NFL Week 3: Grades For All 32 Team Performances in Week 2
NFL fans and analysts will overreact to Week 2 in much the same way they did Week 1. Teams that were considered elite after a win last week will be considered a complete dud this week, and vice versa.
They play all 16 games for a reason, but any team will take a win at any point in the season.
Some performances were a bit more convincing than others, and here are my grades for all 32 NFL teams after this week's games.
Arizona Cardinals
1 of 32
It's tough to pick between the lesser of two evils and look like you made the right decision. Derek Anderson proved that much on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons as he barely completed 50 percent of his passes and threw no touchdowns and two picks.
You thought that was bad? The defense gave up an average of 4.9 yards per carry, and that's including six Matt Ryan rushes that totaled six yards and a reverse by Harry Douglas that went for -5 yards.
Sometimes a loss isn't as bad as the score indicates, but it's tough to make 41-7 look good. The Cardinals are a halfling of their former selves without Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin, and the team has a lot of figuring out to do if they want to get back on track.
Overall grade: D
Atlanta Falcons
2 of 32
Conversely to the last slide, the Falcons could do no wrong against the Cardinals. Matt Ryan looked like every bit the franchise-caliber quarterback they drafted with the third overall pick in 2008, throwing for 225 yards with three touchdowns and no picks.
No Michael Turner was no problem for the Falcons, who plugged in Jason Snelling for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
The defense had one big play after another, generating three interceptions, two sacks, and a fumble. The Falcons preyed on the Cardinals, and still look like a legitimate contender in the NFC South.
Overall grade: A-
Baltimore Ravens
3 of 32
The Ravens don't necessarily need to score a ton of points with their defense holding teams to no touchdowns. But they'll need to do better than this.
There's not much for Ravens fans to be proud of in Joe Flacco's three-interception performance this week, and the Ravens have put up a weak 20 points in the past two weeks.
The defense did its job, but the offense remains a question mark, and will need to make improvements. Ray Lewis would love to blame the refs, and the rules that protect quarterbacks, but it was his own quarterback that served up three interceptions to division rival Cincinnati.
Overall grade: C-
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Buffalo Bills
4 of 32
And the race for the No. 1 overall pick is on, ladies and gentlemen.
The Bills couldn't do anything on either side of the ball against the Packers. Their 8.5 points per game is 31st in the league, and they're putting up league lows in overall pass and rush yards. Their defense is ranked in the bottom half in every category that matters.
The pass defense, one bright spot from last year, was lit up by Aaron Rodgers who had 19 completions on 29 attempts with 225 yards and two touchdowns.
Nobody runs in circles like the Buffalo Bills.
Overall grade: F
Carolina Panthers
5 of 32
Matt Moore's promising end to the 2009 season seems so far away from what he's done for them this year. Going 6-for-16 is bad enough, but couple it with an interception and a fumble and there's your quarterback controversy, especially when the next guy in line is Jimmy Clausen.
For a team that relies so heavily on its rushing attack, averaging 3.9 yards per rush from their three backs isn't something to be particularly proud of.
No rhythm on offense, and losing the turnover battle by a -3 margin, will give you a tally in the loss column just about every time.
Overall grade: F
Chicago Bears
6 of 32
When the Bears finally started getting protection for Jay Cutler (protection? In a Mike Martz offense?), the pass attack started to click. It helps when Devin Hester suddenly learns how to catch like a pro, seemingly with no rhyme or reason.
The Bears were able to keep pace with the touted Cowboys offense. It was the toughness of the defense that truly surprised me. They gave up a few big plays, which was bound to happen against so many prolific weapons on offense, but the cornerbacks proved that they have the requisite short term memory against them.
Jay Cutler looks more and more like the quarterback the Bears mortgaged their 2010 draft on, and the defense looks to play well enough to win as long as that trend continues for the offense.
