NFL Team Grades for Week 2
Week 2 of the NFL season started off in the worst way possible. As viewers, we were tasked with watching the Texans at Bengals. And I don't use the word "tasked" lightly.
There were seven teams to score 10 or fewer points in Week 2 before Monday Night Football. Heck, the Panthers and Bills game finished 9-3.
Unfortunately, there were also some notable injuries.
Panthers tight end Greg Olsen broke his foot and is out indefinitely; Ravens guard Marshal Yanda fractured his ankle and is out for the season; Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles suffered an ankle injury, and the team fears it may be broken, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Beyond that, we saw Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, Packers wide receivers Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson, and Redskins running back Rob Kelley all leave games early with various injuries, among others.
There are now eight teams that are 0-2, basically a death sentence.
Carson Palmer's struggles continued in Week 2, and we'll start there in our grades.
Arizona Cardinals
1 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ Indianapolis Colts
Score: Won 16-13
No matter the final score, this game was brutal. Outside of J.J. Nelson's performance of 120 yards and a touchdown on five catches, there was little to be excited about if you're a Cardinals fan.
Carson Palmer doesn't look right. He had a few good throws—especially the touchdown to Nelson in double coverage—but other than that, he looks like he's approaching the end of the line.
Without running back David Johnson, this offense is going to struggle.
Thankfully, they have safety Tyrann Mathieu. His interception in overtime eventually led to a game-winning field goal.
With no real backup behind Palmer, this could be a long season in Arizona.
Week 2 Grade: D+
Season Average Grade: D
Atlanta Falcons
2 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. Green Bay Packers
Score: Won 34-23
After a close call in Week 1 against the Bears, the Falcons opened up their new stadium in ideal fashion. Anytime you can intercept Aaron Rodgers and force a fumble and recover it for a touchdown, you're in business.
The Packers lost key playmakers in wide receiver Jordy Nelson and defensive lineman Mike Daniels early on, but the offense was almost unstoppable. This mainly applies to running back Devonta Freeman, who scored twice, and wide receiver Julio Jones, who created mismatch problems all game.
The defense hit Rodgers hard on a few occasions—three sacks and six quarterback hits.
Heading into the season, there was talk that the Falcons offense was so great in 2016 because of now-49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, but that wasn't an issue here.
Week 2 Grade: A+
Season Average Grade: A-
Baltimore Ravens
3 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. Cleveland Browns
Score: Won 24-10
The Ravens defense came up big for the second week in a row, forcing five Browns turnovers: Three interceptions from DeShone Kizer. One from backup Kevin Hogan. One from a fumble by Kizer.
Some bad news, though: Guard Marshal Yanda is out for the season with an ankle injury. That is a huge loss.
Between the Ravens defense and their productive running game (130 yards from running backs), the solid passing game from Joe Flacco put this game out of reach.
Another fantastic performance by the Ravens in Week 2, albeit against another not-so-good team.
Week 2 Grade: A-
Season Average Grade: A-
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Buffalo Bills
4 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ Carolina Panthers
Score: Lost 9-3
If you were at this game live, I'm sorry.
We knew the Bills offense was going to be inconsistent, though if not for a drop on the final play of the game by rookie Zay Jones on what would have been a tough catch, the Bills would have won.
They managed just 176 yards of total offense, and LeSean McCoy had more rushing attempts (12) than yardage (nine).
The defense turned in a great performance, sacking Cam Newton six times.
This could be the case all season for the Bills: No offense but a solid defense.
Week 2 Grade: C
Season Average Grade: B-
Carolina Panthers
5 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. Buffalo Bills
Score: Won 9-3
The Panthers should consider themselves lucky. They could have just as easily lost this game against a Bills team that is not (supposed to be) as good as them.
Rookie Christian McCaffrey had 12 touches for 44 yards, with 34 coming via the pass. The team also lost Greg Olsen to a broken foot, and it was obvious this impacted the offense.
The defense did its job, holding the Bills to under 200 total yards of offense.
Overall, the Panthers performed well on defense in this one, but the offense couldn't get anything going and will need to adjust without Olsen.
Week 2 Grade: B-
Season Average Grade: B
Chicago Bears
6 of 32
Week 1 Opponent: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Score: Lost 29-7
The Bears had four turnovers, with three coming from Mike Glennon, including a pick-six.
This game was dead and gone quickly; a few of the Bears' skill-position players did manage to put up some solid garbage-time numbers.
Going up against the Steelers in Week 3, we could potentially be moving closer to the Mitchell Trubisky era in Chicago if Glennon's struggles continue.
