NFL Week 7: 49ers Get First Win, and Grades For Each Team That Played On Sunday
The San Francisco 49ers picked up their first win of the season over their Bay Area rivals, the Oakland Raiders, and have pulled themselves out from the abyss of the abysmal.
But this wasn't the only big storyline from Sunday's action.
The motto in the NFL is to keep looking forward, but how did your team do this past week? Don't worry; I've got you covered.
I'll play teacher and give grades for each team from their game on Sunday. There's a lot to cover, so let's get right to it.
Atlanta Falcons
1 of 26
The elite have been destined to fall all season long, and this week was no different. An unusually inept performance by their offense spelled doom for the Falcons, as well as a 21-0 deficit in the second quarter.
Did Kevin Kolb really put up 326 yards and three touchdowns against this defense? After everything that was written about him just three weeks ago? I'm a guilty party, too. Either Kolb is a lot better than we thought he was, or the Falcons' second-rate pass defense is more like a third- or fourth-rate.
Grade: D+
Baltimore Ravens
2 of 26
"Unflappable" Joe Flacco had one of his best performances of the season, and with the way the Ravens rush attack has been performing recently, that should have meant a big win. The Patriots were able to catch up to the Ravens in the second half, dispelling the notion that they didn't have the grit to finish games.
In another strange turn, the Ravens were only able to collect 99 yards of rushing, while the Patriots amassed 127.
The Ravens played an excellent game but were simply outdone by New England in overtime. As Phil Simms said, the loss is "disappointing, but it's not devastating" in such a close game.
Grade: B
Chicago Bears
3 of 26
Well, this is quickly becoming a familiar position for Jay Cutler—on his back, looking up at the sky.
An impressive 3-0 start was all but washed away with Sunday's loss at home to the Seahawks. The game was never out of hand, but the Bears were sure playing like it was, as they all but refused to run the ball with 39 pass attempts against just 12 designed run plays. This imbalance was ultimately the demise of the Bears and played right into the hands of the Seahawks.
The most telling stat of all? They didn't convert a single third down all day. The fact that they were able to keep it this close is remarkable.
Grade: D-
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Cleveland Browns
4 of 26
There's not a whole lot to be excited about for Browns fans this week. Colt McCoy had 281 yards in his NFL debut, but two interceptions and five sacks were his undoing against the top-ranked Steelers defense. For that reason, this game may not be a true barometer of McCoy in terms of his readiness for the NFL.
Still, the defense gave up yards at will and allowed the Steelers to convert 50 percent of their third downs. For the Browns, it's another drubbing at the hands of the Steelers, and they're on the way to another lost season.
Grade: F
Dallas Cowboys
5 of 26
The Cowboys just can't seem to find a way to win. Despite outgaining the Vikings on offense by 126 yards, two Tony Romo interceptions and costly penalties proved to be the undoing of the Cowboys yet again. He piles on the stats but always seems to make the wrong play at the wrong time.
It wasn't a stellar defensive performance, but holding Adrian Peterson to 73 yards rushing and holding Brett Favre to 118 yards through the air generally means you've given yourself a good chance to win the game. The three-point loss is close, but the Cowboys are growing tired of that song and dance.
Apparently, though, they're not growing tired of dancing in the end zone among other penalties, as they currently rank second in total penalties to the Detroit Lions.
Grade: C-
Denver Broncos
6 of 26
Tim Tebow's first touchdown as a pro highlighted a game in which the Broncos were otherwise unspectacular. Their 20-10 lead was misleading, and the Jets aimed to prove it. The Broncos' yardage totals on offense were good, and their defense played solid until the fourth quarter when they gave up 14 points to the Jets.
But that fourth quarter meltdown is enough to bring about some big questions for the Broncos, especially with their inability to create any kind of pressure on Mark Sanchez.
Grade: C-
Detroit Lions
7 of 26
Drew Stanton, come on down! You're the next contestant for the Lions quarterback job!
It seems whoever is throwing the rock for the Lions will pile on the yards and still manage to fall short of a win. Stanton's 222 yards on 19-of-34 throws looks good on paper, but his lone touchdown throw was canceled out by an interception. He also led the Lions in rush yards with 30, showing just how inept the Lions running backs were.
Defensively, the Lions had no answer for the running game which piled up 168 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries.
Grade: C+
Green Bay Packers
8 of 26
One of the NFC Super Bowl favorites has a lot of answering to do. At 3-2, the Packers faced a favorable matchup in hosting the Miami Dolphins at home, but their injuries have them looking more like the Boston Red Sox of this summer than a Super Bowl contender.
This was evident with their inability to get any kind of pressure, or even generate a single sack, without Clay Matthews rushing the passer at outside linebacker. Aaron Rodgers also seemed to lack that consistent security blanket that he had in Jermichael Finley, who's done for the season.