Overall grade: B+
Cincinnati Bengals
7 of 32
Questions of their inept offense last week against the Patriots (although they put up three second-half touchdowns) weren't answered by the lack of a touchdown of any kind against the Ravens.
Still, a win is a win is a win, and the Ravens were considered a favorite for the Super Bowl going into the season. The Bengals played their best football in the last 5:34 of the game, and showed the same steel resolve they had last year by engineering a late-game comeback from a 10-9 deficit to win 15-10.
The Ravens had a couple of bad breaks on some questionable calls, but the Bengals were still able to capitalize off of those opportunities.
Overall grade: C+
Cleveland Browns
8 of 32
"The good: Peyton Hillis's power running. The Browns got one of the best bargains in the Brady Quinn trade when they acquired Hillis. He is averaging 4.5 yards per carry and cannot be brought down by a single defender.
Also T.J Ward is quickly proving to be a steal as a second round pick. In two games, he has 22 total tackles and leads the team.
The bad: Offensive play calling and halftime adjustments. Halftime adjustments are non-existent and the Browns have gone into the half in both their first two games winning. Bad coaching by Mangini to not adjust and bad second half play calling is putting Mangini right back onto the hot seat and he needs to coach to win now, if possible. The Browns face seven 2009 playoff teams in their next seven games.
Mangini's time may be up sooner than later if he cannot upset some good teams in the coming weeks.
Overall grade: D"
My take: The Browns have failed to live up to even the mediocre expectations of them from this offseason. It's only Week 2, but it's more of the same for Browns fans.
Dallas Cowboys
9 of 32
The Cowboys did a great job of taking advantage of the low protection schemes of Mike Martz's offense. The pressure hurried Jay Cutler at times, but when the linebackers didn't get there, it really doomed the Cowboys against a vertical offense.
They fell short, however, on offense against what many called a suspect defense entering the season. Dez Bryant's kick return accounted for one of Dallas' two touchdowns. This is the second week in a row that they've been a questionable unit.
The Cowboys were able to get the ball moving on a few drives, but costly mistakes did them in time and time again.
Overall grade: C+
Denver Broncos
10 of 32
Through the first two weeks, the Broncos have been exactly what they've always been under Josh McDaniels: hit or miss. This week, they got it done in the air with a 307-yard performance from Kyle Orton. They were ushered into the end zone by runs from Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter.
The defense played aggressively, forcing four turnovers including three interceptions from Matt Hasselbeck.
It was a convincing win, but it came against an unconvincing team in the Seattle Seahawks. Still, Broncos fans have to be happy with the total domination they showed on Sunday.
Overall grade: B
Detroit Lions
11 of 32
Although the 0-2 start looks eerily similar (the Lions have had that same start the past two seasons), something looks and feels a lot different in Detroit. These Lions have a lot more roar than those teams. They are playing with intensity and passion that hasn't been seen in Motor City in a long time.
Down 35-17 in the fourth quarter, it would have been easy to mail it in and fight another day, but the Lions played tough all the way through, but were no match for the vicious onslaught of the Vick-torious Eagles.
Many say there are no moral victories in football, but as of late, the Lions will take any kind of victory they can get.
Overall grade: C+
Green Bay Packers
12 of 32
A 13-7 deficit at halftime gave Bills fans a false sense of hope. Hope that felt more like a kick in the pants as they walked out the gate with a 34-7 loss.
It's hard not to get in rhythm against a hapless defense like the Bills, but the Packers get credit for capitalizing on a weak opponent.
The Packers dominated defensively, as Clay Matthews registered three sacks and is clearly a front-runner for defensive player of the year at this stage.
The team has looked every bit like the Super Bowl contender everyone thought they were headed into the season, but it's a long road ahead...
Overall grade: A-
Houston Texans
13 of 32
The Texans looked nearly unstoppable last week against the Colts, but the Redskins put the brakes on early in this weekend's contest. It didn't look like the Texans would get anything going offensively, until they slowly began to crawl back in the game.
