NFL Week 8: Complete Report Card for Every NFL Team
As NFL Week 8 continues, it's time to grade the teams on the product on the field.
Some teams are getting good grades in defeat, while a few are getting bad grades in a victory. Just because you won, doesn't mean it was pretty.
The grades don't come on a curve, so be prepared for brutal honesty.
Starting with the bottom...
Denver Broncos
1 of 24
Grade: F
The Broncos, with Kyle Orton throwing for more than 300 yards, still lost to the San Francisco 49ers, a team that lost its starting quarterback and gave Troy Smith his first NFL start.
How bad is your rushing game when Orton comes in second for the game in rushing yards with 18?
Seattle Seahawks
2 of 24
Grade: F
The Seahawks had no offense worth talking about, and allowed Darren McFadden to run for 111 yards.
This from a team that was on top of their division coming into the game.
Wait, it's the NFC West, nevermind.
Cincinnati Bengals
3 of 24
Grade: F
The Bengals were supposed to be in a three-way battle for the AFC North crown, and now they're looking up at the Cleveland Browns in the division.
The offense was weak, and the powerhouse trio that was supposed to be Carson Palmer, Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco was anything but.
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New York Jets
4 of 24
Grade: F
The Jets got shut out versus Green Bay. Granted Clay Matthews is looking like a future Hall of Famer at the moment, but this is the Jets offense we're talking about.
Zero points on the board at home equals a failing grade. The silver lining for Jets fans should be the learning experience from this game.
Though conditions were windy, the Jets should be accustomed to the wind in New Jersey.
Dallas Cowboys
5 of 24
Grade: D
The Cowboys avoid getting an F because Jon Kitna was behind center. But four interceptions and only 17 points against the Jacksonville Jaguars means the Cowboys problems go way beyond the quarterback.
But that's just stating the obvious.
The Cowboys have to quit beating themselves and not make mistakes like colliding while trying to make the handoff.
Washington Redskins
6 of 24
Grade: D
The Washington Redskins benched Donovan McNabb in favor of Rex Grossman in the fourth quarter and lost to the Detroit Lions.
Further analysis is suspended while the writer rolls on the floor, clutching his sides in laughter.
Minnesota Vikings
7 of 24
Grade: C-
All things considered, it could've been worse.
Brett Favre played better than last week up until he almost had his jaw taken off, and Tarvaris Jackson did score a touchdown once he came in the game.
Percy Harvin had a pretty good day, but the defense could not stop Tom Brady and the New England Patriots offense. That's nothing to be ashamed of, though. That's just the way it is.
Pittsburgh Steelers
8 of 24
Grade: C-
The Steelers went out to face a team their division rivals, the Cleveland Browns, had beaten the week before. Instead of making short work of the underperforming defending champs, the Steelers struggled on offense, and the defense took the night off.
The Steelers defense allowed Saints quarterback Drew Brees to complete 34 passes, the most against this team since 2002.
Arizona Cardinals
9 of 24
Grade: C-
For a team that switched from one bad quarterback to another, they certainly put a lot of points up on the board.
But they still have bad quarterbacks and they still lost the game. Beanie Wells only could muster 50 yards on the ground, and the defense didn't stop another fourth quarter rally by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kansas City Chiefs
10 of 24
Grade: C
The Chiefs may have won, but it was against the winless Buffalo Bills, and it took them almost the entire overtime period just to score a field goal.
The Chiefs may be 5-2 at this point, but that's not going to mean much down the road if they can't beat the teams they're supposed to beat.
Matt Cassel has to do better than 152 yards and one touchdown on 26 attempts against a team like the Bills.
Tennessee Titans
11 of 24
Grade: C
The Tennessee Titans have been successful by always coming up with another offensive weapon whenever one gets hurt or shut down.
They ran out of magic tricks on Sunday as Vince Young and Kenny Britt both left the field due to injuries and Chris Johnson and Kerry Collins couldn't overcome the San Diego Chargers explosive offense.
Carolina Panthers
12 of 24
Grade: C
The reason the Panthers aren't graded worse is because you have to grade the Panthers against the Panthers. That's not grading on a curve, it's just the fact the Panthers are such a bad team that 10 points versus the St. Louis Rams isn't a bad day.
Matt Moore had three interceptions on the day, so he gets an F but the Panthers defense held Sam Bradford to less than 200 yards passing and Steven Jackson to 59 yards rushing.