Week 2 Grade: D-
Season Average Grade: C-
Cincinnati Bengals
7 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. Houston Texans
Score: Lost 13-9
Between errant throws and not getting wide receiver A.J. Green the ball down the stretch, Andy Dalton put in another terrible performance. He finished with just over 200 yards passing.
In fact, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, there are some players on the team who want Dalton benched and to sign free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Once again, the running game was nonexistent between the trio of Joe Mixon, Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill (63 yards on 20 carries combined). The offensive line stinks, and the defense failed to tackle Deshaun Watson on his touchdown run.
Two positives: Wide receiver Alex Erickson played well on special teams (133 total return yards), and defensive tackle Geno Atkins deserves better—he played a great game, coming up with two sacks.
And oh yeah, rookie wide receiver John Ross—welcome to the NFL. He had a single rush of 12 yards.
But it was a fumble.
Week 2 Grade: F
Season Average Grade: F
Cleveland Browns
8 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ Baltimore Ravens
Score: Lost 24-10
From the word "go," the Browns were overmatched.
Rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer did start and finish this game, but he was out for a while due to a migraine.
Between Kizer and backup Kevin Hogan, the Browns turned the ball over five times, were sacked three times and were hit 10 times.
While the Browns did get beat up in this game, they got some solid performances from tight end David Njoku (three receptions, 27 yards, one touchdown) and wide receiver Rashard Higgins (seven receptions, 95 yards).
This wasn't a failing performance, but it's one to forget.
Week 2 Grade: D
Season Average Grade: C
Dallas Cowboys
9 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ Denver Broncos
Score: Lost 42-17
Playing in Denver is hard. Still, the Cowboys were astonishingly bad in this one.
The particulars: one first down on the ground, 21 percent on third down, two interceptions (and a pick-six), eight penalties, eight yards rushing from Ezekiel Elliott.
There's no chance in hell of winning.
The offensive line is magnificent (despite Elliott's performance), but the porous defense is starting to show. How will it fare against high-powered passing attacks?
Outside of defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence's two sacks and wide receiver Dez Bryant's touchdown catch (when they still had a chance), the Cowboys were not in the same league as the Broncos.
Week 2 Grade: D-
Season Average Grade: C
Denver Broncos
10 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Score: Won 42-17
The Broncos took the Cowboys to school.
They got four touchdown passes (two to Emmanuel Sanders) out of Trevor Siemian, 118 yards rushing and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) from C.J. Anderson, a pick-six from cornerback Aqib Talib and two sacks from linebacker Von Miller.
If we're nitpicking, Siemian did have an interception, and they did commit eight penalties. Besides that, this game was out of hand in the second half.
As long as Siemian doesn't put the team in bad positions, the Broncos and their defense could make significant noise this season.
Week 2 Grade: A+
Season Average Grade: A-
Detroit Lions
11 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ New York Giants
Score: Lost
Going up against a Giants defense that was without cornerback Janoris Jenkins and linebacker B.J. Goodson, the Detroit Lions offense already had a leg up.
And if proved to be true on the field.
Matthew Stafford found Marvin Jones deep in one-on-one coverage for a touchdown and Giants safety Darian Thompson just played terrible coverage against Eric Ebron for another score.
For the Lions defense (also known as Ziggy Ansah), they were all over Eli Manning in this one—the Giants offensive line is terrible—especially left tackle Ereck Flowers. It's almost impressive how bad they are.
Props to the special teams, too: Matt Prater kicked a 56 yarder and Jamal Agnew returned a punt for 88 yards.
This was a nice win for the Lions, but without a running game for the billionth straight game, the Lions are going to have trouble against better teams. And no, don't let one long run from Ameer Abdullah fool you.
Week 2 Grade: B+
Season Average Grade: B
Green Bay Packers
12 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ Atlanta Falcons
Score: Lost 34-23
With backup offensive tackles, wide receiver Jordy Nelson and defensive lineman Mike Daniels leaving early and wide receiver Randall Cobb leaving a bit later on, the Packers were fighting an uphill battle.
Add that to the fact the Falcons offense is explosive, and it doesn't bode well.
Aaron Rodgers is great, but when your defense cannot stop anything, what are you supposed to do? Though he did have an interception and a fumble, he did throw for 343 yards and two scores, but it's not good enough.
Thankfully, Rodgers still had wide receiver Davante Adams and running back Ty Montgomery, which allowed for this game to be a little bit closer than it felt.
