NFL Week 8: Report Cards For Every Team Who Played On Sunday
"NFL Scores Week 7" will no doubt be a hot search topic on Monday, but how did your team perform in their Week 7 game?
Did the Cleveland Browns really dominate the New Orleans Saints?
Don't worry, I got you covered. The final score may lie, but my grades don't. I'll play Prof. Frenz and hand out grades for each team's performance on Sunday, October 24, 2010.
There's a lot to go over, so let's get right to it.
Arizona Cardinals
1 of 26
The Cardinals' impressive win in Week 5 over the Saints was undone by their loss to division rival Seattle. The lack of offense put too much pressure on the defense, who despite the pressure they were getting on Matt Hasselbeck, couldn't stop the Seahawks from converting one field goal after another on their way to a 22-10 loss. It's becoming increasingly clear that the Cardinals need to find a way to get Larry Fitzgerald the ball more often; three catches for 30 yards simply isn't cutting it.
Grade: D+
Atlanta Falcons
2 of 26
The Falcons proved they have a bit more high-powered offense than many give them credit for, but their defense needs a bit more work than many have noted. Roddy White (11 receptions, 201 yards, two touchdowns) showed that he has the ability to rank among the top wide-outs in the game right now. They have been winning most of their games by close margins, so today's finish wasn't surprising, but I'm willing to bet that they would have liked a bigger win over the 2-4 Bengals.
Grade: B+
Baltimore Ravens
3 of 26
Another game goes into overtime for the Baltimore Ravens, but this time it was their defense that came up with the big play when they needed it. Still, the game should have never been this close. The Ravens' "elite" defense gave up 505 yards, and Ryan Fitzpatrick had a career day against the Ravens' top ranked pass defense, putting up 374 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. The Ravens would have loved for this game to not be so close, facing the hapless 0-6 Bills but eked out a win when it mattered.
Grade: B-
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Buffalo Bills
4 of 26
For the Bills to have taken the lead against the elite Ravens is a headscratcher, but the loss sure isn't. Ryan Fitzpatrick had the biggest day of his career with 374 yards and four touchdowns, but it wasn't enough against the Ravens' offensive onslaught. If the Bills had been able to get a few key stops on defense, this game could have certainly ended in their favor.
Grade: B
Carolina Panthers
5 of 26
Last week, the 49ers picked up their first win of the season. This week, it was Carolina's turn. The fact that it came in eked-out fashion against the hapless 49ers probably doesn't matter much to them. Matt Moore jumped right back on track after a sluggish start to the season with over 300 yards and two touchdowns, which was just enough to make up for the lack of production from the running back duo. Their defense may have surrendered a big performance to Frank Gore but did enough otherwise to keep the 49ers at bay.
Grade: B-
Cincinnati Bengals
6 of 26
The Bengals had a great day offensively across the board, with Carson Palmer exceeding 400 yards and 100-yard performances from both Jordan Shipley and Chad Ochocinco, with T.O close in tow. The Bengals jumped back into the game with 22 consecutive third-quarter points, but their defense was just outmatched by the Falcons offense, namely Roddy White.
Grade: C-
Chicago Bears
7 of 26
After a brief run among the top of the NFC, the Bears have lost their bite and fallen toward the bottom without any sign of slowing. At least the Bears defense showed up to play today, or this loss could have been much worse. Four sacks and four picks from Jay Cutler were the name of the game, and the Bears are clearly a team with much more work to do than first thought.
Grade: F
Cleveland Browns
8 of 26
What...the...did that really happen? Did the reigning Super Bowl champions really get pulverized by the Cleveland Browns? At home? The Browns had a 20-0 lead at one point in the game. Their offense may not have been incredibly effective, but Peyton Hillis had a key performance with 16 carries for 69 yards and a score, and their defense had four sacks and forced four interceptions on Drew Brees. The Browns' season may be close to done in the tightly-contested AFC North, but they can at least build their confidence with big wins like this.
Grade: A
Denver Broncos
9 of 26
The Denver Broncos gave up 59 points to the Oakland Raiders (wait...really?) and were unable to stop Darren McFadden from running all over them (wait...really?!) The Broncos are usually able to get a ton of yards whether they win or lose, but Kyle Orton was held under 200 yards despite playing from behind for most of the game. The Broncos are truly a Jekyll-and-Hyde team at their finest, and it's never clear which one we're going to see any given week.
Grade: F
Green Bay Packers
10 of 26
The Packers offense was able to move the ball well, with 295 yards and two touchdowns from Aaron Rodgers. They straight up couldn't stop the run, allowing 196 yards on 36 carries and two touchdowns from Minnesota's three running backs. This was a very closely-contested game that could have gone the other way, but Brett Favre seemed to have forgotten that he wasn't supposed to be throwing the ball to the Packers anymore, and the Packers were lucky for that much.
Grade: B-
Jacksonville Jaguars
11 of 26
Maurice Jones-Drew lost his mojo as he struggled from the start, taking 16 carries 47 yards for no touchdowns. Todd Bauman was the starter this week, as the Jags are still without David Garrard and Trent Edwards, and though he had an admirable performance, it wasn't enough against a tough Chiefs defense. Conversely, the Jags defense tried to be a wall of glass against an oncoming semi, particularly in the second half.
Grade: D
Kansas City Chiefs
12 of 26
The Chiefs were finally able to get back to winning form this week, albeit against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. Matt Cassel had an efficient performance that's become his trademark with 13-of-18 for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles had a dominant performance, with 35 carries for 196 yards and two touchdowns. The defense held Maurice Jones-Drew to 47 yards on 16 carries, despite allowing Todd Bauman to go off for 222 yards and two touchdowns.