Grade: C
Houston Texans
9 of 26
The Texans enjoyed their second big-time comeback of the season, outscoring the Chiefs 21-7 in the fourth quarter on their way to a 35-31 home win. Matt Schaub was his old self on Sunday, throwing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. Andre Johnson's go-ahead touchdown capped off an incredible eight-catch, 138-yard performance.
As is to be expected when being forced to mount a comeback of epic proportions, the defense wasn't able to make stops for much of the day but did it in crunch time when it became necessary.
Grade: B
Indianapolis Colts
10 of 26
After a quick hiccup last week against the Chiefs, Peyton Manning returned to form with 307 yards and two touchdowns against the Washington Redskins. Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie were the beneficiaries of Manning's touchdown throws, but Joseph Addai's 17-carry, 128-yard performance helped the passing game tremendously, and he added a second half touchdown to boot.
The Colts showed their trademark weakness against the run, allowing Ryan Torain to amass 100 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, but they were able to create pressure on Donovan McNabb with three sacks and two interceptions.
Grade: B
Kansas City Chiefs
11 of 26
A dominant performance by the offense was all but undone by the dismal defense in the fourth quarter. They forfeited three touchdowns in the final quarter of play despite building a 24-14 lead.
Matt Cassel had his second three-touchdown performance of the season, and the rush attack plowed through the Texans meek rush defense for much of the game, as the running backs piled up 220 yards between the three of them. In the end, a great day for the Chiefs' offense was outdone by an even better day by the Texans' offense.
Grade: B-
Miami Dolphins
12 of 26
There's no better way to rebound from a humiliating home loss than an encouraging road win, especially with the Dolphins accomplishing that playing their trademark style of football. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams contributed 137 yards on 32 carries, while Chad Henne provided the two touchdowns on passes to Davone Bess and Anthony Fasano.
The Dolphins defense refused to let the Packers get into rhythm, holding them to 3-of-13 third down conversions and sacking Aaron Rodgers five times while picking him off once. Their loss to the Patriots knocked them down a peg, but their win at the Packers helps them climb back into the mix.
Grade: B+
Minnesota Vikings
13 of 26
The Vikings were able to eke out a home win and get back on track against the hapless Cowboys, and Brett Favre and the rest of Minnesota can breathe a sigh of relief.
Favre wasn't asked to do very much with only 19 pass attempts on the game, 14 completions, for 118 yards. For the first time all season, Favre didn't turn the ball over once. The Vikings can thank their lucky stars, as even one of Favre's costly interceptions could have cost them yet another game.
Although they were unable to stop the Cowboys from marching up and down the field, two interceptions by linebacker EJ Henderson were crucial to the win, with the second coming in the fourth quarter and resulting in the go-ahead field goal.
Grade: B-
New England Patriots
14 of 26
The Patriots faced their toughest challenge of the season with the top-ranked Ravens pass defense and their hard-hitting rush attack. After falling to a 20-10 deficit in the fourth quarter, the Patriots were able to bounce back on the strength of a formidable defensive performance complemented by a pass attack that finally found its rhythm behind triggerman Tom Brady, returning star Deion Branch and rising star Danny Woodhead.
Those who had questions about the Patriots offense in the post-Moss era had their question answered by another question, raised by a fan's t-shirt shown during the game: "Moss who?" It may have taken until the fourth quarter, but the Patriots found their identity slowly throughout the game against a top pass defense.
Grade: B+
New Orleans Saints
15 of 26
The Saints' NFC South matchup with the Buccaneers was said to be one of those real defining moments for each team as a contender or a pretender. I think we got our answer with the final score—31-6, New Orleans.
Despite throwing an interception, Drew Brees made passing against the Bucs look like a breeze with 263 yards and three touchdowns. An unexpected hero made his name known at running back, as Chris Ivory carried the rock 15 times for 158 yards.
Although they didn't get much pressure on the quarterback, generating but one sack and no interceptions, the Saints defense held the Bucs under 300 yards and a paltry 2.3 yards per rush.
Grade: A
New York Giants
16 of 26
Ahmad Bradshaw carved up the Lions defense like a sword for 133 yards on 19 carries, with Brandon Jacobs bringing the plowshares in his two touchdown runs. Eli Manning had yet another efficient and impressive performance with 20-for-30 completions, 177 yards and two scores.
The Giants struggled to get pressure, with Osi Umenyiora logging the team's only two sacks. This allowed the Lions to hang around until the end of the game, but the Giants' ability to respond on offense made up for the lack of stops on defense.
Grade: B
New York Jets
17 of 26
Mark Sanchez reverted, if only slightly, to his 2009 tendencies with incompletions and interceptions almost the undoing of the Jets. A late drive, aided by a pass interference call on the Broncos, helped the Jets find the end zone to take the lead.
Neither the offense nor the defense performed exceptionally well, but both did their part in contributing to the win. It was a slow, physical game, but those are the ones the Jets love to play—and usually win.