This defense is going to have a hard time once again this season against teams with capable passing attacks and offensive lines.
Week 2 Grade: C+
Season Average Grade: B
Houston Texans
13 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ Cincinnati Bengals
Score: Won 13-9
Although the Texans won this game, there was once again nothing overly exciting about this performance.
Deshaun Watson broke off a long run for over 40 yards and a touchdown, which turned out to be the deciding factor. Other than that, he turned in the type of performance you'd expect from a rookie in his first start: Not great.
Some positives: Watson's legs allow for extra playmaking, rookie D'Onta Foreman ran well, defensive back Kareem Jackson played a hell of a game and Watson threw the ball to his best weapon—wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins—when he needed to, unlike the Bengals and wide receiver A.J. Green.
Until this offensive line can improve and players on defense like J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus can get going, the Texans will be anemic. Watson cannot do this alone.
Week 2 Grade: D-
Season Average Grade: F
Indianapolis Colts
14 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. Arizona Cardinals
Score: Lost 16-13
The fact the Colts almost won this game with a quarterback who wasn't even on the team a few weeks ago speaks volumes.
No, the Colts aren't any good. In fact, they're terrible. But so are the Cardinals.
Before his interception in overtime, Jacoby Brissett looked like a quarterback who wouldn't lose a game for you despite not being ready for the big stage.
Brissett leaned heavily on tight end Jack Doyle (eight receptions) and veteran running back Frank Gore (46 rushing yards and a touchdown).
The defense wasn't awful. It had four sacks and an interception that made Carson Palmer look like he was lost.
Andrew Luck can only do so much when he gets back. If the team around him continues to falter, he needs to request a trade.
Week 2 Grade: C
Season Average Grade: D
Jacksonville Jaguars
15 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. Tennessee Titans
Score: Lost 37-16
Not-so-breaking news: Blake Bortles isn't any good. He threw two more interceptions and fumbled.
If not for two late touchdowns (one passing to Allen Hurns and a short-yard run by Leonard Fournette), the Jaguars had just one field goal.
This offense without Allen Robinson could not move up the field, and the team also committed 10 penalties. It's remarkable: A defense that appeared to be the second coming in Week 1 gave up almost a 40 spot.
This was about as close to a failing performance as a group can get. When will this team pull the plug on Bortles?
Week 2 Grade: D-
Season Average Grade: C-
Kansas City Chiefs
16 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Score: Won 27-20
While the game started slowly, the Chiefs managed to pull it out.
After a stunning performance in Week 1, quarterback Alex Smith still had a solid game, completing 21 of 28 passes for over 250 yards a touchdown. The defense and running back Kareem Hunt made the difference.
Defensive maven Justin Houston was all over the place. He had five tackles and deflected a pass that was intercepted.
Smith was harassed most of the day, so it wasn't a perfect game, but there is something to be said about how they finished this one off.
The Patrick Mahomes era will remain on hold.
Week 2 Grade: B
Season Average Grade: A-
Los Angeles Rams
17 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. Washington Redskins
Score: Lost 27-20
Through the first two games of the season, the Rams look like a solid football team.
Jared Goff wasn't anything to brag about, but he looked like he belonged despite an interception late in the game. We witnessed a resurgence from running back Todd Gurley, minus his fumbles. He caught three balls for 48 yards and a touchdown and added 88 yards on the ground with a touchdown.
We were also introduced to one of Goff's newest toys in rookie tight end Gerald Everett after he caught three passes for 95 yards.
The defense could have been better. It allowed 27 points and too many big plays. That said, the Rams are trending upward with this young offense.
Week 2 Grade: C
Season Average Grade: B
Los Angeles Chargers
18 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. Miami Dolphins
Score: Lost 19-17
How is it that seemingly every Chargers game is the same? It always comes down to a field goal, and it seems like they lose more than they win.
Philip Rivers completed 31 of 39 passes in Week 2. That's pretty darn good.
Unfortunately for Rivers, the running game was nonexistent outside of a short touchdown from Melvin Gordon. In fact, 26 of the 44 yards on the ground came from one Branden Oliver run.
The Chargers defense did all it could in this one, but kicker Younghoe Koo missed two big field goals.
Of note: Antonio Gates broke the record for the most touchdowns by a tight end in a career. He's up to 112.
Week 2 Grade: B-
Season Average Grade: B-
Miami Dolphins
19 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ Los Angeles Chargers
Score: Won 19-17
Jay Cutler wasn't elite or anything, but he was solid (and didn't turn the ball over!).