Grade: A
Minnesota Vikings
13 of 26
The Vikings picked up a must-win victory last week against the Cowboys but lost a key divisional game that could have really helped them climb back in the driver's seat in the NFC North. A rushing performance of 36 carries for 196 yards and two touchdowns from Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin was negated by Brett Favre, who continued to be the downfall of the Vikings with a pitiful performance that included three interceptions.
Grade: C-
Miami Dolphins
14 of 26
The Dolphins were able to hang around until the very end against what many considered a superior all-around team. They held the Steelers' vaunted rush attack to 58 yards and a paltry 2.1 yards per rush. Still, Ben Roethlisberger tore the defense apart with 300 yards and two touchdowns. The Dolphins had a tough time offensively on third down, converting only three of their 12 tries, and though they were able to hold the Steelers to 0-for-3 in the red zone, they put up the same numbers in that category.
Grade: C
New England Patriots
15 of 26
Perhaps the win was best summed up by Bill Belichick after the game: "It was a tough game like it always is against the Chargers. You can't relax against those guys. We made some plays when we had to." The Chargers were handing over the game from the very beginning, but the Patriots didn't seem to anxious to take it away. The Patriots showed flashes of the fourth-quarter monster, but the meltdown was averted albeit in unimpressive fashion.
Grade: C+
New Orleans Saints
16 of 26
There's too much to say about a loss to the Cleveland Browns at home, but in an effort not to overreact, I'll stick with the facts: Drew Brees threw four interceptions and was sacked four times, and the Browns only had to pass the ball 16 times for the win. Playing from behind for much of the game, it took him 57 pass attempts to get to his 356 yards, but with only two touchdowns, New Orleans' fate was sealed.
Grade: D-
Oakland Raiders
17 of 26
Jason Campbell had a solid performance but was overshadowed by Darren McFadden who looked more like a Razorback than a Raider with 196 yards and four total touchdowns. The Raiders defense, which had struggled to stop anyone through their first six games, finally got their feet under them and held the Broncos to just 240 total yards of offense.
Grade: A
Pittsburgh Steelers
18 of 26
Ben Roethlisberger had a solid performance despite three fumbles—one lost. The rush attack also stumbled out of the gates. It was Pittsburgh's defense, though, that allowed the Dolphins to stay in it until the very end by coughing up more than 20 points for the first time all season. it wasn't a big-time win like we've been seeing from the Steelers all season but probably should have been against a lesser team like the Dolphins.
Grade: B
Philadelphia Eagles
19 of 26
Kevin Kolb has done a lot to earn his job back over the past few weeks, but today's fourth-quarter performance leaves room for speculation as to who will start when Michael Vick is healthy enough. His two interceptions certainly didn't help his chances. The Eagles defense was stout in the first half, allowing only three points but finished allowing a whopping 30 (not counting an INT return for a touchdown).
Grade: D+
San Diego Chargers
20 of 26
The Chargers sure know how to lose. Even when down 23-6, they never looked fully out of the game. They were still doing things and climbed back into the game on an onside kick and two solid drives for touchdowns. Then, it happened: the Patriots seemed to serve the Chargers a ticket to overtime by going for it on 4th-and-1 and failing to convert (sound familiar?) but the Chargers were unable to capitalize and Kris Brown missed his third consecutive fourth-quarter field goal with the game on the line.
Grade: C-
San Francisco 49ers
21 of 26
The 49ers went from picking up their first win of the season last week, right back to being the doormat this week. It was a close game that came down to the wire, but despite a stellar 102-yard performance from Frank Gore, the 49ers ran out of gas after losing Alex Smith to injury. Despite winning the turnover battle by two, the defense allowed for a margin of almost 100 yards in total offense, and that's not something a bad team like the 49ers can usually overcome.
Overall grade: C
Seattle Seahawks
22 of 26
The Seahawks couldn't get the ball into the end zone but were able to convert many of their drives into field goals. That proved to be enough for a win over the Arizona Cardinals, who looked entirely anemic on offense. The Seahawks' offensive line couldn't seem to stop the Cardinals, allowing five sacks on the day. As such, it was the defense that really provided this win for the Seahawks.
Grade: B
St. Louis Rams
23 of 26
The Rams proved that though they've shown a tendency to beat some good teams, they're still a team very much in rebuilding mode. Sam Bradford turned in another solid performance but only completed 50 percent of his passes. Steven Jackson also had a good show, with 110 yards on 22 carries. In the end, the Rams were simply unable to put the game away when they needed to. The Rams have kept almost all of their games close, and as they mature, expect them to start winning these games.
Grade: C+
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
24 of 26
The Buccaneers fought back after taking a beating in the second quarter, in which the Rams scored all of their points. They had a hard time scoring touchdowns against the Rams but got their lone touchdown when it mattered on a short pass to Cadillac Williams. The Buccaneers, in theory, should have dominated the Rams, but they'll take the win any way they can get it.
Grade: B
Tennessee Titans
25 of 26
The Titans were anemic in the first half and were down by nine in the fourth quarter but bounced back on the strength of Kenny Britt, who finished with seven receptions for 225 yards and three touchdowns. They put up 27 unanswered points as they put the Eagles away and silenced them defensively in the fourth quarter, as they have to many teams this season already.
Grade: B+
Washington Redskins
26 of 26
When the defense generates four interceptions and a fumble, it's expected that team will be able to score more than 17 points, but that wasn't the case for the Redskins, who were also inefficient. Donovan McNabb turned the ball over twice, and Ryan Torain added another fumble, which helped diminish the play of the Redskins defense. They'll need to get more from the offense in the future if they want to continue to win games, because chances are their defense won't dominate like that week-in and week-out.
Grade: B-
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