NFL Week 16 Grades: Tim Tebow and Broncos Win, Drew Brees and Saints Excel
Week 16 in the NFL was filled with surprises.
Perhaps nothing was stranger than watching the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles play on Tuesday night, the first Tuesday game since 1946. When two teams last clashed on the day after Monday, the NBA hadn't even been created.
Before that oddity though, Tim Tebow scored a comeback win that immediately vaulted him into the same rarefied air as John Elway in the minds of some Denver Broncos fans.
The Washington Redskins upset the Jacksonville Jaguars in overtime, possibly ending the Jaguars' playoff aspirations.
And on Monday night, the New Orleans Saints outlasted the Atlanta Falcons in a defensive battle.
There's just one more week left in the regular season for it all to get sorted out. Until then, spend some of your time reading about just how well each and every team in the league performed during Week 16.
Arizona Cardinals
1 of 32
27-26 win over the Dallas Cowboys
Rookie quarterback John Skelton led his team to an 18-point lead over the Cowboys, then watched as they fell behind with less than two minutes left.
His final drive was a thing of beauty, though. The Fordham product completed a 26-yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald on fourth-and-15, then a 19-yard pass to Max Komar.
It all set up Jay Feely, who knocked the game-winning field goal through the uprights.
Grade: A-
Atlanta Falcons
2 of 32
17-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints
Even though the Falcons had clinched a playoff spot and will most likely clinch a No. 1 seed with a win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 17, they needed to beat the Saints.
It was their chance to make a true statement and finally gain some relevance around the country. For a team that has been awfully good, they've generated very little buzz outside of Atlanta.
The Falcons offense was terrible, and although their defense played quite well, it wasn't enough to get the win.
Grade: C+
Baltimore Ravens
3 of 32
20-10 win over the Cleveland Browns
Ed Reed was literally on fire and helped the Ravens defense make Colt McCoy look like, well, a rookie.
Reed had two interceptions and accidentally caught his coat on fire by sitting too close to a heater on the sidelines.
They also held Peyton Hillis to just 35 yards.
On offense, Joe Flacco threw two touchdowns and looked good throughout the game.
Grade: A
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Buffalo Bills
4 of 32
34-3 loss to the New England Patriots
Scoring just three points while allowing 34 is not a recipe for success. The Bills need a few more ingredients before they can start cooking up any big upsets.
Ryan Fitzpatrick continued his late-season slump by throwing three interceptions and losing another two fumbles. His performance may put enough doubt into the Bills brass’s mind that they might draft a quarterback.
Grade: F
Carolina Panthers
5 of 32
27-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers
I almost considered giving the Panthers an "A+" for the wonderful job they did of securing the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, but their performance was just too putrid to justify it.
The offense gained 119 yards throughout the game and failed to put anything more than a single field goal on the board. The defense allowed 408 yards.
As Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark said, “They’re 2-13 for a reason.”
Grade: F
Chicago Bears
6 of 32
38-34 win over the New York Jets
Everyone was saying that this would be a defensive struggle, and it was.
It turns out that people were predicting the wrong kind of defensive struggle, but both defenses did struggle immensely.
Jay Cutler made some beautiful throws and threw three touchdown passes. Matt Forte ran for more than 100 yards and looked great.
Everything clicked for the offense throughout the game. For the defense, the same story does not apply.
Grade: B+
Cincinnati Bengals
7 of 32
34-20 win over the San Diego Chargers
Carson Palmer finally came around and played like his 2006 self. It was about time.
Despite the snow, Palmer completed 16 of his 21 passes for 269 yards and four scores. It was a good enough performance to merit a 155.94 QB rating.
The running game worked as well and the defense held a potent Chargers offense in check.
Grade: A
Cleveland Browns
8 of 32
20-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens
Colt McCoy had his worst day of the season, but to be fair, a rookie quarterback is going to have the occasional bad game against an elite defense. Three interceptions will kill a team, though.
Peyton Hillis was held to just 35 yards on 12 carries.
The defense didn’t do a great job of stopping Ray Rice, Joe Flacco or anyone else on the Ravens offense.
Grade: C
Dallas Cowboys
9 of 32
27-26 loss to the Arizona Cardinals
Did anyone in the country anticipate seeing Stephen McGee starting for the Cowboys this season? I certainly didn’t.
The Cowboys were aiming for their sixth win of the season and appeared as though they would meet their goal when they completed a comeback from 18 points behind to two points ahead when McGee threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Miles Austin with 1:46 left.
But then David Buehler missed the extra point and watched from the sidelines as John Skelton marched the Cardinals down the field and Jay Feely nailed the game-winning kick.
Grade: C+
Denver Broncos
10 of 32
24-23 win over the Houston Texans
At this point in the Broncos' season, the only thing they really care about is evaluating talent for their future.