He targeted wide receiver Jarvis Landry a team-high 15 times, connecting on 13 of them. Landry was the target machine, but fellow wide receiver DeVante Parker made the big plays.
In typical fashion, running back Jay Ajayi went over 120 yards on 28 carries.
This was a well-rounded performance from the Fish, but this was also a game they should have lost if not for poor kicking by the Chargers. Still, perhaps the Cutler experiment may go a bit better than expected.
Week 2 Grade: B
Season Average Grade: B
Minnesota Vikings
20 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Score: Lost 26-9
This is a tough game to grade, as the Vikings were without starting quarterback Sam Bradford.
As a result, they were forced to go with Case Keenum.
This was an expected loss. It's not a surprise the passing game was mediocre. The running game did what it could, but it wasn't an incredible performance.
Granted, the defense did give up 26 points, but the Steelers offense is something to be reckoned with.
In a vacuum, this performance wasn't great, but let's keep in mind who was at quarterback.
Week 2 Grade: C
Season Average Grade: B
New England Patriots
21 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ New Orleans Saints
Score: Won 36-20
After getting embarrassed in Week 1 by the Chiefs, the Patriots rebounded in a huge way. Tom Brady had a big game, going 30-of-39 for 447 yards and three TDs.
Unfortunately, tight end Rob Gronkowski left the game due to a groin injury.
There's not a lot of bad things to say about the Patriots in this one. Yeah, they gave up 20, but they were facing the Saints and Drew Brees—that was expected.
Week 2 Grade: A+
Season Average Grade: B+
New Orleans Saints
22 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. New England Patriots
Score: Lost 36-20
Playing the Patriots is never a fun time; however, the Saints defense is awful.
Having the mindset that Brees will lead you to victory is a bad idea. At 38, he's getting to the age where you cannot rely on that much longer—especially with almost no running game.
Adrian Peterson looks spent.
Throughout the season, the Saints grades are going to suffer because of their defense. It makes you wonder if they should try to dangle Brees on the trade market if this continues.
It's unlikely that happens, but something needs to change.
Week 2 Grade: C
Season Average Grade: C-
New York Giants
23 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. Detroit Lions
Score: Lost
The play of the New York Giants offensive line should be considered a federal crime. My goodness. It's understood that Eli Manning isn't exactly elite anymore and can hold the ball for a bit too long, but this guy is on the ground all the time.
Odell Beckham Jr. barely played in this game. When he did, he didn't do a whole lot. The Giants do not have a deep, downfield threat, they don't have a running game and Brandon Marshall is essentially in a witness protection program—not to mention his heinous drop.
There was some hope that the Giants would have a running game in 2017. Well, nope, they don't. Not only is the offensive line just bad, but the running back depth isn't that great, either.
The Giants really felt the losses of Janoris Jenkins and B.J. Goodson in this one. Some other players like Jason Pierre-Paul played well. On the flip-side, Eli Apple struggled in coverage.
Evan Engram offered a glimmer of hope on offense, but this is setting up to be a painful season for the G-Men if their offensive line woes continue.
Week 2 Grade: D
Season Average Grade: D-
New York Jets
24 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ Oakland Raiders
Score: Lost 45-20
For the Jets, it's usually going to be a question of how much they'll lose by.
The other question is if/when we'll see second-year quarterback Christian Hackenberg.
Against a great offense like the Raiders, the Jets were in trouble from the word go. Being behind for the majority of the game, the Jets were able to get some cheap scores and put up a 20 spot.
Let's give them one positive, though: The rushing attacked averaged five yards per carry.
Other than that, when you turn the ball over twice, have zero sacks, give up 45 points and are the Jets, you're toast.
Week 2 Grade: D
Season Average Grade: D
Oakland Raiders
25 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. New York Jets
Score: Won 45-20
Essentially on a bye week, the Raiders were likely hoping to just avoid injuries.
Between Derek Carr's three scores (all of which going to Michael Crabtree) and the three rushing touchdowns from Jalen Richard, Marshawn Lynch and Cordarrelle Patterson, the Raiders were off to the races.
The defense also added four sacks.
Turnovers plus Jets penalties allowed the Raiders to get away with some sloppiness in this one.
Week 2 Grade: A
Season Average Grade: A
Philadelphia Eagles
26 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ Kansas City Chiefs
Score: Lost 27-20
Losing by a touchdown, the Eagles still played a solid game.
