NFL Week 10: Tim Tebow Gets First Touchdown Pass, and Report Cards for Each Team
The Denver Broncos rolled against the division-leading Kansas City Chiefs, and Tim Tebow picked up another touchdown run and his first touchdown pass in the NFL.
But that was just one of the many big games in Week 10.
How did your team do? I've got you covered. I'll play professor and give grades for each team's performance on Sunday.
Let's get this thing started:
Arizona Cardinals
1 of 24
Derek Anderson piled on the yards with 322, but only had one touchdown pass that came far too late for it to even matter, with the Cardinals already trailing 36-10 at that point.
The Cardinals rush attack couldn't get anything going against the Seahawks, which is saying a lot considering opposing offenses have had their way with the Cardinals recently.
Grade: F
Buffalo Bills
2 of 24
There will be no winless team this year. The Buffalo Bills were the last team to win a game in 2010, and did so in a narrow victory over the Detroit Lions at home.
The Bills' defense may not have had one of their better games defensively, but Fred Jackson put up two touchdowns and a 5.3 yard-per-carry average that helped lift the Bills to victory.
Grade: B
Carolina Panthers
3 of 24
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Chicago Bears
4 of 24
The Bears are proving to be the Jekyll and Hyde team of the year. It's almost impossible to predict them from one week to another. However, they got a gift in a Vikings team that's been reeling all season. Their division record is now an impressive 3-0, with home wins over each team.
Not to take anything away from their defensive performance, but the Vikings' offense has been almost as up and down as Chicago's offense.
Grade: B+
Cincinnati Bengals
5 of 24
Carson Palmer threw three interceptions, and Cedric Benson put the ball on the ground far too often.
Cleveland Browns
6 of 24
On the strength of two big wins over the Saints and Patriots, the Browns were sluggish until the very end of the fourth quarter, when Mohammed Massoquoi tied the game with a touchdown with 44 seconds to go.
Defensively, the Browns were beaten time and again, but caught a few lucky breaks with missed field goals by Nick Folk, including one in overtime, and created their own opportunity with a late interception in overtime, but the defense couldn't get out of its own way on the final play of the game.
Grade: B-
Dallas Cowboys
7 of 24
In eight weeks, Wade Phillips could only get one win with the Dallas Cowboys. It took Jason Garrett just one week to reach that same number. The Cowboys looked every bit like the talented team they were billed to be in the offseason, as they imposed their will over the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium.
Could Jason Garrett really win himself out of the "interim" tag under Jerry Jones?
Grade: A
Denver Broncos
8 of 24
The Broncos took their foot off the gas after building a 35-0 first-half lead, but Tim Tebow picked up his first touchdown pass on a three-yard pass to fullback Spencer Larsen. Of course, Kyle Orton had already thrown three touchdown passes at that point, and added another one late in the game so his is the true story here.
Still, the Broncos' defense showed its true colors by giving up 29 points after building their big lead, including 469 yards and four touchdown passes by Matt Cassel. The AFC West is truly anyone's division at this stage.
Grade: A
Detroit Lions
9 of 24
Well, someone had to be the first to lose to the Bills. That is, unless they would have gone winless.
The Lions are proving that even in what's being called a passing league, throwing 50 times a game isn't necessarily the key to victory. It got them as close as they could possibly be, with a chance to tie on a two-point conversion, but they got nothing out of their running game with a total of 76 yards and an average of 2.9 yards per carry.
The Lions proved that they have a lot of work to do in run defense. Ndamukong Suh has proven he can rush the passer, but can he step up as a run-stuffer?
Grade: C-
Houston Texans
10 of 24
It was the bad break to end all bad breaks. The ball was supposed to harmlessly fall to the turf and the game was supposed to go into overtime. But Mike Thomas missed that memo.
It was just another average week for the Texans. Their offense did all they needed to do, compiling 491 yards on the day, but it was the defense's struggles that let the Jags stay in the game.
Grade: B-
Indianapolis Colts
11 of 24
It wasn't a banner day for Peyton Manning, but it didn't have to be with the Bengals bumbling all the way to the finish line.
Instead, the Colts enjoyed a rare defensive performance by forcing three interceptions and two fumbles. They scored 13 points off five turnovers in a game they won by six points.
Grade: B
Jacksonville Jaguars
12 of 24
They don't call it a "Hail Mary" for nothing. In fact, it's almost as if a higher power was on Jacksonville's side as Mike Thomas caught the deflected last-gasp 50-yard bomb from David Garrard to end the game.
The offense had a banner day all around.