Tim Tebow sure made a good impression as he led a comeback for his first win. The rookie quarterback completed 16 of his 29 passes for 308 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 27 yards and the game-winning touchdown.
He showed off the arms, the legs and the poise. The Texans may have found a keeper, although the jury is still out on that one.
Grade: A-
Detroit Lions
11 of 32
34-27 win over the Miami Dolphins
After a season full of good play in the first three quarters and sloppy performance in the final period, the Detroit Lions finally decided to play a full game.
Miami was up 24-14 with just five minutes left. Then Jahvid Best caught the ball and ran 53 yards for a score on a one-play drive.
Just three plays later, Nathan Vasher picked off Chad Henne and a field goal ensued: tie ballgame.
DeAndre Levy got in on the action two plays later by picking off Henne and returning it for six more points—Lions win.
Grade: A-
Green Bay Packers
12 of 32
45-17 win over the New York Giants
The Packers desperately needed a win and they got one quite easily.
Aaron Rodgers was brilliant, completing 25 of his 37 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns.
The defense forced six turnovers.
There's really nothing bad to say about Green Bay.
Grade: A+
Houston Texans
13 of 32
24-23 loss to the Denver Broncos
The offense put up some big numbers as Matt Schaub passed for 310 yards, Arian Foster ran for 91 yards and Jacoby Jones had 115 yards receiving. That wasn't the problem.
Unfortunately for Texans fans, the defense couldn't contain Tim Tebow in the second half, despite the fact that he was only making his second start of his career.
The Texans are still mired in a disappointing season that can't end soon enough.
Grade: B-
Indianapolis Colts
14 of 32
31-26 win over the Oakland Raiders
The Colts didn't blow anyone away with their performance in this victory as Peyton Manning threw two picks and the defense allowed 26 points.
However, the rushing defense was quite impressive and unexpected. They shut down Darren McFadden, holding the talented running back to just 45 yards on 11 carries.
If they can continue to do that, no one is going to beat them easily.
Grade: B+
Jacksonville Jaguars
15 of 32
20-17 loss to the Washington Redskins
When you’re fighting for your playoff lives, it shouldn’t matter whether or not Maurice Jones-Drew is playing. You should still play like you actually want to win.
The Jaguars, to put it quite bluntly, didn’t really give a damn about this game. At least that’s what their play told me.
The lack of effort and the terrible decision-making in overtime by David Garrard put their playoff aspirations on the brink of falling off a cliff. They now need to win at Houston next week and have Indianapolis fall to Tennessee at home.
Grade: F
Kansas City Chiefs
16 of 32
34-10 win over the Tennessee Titans
Eric Berry returned an interception for a touchdown.
Matt Cassel was 24-for-34 for 314 yards and three touchdowns.
The ground game amassed 152 yards. Jamaal Charles, who accounted for 77 of those, also caught four passes for 40 yards and two touchdowns.
Dwayne Bowe caught six balls for 153 yards and a touchdown.
Sounds like a good game to me.
Grade: A+
Miami Dolphins
17 of 32
34-27 loss to the Detroit Lions
“We should all be embarrassed.” – Tony Sparano
I agree.
“The Detroit Lions? They shouldn’t come in and win this game. We’ve got way more talent.” – Vontae Davis
I agree.
“For us to be out there playing like that is a total embarrassment.” – Yeremiah Bell
I agree.
Grade: C-
Minnesota Vikings
18 of 32
24-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles
What if it was as simple as just not having Brett Favre? Could that really have been the solution to all of the Vikings' problems?
With Joe Webb, who completed 17 of 26 passes for 195 yards while running for 35 yards and a touchdown, at quarterback, the Vikings rolled to an upset win over the Eagles.
Adrian Peterson ran for 118 yards and a touchdown, additionally.
More impressively, the Vikings defense managed to hold Michael Vick to only two touchdowns and the Eagles couldn't score enough points to win.
Grade: A
New England Patriots
19 of 32
34-3 win over the Buffalo Bills
They secured the AFC’s top seed and home-field advantage throughout their side of the playoffs.
They won by 31 points over a fellow AFC East team.
Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes and broke Bernie Kosar’s passes without an interception streak by extending his own to 319.
The thing is, they could still easily be upset by whoever they play in the playoffs because…well…I can’t come up with any reasons.
Grade: A+
New Orleans Saints
20 of 32
17-14 win over the Atlanta Falcons
Even though the offense didn't play well, the defense absolutely shut down the Falcons.
Somehow, some way, the Saints still have a chance at the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC.
One thing is for sure, though, Drew Brees is going to have to start making better decisions.
Grade: A-
New York Giants
21 of 32
45-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers
Fighting for a playoff spot, the Giants turned the ball over six times and allowed 45 points.