You take what you can out of that.
St. Louis Rams
13 of 24
Grade: B
The Rams did enough to get the win, but Sam Bradford didn't take over the game and Steven Jackson was rendered largely ineffective, rushing for only 59 yards on the day.
Still, it's a good win for the Rams, who couldn't find many wins last year.
Green Bay Packers
14 of 24
Grade: B
If a few things had gone differently, this grade would higher because two powerful teams collided on the field and came away...with a snoozefest.
I've seen some boring games in my time, but this game was BORING.
The Packers kept the Jets out of the end zone, and the wind kept the Jets from even getting on the board.
Aaron Rodgers didn't do anything spectacular, and only the play by Clay Matthews and the Packers defense made the game slightly watchable.
San Francisco 49ers
15 of 24
Grade: B+
The 49ers made a good show for the London crowd in the fourth quarter, as Troy Smith, in his first game as a starter, put together a good drive and put the Niners ahead for good.
Helped by Frank Gore, the 49ers played as complete of a game as they could have.
One question 49ers fans may want to ask now is: Troy Smith to Michael Crabtree, a soon-to-be-repeated phrase by people covering the games for radio and television?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
16 of 24
Grade: B+
While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put 38 points on the board, they needed a fourth quarter rally and an interception at the end of the game to overcome the Arizona Cardinals and their complete black hole at the quarterback position.
The defense, which should have shut down Max Hall and Derek Anderson with ease, kept letting the Cardinals back in the game, downgrading what should have been an "A" to a "B+."
Jacksonville Jaguars
17 of 24
Grade: A
The Jaguars have been inconsistent with tons of quarterback injuries this year, but David Garrard returned to the field and the Jaguars completely man-handled the Cowboys to go to 4-4 on the year.
Garrard had a near-perfect passer rating, 157.8, and had four touchdowns on the day.
Maurice Jones-Drew had 135 rushing yards on the day, and the Jaguars have something to build on.
Miami Dolphins
18 of 24
Grade: A
Miami went into Cincinnati and shut down Carson Palmer, Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco.
While it was a game filled with field goals, the Dolphins defense made sure the team had a chance to win. You can't ask for more than that.
Buffalo Bills
19 of 24
Grade: A
The Buffalo Bills get an A for effort because they keep staying in games they really should be getting shut out or blown out in, including Sunday's contest against Kansas City.
The Bills made sure it took just about every last second of overtime for the Chiefs to win.
Detroit Lions
20 of 24
Grade: A
The Lions are becoming a better team every week. With Matthew Stafford back, the Lions now have a legitimate franchise quarterback behind center.
They also have a legitimate franchise running back and wide receiver in Jahvid Best and Calvin Johnson, plus there's this guy named Ndamukong Suh patrolling the defense.
Stafford only had four touchdowns on the day, while Suh returned a fumble for a touchdown late in the game.
New Orleans Saints
21 of 24
Grade: A
The New Orleans Saints went out and beat one of the best teams in the league, and they corrected the mistakes that doomed them versus Cleveland.
While Bress threw for more than 300 yards, he had only one touchdown, the rest of the points coming via the field goal. It's a lesson to viewers that sometimes all you need is a reliable quarterback and the smarts to execute a few key plays.
New England Patriots
22 of 24
Grade: A
This was a good game that once again showed why Bill Belichick is a great coach. Belichick contolled the Vikings offense, especially in the second half, while Tom Brady, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and the rest of the offense had a much better showing than last week.
The injury to Favre aside, the Patriots were effective at keeping control of the ball, and Adrian Peterson fell eight yards short of 100 yards with only one touchdown. That's a good day for any defense versus Peterson.
San Diego Chargers
23 of 24
Grade: A
The Chargers finally put a bunch of points on the board and came away with a victory.
Taking advantage of every opportunity to win the game, instead of squandering it like they've done the past few weeks, the Chargers looked like the team that seemed poised to go deep into the playoffs again this year.
That goal still is possible, but the Chargers now have to string two games like this together.
Oakland Raiders
24 of 24
Grade: A+
Who would've thought the Raiders would be sitting at the front of the class as the teacher's pet two months ago other than Raiders fans?
Darren McFadden had another 100-yard day despite the fact the Seahawks were looking for him. Jason Campbell had his best day as a Raider, and the Raiders defense absolutely crushed the Seahawk's offense.
It was a complete game from the Raiders standpoint, and the grade reflects that.
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