tape of his evading rushing and climbing the pocket belongs in a quarterbacking museum. New England’s receivers have time to work longer routes downfield because Brady buys it for them.

Defense: Remember when New England exposed Arizona’s second cornerback problem way back in Week 1? That’s what the Buffalo Bills did to Eric Rowe. The former Eagles castoff got the start opposite Malcolm Butler and attracted a parade of pass interference calls. New England’s secondary might be in trouble if Logan Ryan has an off day.

Grade: B+

Chicago Bears

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Offense: If Jordan Howard (153 rushing yards on 26 carries) seemed one step ahead of the big, bad Vikings defense, that’s because he was. My old quarterbacks coach, Dowell Loggains, pieced together one of the best damn game plans this season. His goal? The Bears offensive coordinator used Minnesota’s aggressive tendencies against it. Howard ran in the right gap on nearly every carry. Jay Cutler threw quick, accurate throws. And overall, Loggains rolled out several new concepts that had defenders shrugging.

Defense: After weeks of holding down the fort, Willie Young finally has quarterback-chasing help. It came in the form of three guys: Akiem Hicks, Leonard Floyd and Pernell McPhee. The last two guys will intrigue coach John Fox, who had success with multiple pass-rushers dating back to his days with the Panthers.

Grade: A+

Detroit Lions

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Offense: You can’t question the talent in the Lions’ receiving corps. You can question its consistency. Neither Golden Tate nor Marvin Jones separated with any regularity against Houston’s secondary. The end result? No receiver posted a catch over 13 yards. When that happens, the Lions lose.

Defense: Run defense and tight end coverage. Run defense and tight end coverage. Run defense and…you get the point. Detroit’s defense is still undermanned and is playing like it. So it’s not surprising when Houston tallies 70 fourth-quarter rushing yards. And it’s not shocking when Ryan Griffin and C.J. Fiedorowicz take advantage of replacement-level linebackers.

Grade: D+

Green Bay Packers

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Offense: Six years ago, Aaron Rodgers burned the Georgia Dome to the ground in an epic playoff performance. Now, he’s throwing to guys named Geronimo Allison. Rodgers has no choice—Randall Cobb (hamstring) and Ty Montgomery (illness) were forced to sit—but goodness gracious. Time hasn’t been kind to the league’s most talented passer.

Defense: The stat sheet says Green Bay played above-average defense. The film? It shows some mental breakdowns at crucial junctures—and not just in the Packers’ injury-ravaged secondary. Case in point: Linebacker Jake Ryan was left to cover Mohamed Sanu on the touchdown pass that won Atlanta the game.

Grade: B

Minnesota Vikings

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Offense: It’s official: This Vikings offense needs to press the panic button. Its pass protection has failed in back-to-back weeks; Minnesota can’t guard Sam Bradford’s quickest throws, let alone any potential downfield shots. And without those air-it-out attempts, there won’t be any Norv Turner skinny posts or fades. This group is imploding.

Defense: Listen, this Vikings defense is still good. It’s not the Broncos, but it’s a top-five group. But even the 1985 Bears would get tired without a drive-sustaining offense. That’s why you saw Howard pick up five, six or seven yards a clip Monday night. This group was gassed, and then it was bullied.

Grade: D

Cleveland Browns

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Offense: This was a winnable home game, and looked like it from the jump. Josh McCown opened up a 20-7 lead and then threw it away with two interceptions. He stopped targeting first-down machine Pryor. And the only second-half points Hue Jackson’s team scored came in garbage time. No more excuses for this group.

Defense: Cleveland must’ve sprinted to pick up Belichick’s trade calls. Collins is now the most surefire tackler in this group by a mile. The rest? They bounced off Forte and Bilal Powell like they were bowling balls.

Grade: D-

Cincinnati Bengals

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Offense: Andy Dalton wasted no time getting his new No. 2 receiver back in his groove. Tyler Eifert grabbed contested catch after contested catch in London early Sunday morning. He’ll do well, especially with A.J. Green’s slash-and-burn trajectory through every NFL secondary he sees.

Defense: Two huge factors separate this Bengals team from the playoff-caliber ones of years past. First, it’s susceptible to over-the-middle passes. Vernon Davis, Jordan Reed and Jamison Crowder all caught their fill of throws right in the face of Bengals linebackers. Second, the pass rush is missing. A line featuring Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins should manage more than one sack a game.