Enough said.
Grade: F
New York Jets
22 of 32
38-34 loss to the Chicago Bears
What happened to the vaunted New York Jets defense? It appeared to be nonexistent in this game.
Regardless, the Jets somehow slipped their way into the playoffs with the loss.
Mark Sanchez’s performance had to be encouraging though as he completed 24 of his 37 passes for 269 yards and a score. Additionally, the running game put up 124 yards and two touchdowns.
There are signs that could indicate a turnaround. It just has to happen fast.
Grade: B-
Oakland Raiders
23 of 32
31-26 loss to the Indianapolis Colts
Jacoby Ford took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, but things went downhill from there. Well, for Darren McFadden things didn't really go downhill, as he ran like he was going uphill the entire game, only gaining 45 yards.
While the defense picked off Manning twice, they also allowed three touchdowns from the talented quarterback. Additionally, the Colts ground game ran all over the Raiders.
This wasn't the performance they were looking for.
Grade: B-
Philadelphia Eagles
24 of 32
24-14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings
One would think that a supposedly dominant team like Philadelphia would be able to manhandle the Vikings, especially with a quarterback making his first career start.
However, they couldn't make Webb turn the ball over and they let Adrian Peterson run wild.
Michael Vick ran for a touchdown and passed for another, but that was all the offense the Eagles could muster.
This was not exactly a confidence-inspiring game.
Grade: B-
Pittsburgh Steelers
25 of 32
27-3 win over the Carolina Panthers
Truthfully, the game didn’t even seem as close as the rather separated score indicated. Pittsburgh thoroughly dominated every aspect of the game.
The most encouraging part for Steelers fans had to be the inspired play of Ben Roethlisberger.
He’s taken quite a beating in the 11 weeks since his suspension ended, but the quarterback still completed 22 of his 32 passes for 320 yards and a touchdown. Big Ben avoided throwing an interception and even added a rushing touchdown to the cause.
Grade: A+
San Diego Chargers
26 of 32
34-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals
Losing to the Cincinnati Bengals is certainly not the ideal way to be eliminated from postseason contention.
Philip Rivers was mediocre at best, completing 27 of his 40 passes for 256 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
The running backs were neutralized as well. This would have been okay if the defense had been even somewhat decent.
But they weren't.
Grade: C
San Francisco 49ers
27 of 32
25-17 loss to the St. Louis Rams
Mike Singletary’s last game as the head coach of the 49ers didn’t exactly go as planned.
As he and Troy Smith feuded on the sidelines after the quarterback failed to produce, St. Louis rookie quarterback Sam Bradford marched his team up and down the field.
This was the final touch on a terrible season for the 49ers. It doesn’t matter what they do next week because this will be the lowlight.
Grade: C-
Seattle Seahawks
28 of 32
38-15 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Things weren't any different with Charlie Whitehurst at quarterback than they were when Matt Hasselbeck was calling the shots.
The offense had a lot of difficulty moving the ball, gaining only 174 yards. The defense, on the other hand, allowed 439 yards.
This was just an absolutely inept performance.
Grade: F
St. Louis Rams
29 of 32
25-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers
Sam Bradford set the record for most completions by a rookie, breaking Peyton Manning’s mark, and kept his team in the playoff hunt.
The win sets up a de facto playoff game with the Seattle Seahawks next week. The winner makes the real playoffs, the loser goes home.
St. Louis played great defense throughout the game while picking up their fifth home win of the season.
The eight-point win would’ve looked a lot better if the punt coverage had prevented Ted Ginn from taking one to the house.
Grade: B+
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30 of 32
38-15 win over the Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay's offense was unstoppable in this game.
Josh Freeman completed 21 of his 26 passes for 237 yards and five touchdowns. LeGarrette Blount ran for 164 yards.
It seemed as though the Buccaneers could just score at will.
As for the defense, well, they had the exact opposite effect on the Seahawks. Seattle had trouble moving the ball down the field all game.
Grade: A+
Tennessee Titans
31 of 32
34-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs
To beat the Chiefs, you have to win the battle of ground games.
Chris Johnson only ran for 58 yards while the Chiefs, led by Jamaal Charles’ 77 rushing yards, picked up 152. That’s not how you win the game.
Matt Cassel also had an incredible game, racking up an 84.64 QB rating by throwing three touchdown passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns.
And so goes the disappointing season of the Tennessee Titans. You have to think that Jeff Fisher is on the hot seat now.
Grade: C-
Washington Redskins
32 of 32
20-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars
Washington did everything they could to lose this game, but Jacksonville just wouldn’t let them.
Chris Cooley did his best to let the game slip away, just like the ball did to him multiple times. He had one awful drop in the end zone, one of the worst drops of all time.
But in the end, the Redskins won.
Grade: B
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