NFL Week 7 Report Cards: Breaking Down the Stars and Duds at QB
Fairly or unfairly, the quarterbacks become the focus of the game most of the time, and things won't change in Week 7 of the 2010 NFL season.
Quarterbacks get the credit for the wins and take the blame for the losses even on occasions where it isn't warranted, but that's the life of a quarterback.
Here's a look at the quarterbacks from this week and how they stacked up.
Drew Brees
1 of 26
Grade: F
Four interceptions against one of the worst secondary's in the league earns this Super Bowl-defending champion an F.
Brees could not figure out what defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was doing, and it showed in the turnover stat column.
Jay Cutler
2 of 26
Grade: F
Jay Cutler, in addition to being sacked another three dozen times, threw four interceptions.
While Cutler also had 281 yards and a touchdown, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
Derek Anderson
3 of 26
Grade: D-
Derek Anderson came in to the Arizona Cardinals game in relief of a banged-up Max Hall.
While Anderson didn't do anything to lose the game, he didn't do anything to win it, either, going 8-17 for 96 yards.
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Tom Brady
4 of 26
Grade: D
Tom Brady had a very un-Bradylike game, throwing for only 159 yards and one touchdown. With Deion Branch performing well last week, you can't blame it on the absence of Randy Moss.
Last time I checked, Wes Welker still is on the roster.
Kyle Orton
5 of 26
Grade: D
Kyle Orton has been playing like a man possessed this year, and he was bound to have a bad day, which he did versus the Raiders on Sunday.
To be fair, he still has no real running game to fall back on because of injuries to the position, but we grade on what we see, not on what we wish was there.
Matt Hasselback
6 of 26
Grade: D
Matt Hasselback threw for 192 yards, going 20-38 and throwing one touchdown pass. The rest of the team's scoring was via the field goal.
While many factors come into play when a team can't score inside the opposing team's territory, especially in the red zone, five field goals means there was poor player execution somewhere.
Donovan McNabb
7 of 26
Grade: C-
Donovan McNabb threw for one touchdown and two picks while amassing 200 yards on 32 attempts, 17 of which were completed.
McNabb had the kind of performance you forget about the next day, and considering how many turnovers the Bears gave the Redskins, it might be better if everyone forgot McNabb's and the Redskins' performance.
Brett Favre
8 of 26
Grade: C-
Favre threw one touchdown and three interceptions in a game where he needed to be a lot better. Favre is continuing his trend of forcing passes where they shouldn't be going and he's hurting the Vikings by not playing smarter.
Alex Smith
9 of 26
Grade: C
Before his injury, Alex Smith was playing okay. He had 129 yards and one touchdown. However, Frank Gore was having a good day and David Carr came in and was okay as well.
Overall, the Niners quarterbacks were uninspiring but not awful.
Chad Henne
10 of 26
Grade: C+
Chad Henne had a pretty good day, 257 yards and a touchdown, but when he really needed to rally the team at the end of the fourth quarter, the team went three-and-out.
Kevin Kolb
11 of 26
Grade: C+
Kevin Kolb was 26-of-48 for 231 yards and a touchdown, but he spent too much time running and wasn't able to make the big plays Andy Reid was looking for.
As a result, Michael Vick will be back behind center.
Philip Rivers
12 of 26
Grade: B-
Philip Rivers threw for more than 300 yards, but he only had one touchdown and a pick.
Rivers and the offense have been the least of the Chargers' troubles this year, but Rivers's job is to score more than the other team, which he didn't do on Sunday.
Todd Bouman
13 of 26
Grade: B-
If we were solely grading on "returning to the game after more than a year off," Todd Bouman would get an A+.
Even without the curve, Bouman threw for 222 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. All things considered, it still was a decent performance.
Sam Bradford
14 of 26
Grade: B-
Sam Bradford once again showed people why he was the No. 1 overall draft pick as he threw for two touchdowns in a game that wasn't dominated by quarterback play.
Bradford threw only for a total of 126 yards, but that's because Steven Jackson was busy getting the ball.
Matt Cassel
15 of 26
Grade: B-
Matt Cassel wasn't great, but he was solid and managed the game, throwing for two touchdowns.
Cassel only had 18 attempts the whole game, so it wasn't like the Chiefs went with a pass-heavy scheme.
Matt Moore
16 of 26
Grade: B
Matt Moore returned to the starting lineup and threw for 308 yards, two touchdowns and two picks.
Moore was very good in his return, leading the Panthers to their first victory of the season.
Jason Campbell
17 of 26
Grade: B
Jason Campbell was 12-of-20 for 204 yards and two touchdowns, but the real glory belonged to Darren McFadden, who Campbell kept handing off to for 165 rushing yards.
Colt McCoy
18 of 26
Grade: B
Colt McCoy wasn't asked to do much as the Browns offense spread the ball around and the defense did most of the heavy lifting.
That being said, McCoy did what was asked of him, and even went out for a pass on one play. There were no turnovers and the Browns offense looked sharp when it was on the field.
Aaron Rodgers
19 of 26
Grade: B
Aaron Rodgers did exactly what he had to do and overcame two interceptions to pull out a victory over division rival Minnesota Vikings.
Rodgers also had two touchdowns and threw for 295 yards in what was a slugfest between the two teams.
Josh Freeman
20 of 26
Grade: B
Josh Freeman's stats, from an outside perspective, don't look that impressive. He threw for 212 yards and one touchdown.
However, what the stats don't show is Freeman rallying the troops at the end of the fourth quarter before handing the ball off to Cadillac Wiliams for the one-yard, winning touchdown run.
Ben Roethlisberger
21 of 26
Grade: B+
Ben Roethlisberger can extend a play like few other quarterbacks, but sometimes his attempts go awry, like when he fumbled the ball on the goal line at the end of the game.
Still, Roethlisberger technically recovered it and the Steelers won the game behind his 302 yards passing and two touchdowns.
Kerry Collins
22 of 26
Grade: B+
Kerry Collins went out and threw for three touchdowns in relief of the injured Vince Young, and once again the Titans showed they have two viable quarterbacks behind center.
Collins also threw two interceptions to go along with his touchdowns and 276 yards, but overall, it was a pretty good game for Collins and the Titans.
Ryan Fitzpatrick
23 of 26
Grade: A-
Ryan Fitzpatrick really wanted to let the Ravens know he existed. And there's no doubt they'll remember who he is after giving up four touchdowns and 374 yards on the day.
Fitzpatrick also threw two picks, but Ray Lewis was responsible for stripping the ball out of a receiver's hands after he caught it, and when Ray Lewis is in the game, these things happen.
Matt Ryan
24 of 26
Grade: A
Matt Ryan threw for 299 yards, three touchdowns and one pick, staying one step ahead of the Bengals' equally relentless offensive attack.
Joe Flacco
25 of 26
Grade: A
Joe Flacco threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns, keeping the Ravens in a game the defense was trying very hard to take them out of.
Flacco continues to improve, and the Ravens are going to need Flacco to stay healthy as they continue to battle the Pittsburgh Steelers for the lead in the AFC North.
Carson Palmer
26 of 26
Grade: A+
All Carson Palmer did was throw for 412 yards on 50 attempts, scoring three touchdowns and not throwing any picks.
While the Bengals lost, it's hard to put any of that blame on Palmer and the receivers.
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