It wasn't Arian Foster carrying the team to touchdown city as he did last weekend. Instead, it was a franchise-record 497 yard performance from Matt Schaub that lifted the Texans past the Redskins in an overtime thriller.
The Texans showed the grit and resolve that was notably absent from their franchise for so long.
Overall grade: A-
Indianapolis Colts
14 of 32
The Colts could really do no wrong against the Giants on Sunday night, getting out to a 24-0 halftime lead before the Giants finally answered. Peyton Manning had another Peyton-like performance, completing almost 80 percent of his passes for 255 yards and...what do you know, three touchdowns.
Lo and behold, the offense wasn't the only star of the show. It's much easier to play pass defense when you have that kind of lead, but they competely shut down the passing attack, allowing just 4.9 net yards per pass play.
This was exactly the type of win the Colts needed after the drubbing at the hands of the Texans last week.
Overall grade: A
Jacksonville Jaguars
15 of 32
David Garrard had one of the worst games of his career, throwing four interceptions and forcing Jack Del Rio to rethink his quarterback situation. If the Jaguars had a quarterback controversy, the Chargers solved it for them in a hurry when Luke McCown left the game with an injury.
Not even Maurice Jones-Drew could get it going, held to under three yards per carry and fumbling once.
The defense looks to be in shambles, giving up five yards per carry to the Chargers who were without Ryan Mathews for most of the game, and allowing the Chargers to gain 477 total yards to go with their 38 point drubbing of the Jags.
Despite a win last week, Jack Del Rio's job could be in question if he doesn't clean things up in a hurry.
Overall grade: F
Kansas City Chiefs
16 of 32
How can 2-0 be unimpressive? Just ask the Kansas City Chiefs.
The running game was incredibly effective and compensated well for a no-touchdown, two-interception performance from Matt Cassel. Still, 5-for-15 on third down is bad no matter how you slice it.
It was the defense that really did it for them. Both this week and last, Romeo Crennel has his guys flying across the field like the early-2000s version of the New England Patriots. The Chiefs were able to create two turnovers of their own: a fumble forced by (wouldn't you know?) Mike Vrabel, and an interception by Brandon Flowers.
NFL.com's box score of the game says it was "nothing flashy, just another win". I don't think I could put it more aptly than that.
Overall grade: B
Miami Dolphins
17 of 32
The defense got a lot of pressure on Brett Favre, forcing a fumble in the end zone that was recovered for a touchdown. They also forced bad field position for the Vikings all day, with three consecutive drives starting from the 14, 8, and 5-yard lines.
The offense didn't get the ball moving very well other than the two touchdown drives, punting on most of their other drives and failing to convert several key third downs. Ultimately, the Dolphins made less mistakes than the Vikings did.
The Dolphins were a preseason dark horse candidate for the division, and are certainly proving their case early on. They are proving every bit as tough as the '08 team that went to the playoffs.
Overall grade: A
Minnesota Vikings
18 of 32
The Vikings became a victim of poor field position time and time again, and couldn't seem to get the ball into Dolphins territory. They finally found rhythm in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late. Four costly turnovers by Brett Favre did the Vikings in.
The only saving grace for the Vikings was their defense, which compensated for another bad showing by the Vikings offense. The pass rush was harrassing Chad Henne, forcing throws and holding the Dolphins on a few key third downs to keep it close for most of the game.
They need to get back in rhythm quick if they don't want to fall out of the NFC North race to the 2-0 Green Bay Packers.
Overall Grade: C-
New England Patriots
19 of 32
Two second-quarter touchdowns by the Patriots pass attack looked good, but the Patriots didn't look very good at all after that. They clung to a 14-10 lead going into halftime, and eventually coughed it up due to a relentless Jets defense that just came with the signature swagger in the second half, accompanied by an All-Pro performance from Mark Sanchez, who delivered three touchdowns and a 124.3 passer rating on the day.