Grade: B+
Kansas City Chiefs
13 of 24
The Chiefs have been a shell of their former selves, the resilient gutsy defensive team that got them off to a hot 3-0 start. The Broncos had their way with the Chiefs from the get-go on an eight play, 80-yard touchdown drive in just three minutes to start the game.
It's clear the Chiefs are not the class of the AFC West as they were once thought to be.
Grade: F
Miami Dolphins
14 of 24
The quarterback controversy in Miami just got a lot more controversial, as both Chad Pennington and Chad Henne were knocked out of the game. Anthony Fasano had a career day no matter who was throwing him the ball, with five receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown.
The defense wasn't able to bottle up Chris Johnson, but held both Kerry Collins and Vince Young to very pedestrian performances.
Grade: A
Minnesota Vikings
15 of 24
A week after throwing for a career-high 454 yards, Brett Favre turned the ball over four times as the Vikings fell to 3-6, by a score of 27-13 to the Chicago Bears. Favre can't possibly take all the blame for this loss, could he?
No. The Vikings defense also has to take some blame for allowing Cutler to go off for 237 yards and three touchdowns.
Grade: D
New England Patriots
16 of 24
Not often do the Patriots play two bad games in a row. This was not one of those times. The offense rolled for 32 of New England's 39 points, and played a dominant game after being dominated last week.
The defense did its part by holding the Steelers rush attack to under 100 yards, and although they were burned through the air, it was enough to come up with a win. The Patriots get a gold star for the biggest jump this week, going from an F to an A.
Grade: A
New York Giants
17 of 24
Every good team has a bad game. The Patriots had theirs against the Browns, the Jets had theirs against the Packers, and now the Giants have theirs against the Cowboys.
Eli Manning threw an interception to match each of his touchdown throws, and the rush attack failed to produce a touchdown. Their defense was more shocking, giving up three touchdown passes to Jon Kitna.
Grade: C-
New York Jets
18 of 24
The Jets could only build up a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter. Sanchez was efficient for most of the day, but clearly hampered by a calf injury he suffered in the third quarter. But digging deep in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, the Jets were able to claw out a win with a quick throw to Santonio Holmes that goes for a touchdown.
Just a week after Peyton Hillis marched all over the Patriots defense, the Jets kept him in check, and also proved that it's still too early to anoint Colt "the real" McCoy.
Grade: B+
Pittsburgh Steelers
19 of 24
Even the elite teams have an off day. This was clearly one of those for Pittsburgh. They didn't come out with the same fire that we're used to seeing from them, and their front seven was manhandled by New England's offensive line all night.
Ben Roethlisberger's big night didn't do the Steelers any good, as most of his yards and touchdowns came with the game out of reach. The Steelers didn't play an awful game, but the Patriots played an awfully good one.
Grade: C-
San Francisco 49ers
20 of 24
The 49ers are still in the playoff hunt, even at 3-6, and they're playing like it. With a big game from Troy Smith, the 49ers were able to win in overtime by simply handing the ball to Frank Gore and letting him get them into field goal range.
They have some tough games on the docket, and get Tampa Bay at home before a road trip to Arizona and Green Bay.
Grade: B
Seattle Seahawks
21 of 24
Olindo Mare kicked five field goals and the Seahawks backfield rushed for two scores. Quite frankly, the Seahawks were able to get points out of their drives and the Cardinals weren't, and the Seahawks held onto a 36-10 lead by the fourth quarter.
The Seahawks defense finally got its bearings after being burned in back-to-back games. They blistered the Cardinals on third downs, only forfeiting 18 percent conversions, and held the Cardinals rush attack to just 46 total yards.
Grade: B+
St. Louis Rams
22 of 24
The Rams were able to force overtime, but couldn't get a first down once they got there, and eventually gave up the win to the division rival 49ers. Sam Bradford continues to play efficient football, avoiding the costly turnovers. Steven Jackson had a good game, and a rare trip to the end zone to boot.
The Rams defense, however, couldn't stop Troy Smith from going off for 356 yards on just 28 throws, 17 completions.
Grade: C
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
23 of 24
Tennessee Titans
24 of 24
Chris Johnson and Randy Moss was supposed to be a lethal one-two punch at the skill positions. Johnson did his part, but the Titans' quarterbacks couldn't get anything going and were held to under 50 percent completions on the day, netting 3.1 yards per pass play.
The Titans proved that they are in the category of quarterback killers, but it was Tyler Thigpen who delivered the final dagger to Tennessee.
Grade: C-
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