NFL Week 14 Report Cards: Rating the Studs and Duds at Quarterback
The NFL Week 14 Report Cards take their inevitable turn to the quarterback position. This week featured some truly great performances.
It also featured some of the most awful representations of the position ever forced upon the American public.
There are a lot of failing grades this week, and the quarterbacks have no one to blame but themselves. It takes a lot of skill to play at the pro level, and some of these guys no longer look like they belong at that level after such awful performances.
Enough with the preamble, here are the grades.
Carson Palmer
1 of 28
Grade: F
This is becoming a habit with Carson Palmer, who continues to throw the ball to the other team for a touchdown.
It's the "other team" part that's getting him in trouble.
Jimmy Clausen
2 of 28
Grade: F
Not only did Jimmy Clausen throw for only 107 yards and one interception, he angered his best wide receiver, Steve Smith, who ripped Clausen after the game for disrespecting the offense.
"He ain't at Notre Dame anymore, that's for sure," said Smith.
Jake Delhomme
3 of 28
Grade: F
Jake Delhomme wasn't allowed to throw the ball most of the game for fear he'd throw an interception. So that's what the Browns offensive game-planning has been reduced to: fear of their own players more than the other team.
Jake had 86 yards passing with one interception, so it's not like their fears are unfounded.
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Matt Flynn
4 of 28
Grade: F
Matt Flynn, in relief of Aaron Rodgers, threw for 177 yards and one interception. It's amazing this guy doesn't see more of the field with stats like that. Can't imagine why he's a backup quarterback when you take command of the field like that.
Kyle Orton
5 of 28
Grade: F
Kyle Orton appears to be diminishing the last few weeks, which is not good with Tim Tebow and a curious ownership waiting on the sidelines.
Orton threw for 166 yards and three picks. That's just not going to get things done, and the Island of Orton grows ever more remote as the season winds down.
Brodie Croyle
6 of 28
Grade: F
Brodie Croyle threw for 40 yards in his start in place for Matt Cassel, recovering from an emergency appendectomy performed on Wednesday.
Croyle's 48.9 passer rating surely will inspire Cassel to heal faster.
Mark Sanchez
7 of 28
Grade: D
As bad as Sanchez played, it wasn't the worst performance of the week out there. Sanchez threw for 216 yards and one pick, but it was his inability to move the offense in the fourth quarter that doomed the Jets.
Matt Hasselbeck
8 of 28
Grade: D
Matt Hasselbeck threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns, but it was the four interceptions and lost fumble that everyone is going to remember from this game.
Hasselbeck never was seen as more than a placeholder this season by a lot of people, and his performance on Sunday will do nothing to change that perception.
Sam Bradford
9 of 28
Grade: D
Sam Bradford didn't have one of his better days, throwing two picks, both of which were thrown near the Saints' goal line.
Bradford threw for 231 total yards, but it was the turnovers that helped kill the day.
Drew Stanton
10 of 28
Grade: C-
Drew Stanton did just enough to help the Lions win the game, but there's really not much more to say about his performance than that.
Ben Roethlisberger
11 of 28
Grade: C
It can be argued at this point that Carson Palmer did more for the Steelers in Sunday's game than Ben Roethlisberger did.
Roethlisberger did move the offense, getting 258 yards through the air, but he was unable to convert any touchdown passes. He didn't have any picks, so he didn't do anything to hurt the team.
Jay Cutler
12 of 28
Grade: C
All things considered, it could've been a lot worse. Jay Cutler threw for 152 yards with two interceptions and two sacks. He had a 32.9 passer rating and generally looked uncomfortable behind the Bears offensive line.
Now Cutler has to forget this performance and move on to the next play.
Chad Henne
13 of 28
Grade: C
Chad Henne threw for 55 yards and one touchdown. While that isn't good by any stretch of the imagination, Henne didn't throw any interceptions and he did enough to get the Dolphins a victory.
John Skelton
14 of 28
Grade: B-
John Skelton did something no other Arizona Cardinals quarterback seems to have been able to do this season: move the offense and score some points.
While Skelton didn't throw any touchdowns, he helped get the offense in place to allow Tim Hightower to score twice. Even better, Skelton didn't throw any interceptions.
And he looked better than Jimmy Clausen.
Ryan Fitzpatrick
15 of 28
Grade: B-
Ryan Fitzpatrick didn't have his best day, but he still had 142 yards passing and one touchdown with no interceptions. Fitzpatrick finished the day with a 93 passer rating.
The Bills, led by Fitzpatrick, once again came out and played a great game. This time they came out on the winning end, though.
Matt Ryan
16 of 28
Grade: B
While the Falcons won, Matt Ryan wasn't the big star of the game—that was Michael Turner—but he still threw for 227 yards and one touchdown. He also had one pick on the day and finished with a 76.5 passer rating.
Jason Campbell
17 of 28
Grade: B+
While the Raiders may have lost the game, Jason Campbell certainly gave it his all, throwing for more than 300 yards and two touchdowns.
Whatever the Raiders' problems were in this game, it wasn't Campbell's fault on Sunday.
Jon Kitna
18 of 28
Grade: B
Jon Kitna continues to defy his age and the odds by playing at a level he hasn't seen in years. Kitna had 242 yards and two touchdowns, but that got offset by two picks.
However, Kitna brought Dallas charging back in the game more than once, and only the little matter of the clock running out seems to have stopped him.
Donovan McNabb
19 of 28
Grade: A-
The Redskins have a lot of problems, like Donovan McNabb's inconsistency, but the "good" McNabb showed up on Sunday versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as he threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns.
Philip Rivers
20 of 28
Grade: A-
Philip Rivers threw for more than 200 yards and two touchdowns, but one pick does downgrade him slightly.
Rivers stood tall against the Chiefs defense, and there wasn't much he did wrong on Sunday.
Drew Brees
21 of 28
Grade: A-
Brees had a pretty good day, throwing for three touchdowns and 231 yards. His two interceptions bring his grade down a little bit, but fortunately, the two picks didn't really hurt the Saints all that much.
Peyton Manning
22 of 28
Grade: A
Peyton Manning is back. He stopped locking on to receivers, started playing like his old self again and didn't throw any interceptions this week.
Kerry Collins
23 of 28
Grade: A
The Titans have issues, but Kerry Collins still threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns. He didn't turn the ball over and he kept moving the offense down the field.
The problem was the defense couldn't stop the Colts, and Collins didn't have enough time to pull a victory out.
David Garrard
24 of 28
Grade: A-
David Garrard had three touchdowns on more than 150 yards passing, but he did have one pick and a lot of help from Maurice Jones-Drew.
Josh Freeman
25 of 28
Grade: A
Josh Freeman led his team on another fourth-quarter comeback. That gets you an "A."
Alex Smith
26 of 28
Grade: A
Alex Smith knew he was playing for his job, and he played like his life depended on it. Smith threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns.
It looks like Smith gets another week to prove he's the future.
Tom Brady
27 of 28
Grade: A
Tom Brady threw for 369 yards and two touchdowns against one of the best defenses in the league and in blizzard-like conditions.
Brady continues to prove why he's one of the best in the business.
Michael Vick
28 of 28
Grade: A
Michael Vick may have thrown two interceptions, but one was tipped. Vick threw for two touchdowns, rushed for one more and continues to show people why he beat out Kevin Kolb for the starter's job in Philadelphia.
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