It can't be called an epic fail; the Jets are after all the no. 1 pass defense from last year. It's not all on Brady, either. The Patriots had a sparse rush attack with Laurence Maroney in the lineup, but only managed 52 yards on the ground all day.
The Patriots had no rhythm on offense, and the Jets took advantage of a depleted inexperienced defense in the second half.
Overall grade: C-
New Orleans Saints
20 of 32
Even when the Saints started out last season 13-0, it's not as though every one of those games was a blowout from the start. In fact, there were several games they had to come back from behind. They showed the same steel resolve, coming back from down 14-9 in the third quarter and prevented overtime with a last-second field goal.
Drew Brees had another banner day, despite the running game's inability to get in rhythm. The Saints running backs averaged just 2.1 yards per carry.
Despite shutting down Alex Smith, the defense will have to look a lot better against the run to prevent close grinders like they had this week.
Overall grade: A-
New York Giants
21 of 32
When the Giants took the field on Sunday night, they had to be aware that the Colts aren't the type of team that you should let have a lead. Why, then, would you defer to the second half and let them start with the ball to drive all the way down the field for a score?
The defense couldn't stop anything the Colts threw at them, giving up 3.7 net yards per rush attempt and a whopping 9.3 per pass (including sacks).
The sad part for Giants fans is that Ahmad Bradshaw was having a good game, and if the Giants had started with the ball and were able to control the tempo of the game, they could have really used that to their advantage.
Coulda, shoulda, woulda. It's a loss in the books for the Giants, and a dramatic one at that.
Overall grade: F
New York Jets
22 of 32
1-1 can mean a lot of things, but for the Jets, it means an iota of relief from the mountainous pressure that built even higher after a loss last week to the Ravens.
Despite a sluggish first half, the Jets came out with the right adjustments in the second half and rode a career day from Mark Sanchez (three touchdowns, 21 completions, both career-highs) to a 28-14 victory that was really a tale of two halves for both teams.
The win is tempered, however, by a big loss: Darrelle Revis, who sprained his left hamstring and could miss a Week 3 matchup that would pit him against All-Pro receiver Brandon Marshall.
Overall grade: A-
Oakland Raiders
23 of 32
The important thing is that the Raiders got a win. They benched the ineffective Jason Campbell, and Bruce Gradkowski once again breathed new life into the Raiders.
And ladies and gentlemen, we have a Darren McFadden sighting! 30 carries for 145 yards? He should have been wearing an Arkansas uniform. The performance may have come against the lowly Rams, but big games for McFadden have been scarce since entering the NFL in 2008.
The defense played well, too, giving up under 250 yards and holding Steven Jackson just under four yards per carry.
The close win over the Rams may not have happened exactly as they mapped it out, but it beats the heck out of their fifth consecutive 0-2 start.
Overall grade: B
Philadelphia Eagles
24 of 32
Michael Vick should be the starter in Philadelphia after what he's done the past two weeks. Bottom line.
The Eagles may quickly regret having promised Kolb the starting job when he got back from his concussion.
The Eagles defense generated an interception, but allowed 444 yards, including 329 net yards passing to Shaun Hill and the Detroit Lions.
Overall grade: B
Pittsburgh Steelers
25 of 32
Week 2 was the same ol' same ol' for the Steelers. Hard hitting, exceptional play from the defense was accompanied by poor offense and the inability to produce a single offensive touchdown in 60 minutes of play.
The defense is back to its no. 1 form of 2008, giving up only 10 points per game through the first two contests, and only one touchdown. If they continue to play up to that level, they'll be a scary unit when Ben Roethlisberger returns in their fifth game.
Overall grade: B+
San Diego Chargers
26 of 32
The Chargers did just about everything right on offense and defense.
Three touchdowns were accompanied by two interceptions from Philip Rivers, but the 38-13 score is accurately indicative of the smackdown from the Chargers on the Jaguars.
The Chargers may have even created a quarterback controversy in Jacksonville, but that was quickly stopped when they smacked Luke McCown out of the game with an injury.
