NFL Report Card Week 3: Handing out Grades to All 32 Teams

The Buffalo Bills had the biggest win of the day with their 34-31 victory over the New England Patriots at home, but they were not the only team that looked really good on Sunday.  The Detroit Lions continued to prove that they are legit with their first win in Minnesota in a very long time.  Here is a grade for each of those teams, and the other 28 teams that played on Sunday.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills get an A+ simply because they won a game that no one outside of their organization gave them much of a chance to win.  It appears that Buffalo is for real.  Ryan Fitzpatrick overcame some early mistakes to put on a show with 369 yards and two touchdowns.  The Bills defense was shaky early but rallied to allow the Patriots just 10 points in the second half.

New England Patriots

The Patriots get a C for today's effort in Buffalo.  They played well early, but the Bills dominated the second half outscoring the Patriots 24-10.  Wes Welker was the star for the Pats with 217 yards receiving.  Tom Brady racked up a bunch of yards but threw four costly interceptions.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers get a B for their effort today in Cincinnati.  They got a win, which is the most important thing, but their stats still were not very pretty.  San Francisco ended the game with just 226 yards of total offense, which was actually two less yards than they allowed.  Vernon Davis had a nice day with eight catches for 114 yards. 

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals earned a D today with a horrific effort at home against the 49ers.  Andy Dalton threw for just 147 yards and was picked off twice.  Cedric Benson was only able to rush for 64 yards.  The only thing that keeps them from getting an F is the fact that their defense was pretty good.

Miami Dolphins

Miami earned a C on Sunday in Cleveland.  They did not do anything that was that good, but they also did not do anything that was that bad.  They held up pretty well against the Cleveland rushing attack, but they did benefit from the fact that Peyton Hillis did not carry the ball.  They should be encouraged by the play of their rookie running back Daniel Thomas who had 95 yards on 23 carries.

Cleveland Browns

Cleveland was good enough to win the football game today, but they were not good enough to earn a grade higher than a C.  Again, they just had an average game.  They played well enough to beat a bad football team.  Their numbers, on offense especially, were not good enough to be a playoff caliber team.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos were not very good today in Tennessee.  They get a D for their performance.  Kyle Orton only threw for 173 yards and was intercepted twice.  Their defense did a nice job on Chris Johnson, but allowed Matt Hasselbeck to throw for 311 yards and two touchdowns.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans grade out with a solid B for their performance on Sunday.  They threw the ball all over the field and were good on defense, but they do not get an A because they still were not able to get Chris Johnson going.  In fact, he tied with the punter, Brett Kern, for the team lead in rushing yards with 21.

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are for real.  They turned in another A effort on Sunday with a come from behind win in Minnesota.  Matthew Stafford was brilliant once again with 378 yards passing and two touchdowns.  They proved they are not the same old Lions by keeping their heads and coming back from an early 20-0 hole to win in overtime.

Minnesota Vikings

You have to get an F anytime you lose after being up 20-0 at the half.  For the second straight week, the Vikings blew a lead late and remain without a win on the season.

Houston Texans

The Texans get a C+ for their play against the Saints on Sunday.  Their defense was bad, giving up 454 total yards, but their offense was good gaining 473 total yards.  Wade Phillips will turn that defense around sooner rather than later, and the Texans are a very dangerous team once he does.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints get a B for their 40-33 win over the Texans.  Their defense let them down again, but that does not matter so much when Drew Brees is on his game like he was today.  He threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns.  They do need to get that defense playing better if they are planning on contending for the NFC Championship.

New York Giants

I told you last week the New York Giants were one of the elite teams in the NFC, and they backed me up with their performance on Sunday in Philadelphia.  They get an A for knocking off Vince Young's Dream Team and doing it in dominating fashion.  Eli Manning silenced his critics for at least a week with four touchdown passes, and the New York defense held the Eagles to just 16 points.