Despite some poor play from left guard Isaac Seumalo, Carson Wentz had an OK day, but he did struggle against the Chiefs defense and got lucky on a play that involved a ball bouncing off of Chiefs cornerback Terrance Mitchell and landing in Zach Ertz's arms.
His main target was wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (seven receptions, 92 yards, one touchdown) . Considering the Eagles had no rushing attack, the passing game needed to be perfect.
It wasn't quite there. In addition to the Ertz play, Wentz could have had a few turnovers. He could not complete passes when pressured. With all that said, a tipped pass from Wentz and a rare fumble by Darren Sproles assisted in making the difference.
If the Eagles can find a consistent rushing attack, they could be a threat in the NFC East.
Week 2 Grade: C+
Season Average Grade: C+
Pittsburgh Steelers
27 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Score: Won 26-9
It's no surprise the Steelers beat a Vikings team that was headed by a jobber like Case Keenum.
Ben Roethlisberger played a solid game at home, connecting with Martavis Bryant and JuJu Smith-Schuster for touchdowns.
If you're wondering about wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le'Veon Bell, Brown was fairly quiet (five receptions, 62 yards) and Bell was inefficient (87 rushing yards on 27 carries).
The Steelers offense isn't fully awake yet, but hey, a win is a win.
Week 2 Grade: B
Season Average Grade: B-
San Francisco 49ers
28 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ Seattle Seahawks
Score: Lost 12-9
"The 49ers-Seahawks game was awesome!" said no one ever.
In a snoozefest, the almighty Seahawks narrowly escaped the clutches of the dreaded 49ers.
If not for Carlos Hyde, the 49ers would not have been able to move the ball; he ran for 124 yards on just 15 carries. Brian Hoyer fell one yard shy of the 100-yard passing mark and threw an interception.
The defense was able to hold the Seahawks to 12 and managed three sacks, but my goodness do the Seahawks look bad or what?
It's the 49ers. We didn't expect them to win. Hell, they were two-touchdown dogs in this game, and they almost won if not for a drop by Marquise Goodwin.
Considering they were such huge underdogs, this wasn't all that bad.
Week 2 Grade: C
Season Average Grade: C-
Seattle Seahawks
29 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Score: Won 12-9
The Seahawks offensive line looks like five traffic cones on the side of the road. It's impressive how bad they are.
Russell Wilson couldn't get anything going until late when he threw a touchdown to Paul Richardson.
The Seahawks defense is fine, but this offense needs some looking into. As a two-touchdown favorite, this was a letdown. Committing nine penalties didn't help, either.
Week 2 Grade: C
Season Average Grade: C-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: vs. Chicago Bears
Score: Won 29-7
Following a Week 1 bye due to Hurricane Irma, the Buccaneers looked well-rested in their domination of the Bears.
Jameis Winston and the running game didn't need to do a whole lot in this one. The defense led the way with two interceptions—one pick-six—and two fumble recoveries.
Winston and Mike Evans connected on a beautiful touchdown, while running back Jacquizz Rodgers also scored.
Some of his throws are scary, but you have to admire Winston's gunslinger mentality.
The Buccaneers appear to be the real deal.
Week 2 Grade: A
Season Average Grade: A
Tennessee Titans
31 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Score: Won 37-16
After a slow first half, the Titans took off in the second, scoring 31 of their 37 points.
While Marcus Mariota contributed a passing touchdown, this was not one of his better outings.
Two pleasant surprises: Derrick Henry had 92 yards rushing on 14 carries and found the end zone, while tight end Delanie Walker scored a rushing touchdown of his own.
Speaking of Henry, the guy who is supposed to be above him on the depth chart, DeMarco Murray, was once again under four yards per carry—maybe some changing of the guard?
Causing three turnovers, the Titans defense outplayed a Jaguars defense that appeared to be legit just a week ago.
Week 2 Grade: B+
Season Average Grade: B-
Washington Redskins
32 of 32
Week 2 Opponent: @ Los Angeles Rams
Score: Won 27-20
Thanks in large part to some big plays from running back Chris Thompson, a 13-minute time-of-possession advantage and a clutch interception from linebacker Mason Foster, the Redskins managed to pull off a victory late in the game.
Kirk Cousins was similar to his counterpart Jared Goff in this one—he was OK, though he did manage to lead a game-winning drive. Along with Thompson, Cousins also had some help from another running back: Rob Kelley, who rushed for 78 yards on 12 carries.
Moving forward, the Redskins need to improve on their third-down conversions (5-of-13 this game).
Week 2 Grade: C+
Season Average Grade: C
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")