Grade: B

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Offense: Jameis Winston would be undefeated if the NFL was a strongest arm competition. It isn’t; Winston had one of the most inconsistent throwing days of his young career against a Raiders secondary ripe for the big pass. I saw several overthrows, particularly when Winston targeted Mike Evans. That duo surprised me with its low output.

Defense: Slowly count to 10. One-one thousand. Two-one thousand. Keep going. Almost there. And…stop. That’s how much time Derek Carr had to survey the field against Tampa Bay’s defense, and in quarterback terms, it’s a millennium. Tampa Bay took the AFC's No. 2 seed to overtime, but its inability to rush the passer will be the reason it won't join them in the NFL's playoff field.

Grade: C

Atlanta Falcons

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Offense: Atlanta’s offense is moving at a playoff level with two months to go in the regular season. How can I tell? First, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan stuck with the ground game despite Green Bay’s strong defense. More importantly, Matt Ryan found a way to drive the ball downfield without Julio Jones involved. I’m thoroughly impressed by both traits.

Defense: Don’t count on a standings slide this season. The Falcons of old—the 2015 ones who lost six consecutive games—would’ve allowed Rodgers to move into field-goal position with 30 seconds left. Atlanta’s defense isn’t pretty (Rodgers had 60 rushing yards), but it gets the job done.

Grade: A

Carolina Panthers

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Offense: Cam Newton might be the NFL’s reigning Most Valuable Player, but he’s not Carolina’s this season. That distinction goes to Jonathan Stewart, the linchpin of everything offensive coordinator Mike Shula does. Stewart’s punishing runs soften the defense up for Newton designed carries and all the sweep motion Shula runs. They also force safeties to creep up and then…bam! Kelvin Benjamin catches two balls for 73 yards.

Defense: Something about those Arizona whites bring out the best in Carolina’s defense. Carson Palmer took eight (eight!) sacks, including three by defensive tackle Star Lotulelei. It brought pressure off the edge on every series and scored a touchdown on a Thomas Davis fumble return. It was the NFC Championship Game all over again.

Grade: A

New Orleans Saints

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Offense: Take Sunday’s result as Exhibit A—Drew Brees excels in a ball-control attack. New Orleans had whatever it wanted in the short and intermediate passing game. Rookie Michael Thomas was an over-the-middle force. Every second and third down had a manageable distance. No need to risk turnovers just because New Orleans’ receivers are fast.

Defense: Dennis Allen knows this team can win if his group avoids the big play. Enter Vonn Bell, who’s working in tandem with Kenny Vaccaro to keep offenses in front of this Saints defense (for the most part). A better back-end presence helps guys such as Cameron Jordan and Nick Fairley hit home too.

Grade: A-

Indianapolis Colts

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Offense: Leading passer? Andrew Luck. Leading rusher? Andrew Luck. The only team helped by that kind of production is your fantasy one. Indianapolis never had offensive balance, but when T.Y. Hilton and Phillip Dorsett got banged up, it became a one-man scoring show. Best of luck with that, Andrew.

Defense: Sure, it surrendered a 19-second touchdown that dug a huge hole. And yes, this group was incapable of covering Travis Kelce for most of the afternoon. But Indianapolis’ beleaguered defense did force two field goals to keep this game in reach. This loss isn’t on it.

Grade: C

Jacksonville Jaguars

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Offense: Shad Khan owns the team. He can go into any player or coaching meeting he damn well pleases. But he should know that his presence scares the you-know-what out of everyone else in the room. Maybe the boss should think twice before sitting in on a team meeting. His quarterback isn’t in a good mental spot right now.

Defense: It’s not that Jacksonville couldn’t play the run or the pass. It’s that Jacksonville didn’t want to play the run or the pass. Don’t believe me? Check out Phillip Supernaw’s 30-yard gain from Thursday night. The Jags wanted no part of him.

Grade: F

Houston Texans

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Offense: Brock Osweiler was far more efficient against a banged-up Lions defense than he was against the Broncos, Vikings or Patriots. And yet…Bill O’Brien still needs to baby him. Houston threw tons of short and easy tight end routes Sunday. Osweiler looked fine until his end-of-half interception let the Lions back into a blowout.

Defense: Here’s what happens when Houston gets a lead. First, it backs a safety up and lets its strong cornerback group do the heavy work. Then, it moves Jadeveon Clowney all over the field to get his best possible angle. And that’s all the Texans need; Clowney was good enough to break through double-teams before Matthew Stafford could beat the secondary behind him.