Grade: B
Oakland Raiders
18 of 26
The Raiders have become one of the most unpredictable teams for their on-again, off-again inconsistent play. The quarterback carousel continues, as Jason Campbell started and went a dismal 8-of-21 for 83 yards and two interceptions, without a touchdown on the game. They found nearly no semblance of rhythm, converting a lowly 33 percent of their third downs against a lowly 49ers defense while gaining a paltry 3.4 yards per play.
Defensively, they just couldn't make the late stops. Their bottom-feeding defense gave up a big play to Frank Gore in the fourth quarter that set up the go-ahead touchdown, and allowed second- or third-rate quarterback Alex Smith to fire away for his second touchdown and the win.
Grade: F
Pittsburgh Steelers
19 of 26
Ben Roethlisberger's return to the football field got off to a rocky start when he threw an interception to Joe Haden, but the Steelers quickly found their rhythm against the lowly Browns. His 16-of-27 for 257 yards and three touchdowns had many asking themselves exactly why he wasn't "guaranteed his job" when he returned.
The Steelers defense stifled the Browns rush attack, and though Colt McCoy put up some good yards against them, it was more by allowance than mistake, as the Steelers built an early lead.
Grade: A-
Philadelphia Eagles
20 of 26
Perhaps the Eagles truly could start either of their quarterbacks and get away with it. Kevin Kolb finally learned to take shots downfield, and hooked up with Jeremy Maclin on an 84-yard strike, the longest of his career. Kolb had a stellar performance with three touchdowns and 326 yards, albeit against a second-rate Falcons defense. Still, the strides Kolb took were noticeable even to the untrained eye.
The Eagles have been anemic against the run this season but found a way to shut down Michael Turner by holding him to just three yards per carry on 15 attempts. Most importantly, they were able to hold the Falcons to 4-of-14 on third downs, halting any rhythm they could have hoped to find.
Grade: A-
San Diego Chargers
21 of 26
The Chargers could blame their special teams again, after suffering a blocked field goal but was that really the whole issue? They couldn't protect Philip Rivers, allowing the Rams to hit him with seven sacks. Their two late touchdowns were just too late, as the Rams were able to dominate the Chargers in all phases of the game.
The issues for the Chargers can't really be pinned down to just one thing. Ultimately, it comes down to the team's inability to keep getting back up when falling behind, both in games and in the loss column.
Grade: D
San Francisco 49ers
22 of 26
The journey to 0-16 is over for the 49ers, and everyone can let their shoulders down a little. Still, it's not too much to be excited over, since they only beat the Raiders. Alex Smith didn't commit a turnover for the first time this season, and led the 49ers on two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, both of which were capped off by TD passes.
Frank Gore also got in on the fun, amassing 149 yards on just 25 carries.
The defense also did its part, and though they weren't able to create many big plays, they held the Raiders to under 200 yards of total offense.
Grade: B
Seattle Seahawks
23 of 26
The Seahawks must have studied a lot of film on how the Giants handled the Bears earlier in the season, because they were able to tally six sacks on Jay Cutler on their way to a win while holding him without a touchdown.
Matt Hasselbeck was efficient with 25 completions on 40 attempts for a touchdown, with Seattle's two-headed rush attack of Justin Forsett and Marshawn Lynch adding 111 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. With the road win, the Seahawks are forcing people to take them seriously in the anemic NFC West.
Grade: A-
St. Louis Rams
24 of 26
Pinch me. Did the St. Louis Rams really just beat the San Diego Chargers to earn their third win of the season? The Chargers may be a mess right now, but the St. Louis Rams didn't exactly back into this win. Sam Bradford had another highly-efficient performance with 18-of-31 completions for 198 yards and a touchdown to fellow rookie Danario Alexander in the first quarter.
The Rams pummeled Philip Rivers with seven sacks and held the Chargers to just 33 percent third down conversions. Words can't suffice to describe the dominance the Rams showed over the Chargers' top 10 offense and defense for the duration.
Grade: A
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
25 of 26
The Bucs' 2-0 start seems light years away after another blowout loss on the road, this time to division rival New Orleans. Giving up 263 yards against Drew Brees is nothing to be ashamed of, but it won't get you very many wins against the Saints, much less allowing Chris Ivory to average over 10 yards per carry.
All that could have been aided had the offense produced at a respectable level. Unfortunately, Josh Freeman isn't yet that type of quarterback. The notoriously run-based offense only generated 2.3 yards per carry and only 42 yards. Of course, that tends to happen when losing a blowout.
Grade: F
Washington Redskins
26 of 26
A dominant performance by Washington's rush attack wasn't enough as Donovan McNabb turned the ball over twice in a narrow home loss to the Colts. The Redskins amassed 335 yards of offense but were still outgained by 134 yards against the high-powered Indy offense.
Much like the Bucs, getting gashed by four-time MVP Peyton Manning is nothing to cry over, but it's not a good way to get a win, either. Neither is allowing Joseph Addai to pile on the yards, either. Overall, it was a decent showing by the Redskins that came down to two bad plays by McNabb.
Grade: C+
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