The Chargers were a mixed bag last Monday, but Sunday's win has provided optimism in the city of the whale's vagina.
Overall grade: A-
San Francisco 49ers
27 of 32
The 49ers want to be a run-heavy offense, and that's exactly what they are. Frank Gore averaged over five yards per carry and scored a touchdown, but his effective play was wiped out by two costly interceptions from Alex Smith. He was even on the receiving end of Smith's lone touchdown pass, reeling in seven catches for 56 yards in the process.
The defense faced a high-octane opponent, but played well against the run despite being lit up through the air. There's room for improvement, as has now been evidenced by both the Seahawks pass attack and the Saints as well.
0-2 isn't exactly what 49ers fans had in mind to start the season, but Monday's loss to the Super Bowl champions has to give them confidence that they can hang with the league's best teams.
Overall grade: C-
Seattle Seahawks
28 of 32
Pete Carroll quickly put the pom-poms away as the Seahawks fell to a 24-0 deficit in Denver before finally getting on the board. What was an uncharacteristically great performance from Matt Hasselbeck was easily forgotten this week behind a dismal performance in which he served up three interceptions despite scoring two touchdowns.
The Seahawks need to get more balanced in their attack, rushing only 19 times against 35 throws. That's not Colts-like numbers, but more balance never hurt anyone.
Defensively, they were stout against the run, but it didn't matter much as Kyle Orton torched them for over 300 yards and two touchdown throws.
Pete Carroll got off to a very smooth start, but let's see how he and his team responds having hit his first rough patch.
Overall grade: D
St. Louis Rams
29 of 32
The Rams are playing a lot more inspired than they were last season, showing at least the will to win games as they stay in it until the end. Their first two decisions have been by only five points, but there are no moral victories in football. Especially when you're 0-2.
The defense didn't look too impressive against Darren McFadden, allowing him to go off for 145 yards on 30 carries, but they picked off two passes from the Raiders quarterbacks and landed a few timely sacks as well. Watch out for James Laurinaitis, who is really the anchor of the defense.
Steve Spagnuolo has started turning things around, but he has to prove it with wins before it's too late. Luckily, they face three teams that are a combined 2-4 over the next three weeks (Washington, Seattle, @ Detroit).
Overall grade: C-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30 of 32
Josh Freeman is looking more and more like the franchise-caliber quarterback that the Buccaneers drafted him to be in the first round of the '09 draft. 50 percent completions doesn't look great on paper, but two touchdown throws in one game is an anomaly unknown to Bucs fans in the recent past.
The young defense really held its own against DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, holding the duo under 100 yards on 25 carries.
2-0 is misleading, especially when their two opponents are the Cleveland Browns and the Panthers, but a division win makes it that much sweeter.
Overall grade: B-
Tennessee Titans
31 of 32
Vince Young laid an egg against the Steelers, giving up three lost turnovers against their top-ranked defense. Meanwhile, Chris Johnson had his first sub-100-yard dud in 12 games, posting a piddly 34 yards on 16 carries and 19 yards on 5 catches.
Despite all this, the Titans were in it until the very last play of the game.
The defense was about the only thing to be proud of, as they held the Steelers to 12 points on offense and only 43 yards on 17 throws. That's not saying much against Dennis Dixon (4-for-6) and Charlie Batch (5-for-11), but they also did well against the run, holding the Steelers to 3.3 yards per carry.
Overall grade: C-
Washington Redskins
32 of 32
It was a banner day for Donovan McNabb, who had 426 yards and a touchdown. Clinton Portis did what he had to do, with two one-yard touchdown plows.
The defense had five sacks and an interception, but allowed the Texans to climb back into the game when it really matters: in the third and fourth quarters. The Texans scored 20 unanswered points against them, proving that even after all the success of last week's win over the Cowboys, there's still a lot of work to be done in the Nation's Capital.
Overall grade: C
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