Philadelphia Eagles

Things are not looking so good for the Eagles after their C- performance in a 29-16 loss to the Giants.  The big concern for them going forward is the broken right hand of Michael Vick, but he was not the one that was allowing Eli Manning to throw four touchdowns.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars earned a C for their performance on Sunday.  The offense was decent with Blaine Gabbert making his first start.  Gabbert only threw for 139 yards, but Maurice Jones-Drew was able to run for 122 on 24 carries.  In the end it was not enough to get them a win on the road in Carolina.

The Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton gets his first win in his worst performance of the season, and the Panthers earned a B for their efforts on Sunday.  Their defense came to play, allowing just 10 points and zero in the second half.

The Panthers are going to need more from DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart in order to win many games this season.

The New York Jets

The Jets and their much-lauded defense got torched for 34 points in Oakland on Sunday.  They grade out with a D for the day.  

The only thing that keeps them from getting an F in this game is the fact that their offense played pretty well, led by a 116-yard receiving day from LaDainian Tomlinson.

The Oakland Raiders

Darren McFadden rushed for 171 yards, and the Raiders pulled off a huge upset of the Jets on Sunday.

All of that adds up to an A for the day.  With the Chiefs struggling, the Raiders look to be the team that will push the Chargers in the AFC West.

The Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens get an A for their dismantling of the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.  

There were a lot of questions swirling around the Ravens after the egg they laid last week in Tennessee. They answered all of those questions early by putting 21 points on the board in the first quarter.  

Torrey Smith is going to be a hot name on your fantasy waiver wire this week.

The St. Louis Rams

37-7 gets you an F.  The Rams were supposed to take a big leap forward this year, but so far they look to be taking a huge step in the other direction.  

Sam Bradford was not terrible, but the Rams defense was while they watched Torrey Smith catch three first-quarter touchdown passes.

The Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs held up much better on Sunday than most people expected.  

They kept the game tight against the Chargers without the services of Jamaal Charles.  That earns them a B for the day.  

Their defense held Philip Rivers out of the end zone and picked him off twice.

The San Diego Chargers

You have to wonder how good the Chargers could be if they were ever able to get a full season out of Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates and Malcom Floyd.  

Gates didn't play on Sunday, but the Chargers were still able to squeak out a victory.  They get a B- for the day.

The Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers just keep rolling along.  The earned an A for their win in Chicago on Sunday.  

Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns to Jermichael Finley, and the defense held the Bears to just seven second-half points.  

The Packers are the clear favorite to repeat as Super Bowl Champions through three weeks.

The Chicago Bears

The Bears earned a D for their performance at home against the Packers.  They proved on Sunday that they just are not on the same level with their division rivals.

The Arizona Cardinals

The Seahawks are the worst team in football, and the Cardinals lost to them on Sunday.  That gives them an F for the day.

The Kevin Kolb trade has not really paid off like the Cards had hoped through the first three weeks, but there is always hope in the NFC West.

The Seattle Seahawks

It is impossible to give the Seahawks any higher than a C for their performance on Sunday because when you look at the stat sheet, it is tough to see how they won.  

They do have to be encouraged by the performance of Sidney Rice, who had over 100 yards receiving in his first game of the 2011 season.

The Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons get a D for Sunday because they were a hot Super Bowl pick before the season, and they fell to 1-2 with their loss in Tampa.  

Matt Ryan did play well, and Julio Jones continues to impress, but Atlanta will need to play a lot better in order to stay in the NFC South race.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers barely hung on to win on Sunday, but a win is a win.  

This win improved them to 2-1 on the season and keeps them tied with the Saints for the division lead.

All of that is good enough to get them a B for the day.

The Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers won on Sunday night, but they can not get graded any higher than a C after needing a last-second field goal to beat a bad Colts team.  

Think about how bad things would be in Pittsburgh right now had they lost to an Indianapolis team led by Curtis Painter.  Ben Roethlisberger had a strong performance with 364 yards passing.

The Indianapolis Colts

That is Curtis Painter, and he almost led the Colts to a win on Sunday night.  

The Colts are not going to do anything without Peyton Manning on the field, so you have to give them a solid B for almost winning a game against a good team.