Grade: B

Tennessee Titans

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Offense: Mike Mularkey took some heat for turning his spread-option quarterback into a pocket passer. I don’t hear those detractors any longer. Marcus Mariota played the most complete game of his career. It helped when both the protection in front of him (specifically Taylor Lewan) and the DeMarco Murray-Derrick Henry timeshare behind him were both dominant. Mularkey is a dark horse for Coach of the Year.

Defense: Some of it was Blake Bortles. Some of it was the progression of an underrated pass rush. Either way, this game was over midway through the second quarter. Jacksonville had 60 yards at halftime. That’s a dominant day, ladies and gentlemen.

Grade: A+

Arizona Cardinals

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Offense: Bruce Arians is everyone’s favorite grumpy grandpa! He says what’s on his mind! He yells at the referees! I get it. But what has he done for any of his quarterbacks? Ben Roethlisberger, Luck and now Palmer are all getting shellacked in the pocket. That’s a system error, not a player problem.

Defense: Oh, the pass rush dominated against Seattle? Chandler Jones and Markus Golden disappear a week later. Oh, that secondary is finally coming together? There goes Tyrann Mathieu (shoulder) for another three to six weeks, according to Kevin Patra of NFL.com. It’s one step forward, two giant steps back with this group. Carolina jumped all over it.

Grade: D

Seattle Seahawks

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Offense: Pete Carroll knew his offense was stalling in New Orleans. So he called one hell of a trick play—a receiver option pass—to get the juice flowing on the road. It didn’t work. Russell Wilson is too hurt, and his offensive line is too inconsistent. Can’t fault Carroll for trying, though.

Defense: It happened in the Super Bowl a few seasons back. It happened in the Superdome last Sunday. Short throws are the way to beat this defense; New Orleans gained more than 17 yards on only three plays all game. Brees nickel and dimed his way to an upset victory.

Grade: D

Denver Broncos

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Offense: Too much of Gary Kubiak's current passing plan involves throwing go routes up and hoping for the best. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders will haul their share of those long balls in over the regular season. But when Trevor Siemian struggles—and he did for portions of the Week 8 game—Denver's offense goes dead for quarters at a time.

Defense: I swear my jaw hit the floor when the Chargers completed a 98-yard drive on this group. When's the last time we've seen that happen? You need to go back to my days with the Broncos, probably. But that's the only shade you can throw at a defense that scored, recorded three interceptions and registered four sacks.

Grade: B+

San Diego Chargers

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Offense: Philip Rivers runs about three offenses' worth of schemes in one San Diego playbook. That works well against a middle-of-the-pack defense. It's not nearly as effective against the Broncos' best-in-show squad. In fact, Rivers' supporting cast crossed itself up on at least one of his three uncharacteristic turnovers.

Defense: San Diego successfully stuffed the run. It got after Siemian a few times with both Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram on the edge. It even got in the end zone with a Casey Hayward pick-six. Don't blame coordinator John Pagano's group for the Chargers' Week 8 output.

Grade: B-

Kansas City Chiefs

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Offense: Only a handful of offenses handle crisis better than Andy Reid's group. Alex Smith left the game not once, but twice. Nick Foles (223 passing yards, two touchdowns) was ready. With Jamaal Charles already sidelined, Spencer Ware was forced to exit. Charcandrick West (52 yards on 14 carries) was ready. There's no panic in K.C. Just tons of depth.

Defense: There are household names at every level of Kansas City's defense. Let's give some love to the other guys, shall we? First up: Prized rookie Chris Jones, who looks more and more like Fletcher Cox whenever I watch him on film. When healthy, Phillip Gaines is a force opposite Marcus Peters. And how about Dee Ford? He's been a Justin Houston-lite on the edge against quarterbacks.

Grade: A

Oakland Raiders

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Offense: Carr had approximately 4,000 years to throw in Week 8. He had time to make three or even four reads. There's no defending an offense like that, especially one that boasts a thunder-and-lightning receiving duo such as Amari Cooper (12 receptions, 173 yards, one TD) and Michael Crabtree (eight receptions, 108 yards). Penalties be damned; Carr and Co. can shred a defense.

Defense: No big Winston stats. No monster Evans stats. All in all, a solid outing for Oakland's defense, which only surrendered yards from penalties. I attribute that surprising success to Khalil Mack, who turned Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith into his own personal punching bag.

Grade: B+