NFL Report Card Week 4: Handing Out Grades to All 32 Teams

It's easy to see that Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers beat the Denver Broncos in a high-scoring battle. What's not so easy to determine is how each team looked during the game.

Did the Tennessee Titans dominate in every aspect of the game? Maybe the Oakland Raiders gave the New England Patriots a challenge. Perhaps the Miami Dolphins finally turned in a solid performance.

With 15 of the 16 Week 4 games in the books, these are the things to analyze. It's not just who won, but how they won, that matters.

Chicago Bears

The Bears only beat the Panthers by five points, but the game wasn't as close as the score suggests. If not for a last second touchdown, Carolina would have lost by 11 points.

Chicago played a good game and was definitely good enough to win, but they weren't as good as they can be. Matt Forte carried the team with 205 rushing yards, and two touchdowns came from defense and special teams.

The Bears also allowed 543 yards and did not offer a sound defensive effort. The team had no sacks, and other than a D.J. Moore pick-six, the defense was awful. The run defense especially struggled, allowing 169 rushing yards on 25 carries.

In order to beat high level teams, the Bears need to utilize a more balanced offensive attack. Cam Newton struggled some, and Matt Forte isn't going to face the Panthers' run defense every week. Carolina's offense has been good, but they are not as good as they looked against Chicago.

Grade:  B-

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals had to launch a huge comeback effort in order to win, but the team will now enter Week 5 with a 2-2 record.  Cincinnati's defense did a surprisingly good job against the dynamic Buffalo offense and held them to just 20 points.

Though Andy Dalton struggled, Cedric Benson had a huge day, rushing for 104 yards on 19 carries. A.J. Green continued to prove himself, catching four passes for 118 yards.

Though the Bengals defense only had one sack, they did a good job of limiting Buffalo's passing and rushing attacks. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for just 199 yards with no touchdown passes, and Fred Jackson ran for just under four yards per carry.

Cincinnati's offense was still one dimensional, but it was good enough to win the game. With the defense playing well, the Bengals only have to score a little in order to win, and this week, they did.

Grade:  B-

Buffalo Bills

After getting off to a 3-0 start, the Bills struggled against the Bengals. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for just 199 yards and Fred Jackson was only mildly successful.

The Buffalo defense only allowed 23 points, but they weren't exactly facing a lethal Cincinnati offense. Cedric Benson tore the Bills apart and Buffalo's saving grace on defense was Andy Dalton's lack of success.

While the Bills have overachieved some thus far, the disappointing offensive performance against Cincinnati was not expected. Buffalo scored just 13 offensive points gained a meager 273 yards.

Buffalo didn't play particularly well in any one area against the Bengals and blew a big lead in the second half. This isn't to say that they were absolutely terrible, but they should be able to beat a weak Cincinnati squad.

Grade:  C-

Denver Broncos

The Broncos managed to score 23 points, but their offensive production wasn't overly impressive. Kyle Orton threw three interceptions and struggled to make plays.

Denver's defense was absolutely brutal and allowed Aaron Rodgers to have one of his best games ever. The Packers scored an astounding 49 points and the Broncos could hardly even slow down the defending Super Bowl champions.

Willis McGahee was the Broncos' best offensive player and managed to rush for over 100 yards on just 15 carries. The team's passing attack wasn't overly impressive, but 23 points isn't terrible either. It may not win many games, but at least Denver's offense wasn't embarrassing.

Grade:  D

Cleveland Browns

Despite the suggestion of his gaudy statistics, Colt McCoy struggled immensely. The Browns' offense stalled, scoring just 13 points with one touchdown coming in garbage time.

The Browns' defense failed to stop Tennessee and allowed 31 points. Matt Hasselbeck faced little resistance, throwing for 11 yards per attempt and three touchdowns. The team's defense also failed to contain Chris Johnson by allowing him to gain 101 yards. Cleveland's pass rush failed to show up and did not sack Hasselbeck a single time.

Despite early struggles from the passing game, the Browns threw the ball 61 times, while running just 21 times (four were McCoy scrambles). Cleveland's offense simply couldn't get anything going and aided the team's defensive struggles.

Grade:  D

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Because the Buccaneers play the Monday night game, a grade cannot yet be given. Expect for the Tampa Bay offense to break out against an awful Indianapolis defense. LeGarrette Blount can dominate a small defensive front, and Josh Freeman should be able to torch the Colts' defensive backs.

Arizona Cardinals

Kevin Kolb had another unspectacular performance, throwing for 237 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Beanie Wells, on the other hand, dominated the New York defense and produced huge numbers.

Arizona's defense wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good either. The team's lack of a pass-rush was evident throughout the contest and Eli Manning torched the secondary. The Cardinals' defense was able to shut down the Giants' rushing attack, but could not cover Hakeem Nicks at all.

Beanie Wells had one of the best games of his career and the New York secondary could not cover Larry Fitzgerald. If Kevin Kolb is able to make just a couple more plays, the Cardinals win this game.

Grade:  B-

San Diego Chargers

The Dolphins are not a good team, but it was nice for the Chargers to gain more confidence moving forward. Phillip Rivers didn't put up huge numbers by any means, but he played well and got the team the victory.

San Diego recorded two interceptions and allowed Miami to gain just 248 yards. The Chargers were able to get somewhat of a pass-rush and allowed the Dolphins to make very few significant plays.

Without Antonio Gates, the Chargers' offense seems to be missing a spark. Sure, San Diego has good offensive weapons, but Gates is arguably the team's best player and makes a huge difference. The Chargers aren't looking as good offensively as last year, but they are still producing.

Grade:  B

Kansas City Chiefs

After getting off to a terrible start, the Chiefs finally won a game. Matt Cassel didn't play terribly and was a huge part of why Kansas City didn't get pummeled.

The Chiefs' defense actually played well, limiting Adrian Peterson to 80 yards on 23 carries. Percy Harvin hurt Kansas City when he had the ball, but the Chiefs did not allow any huge offensive plays to kill them.

Without Jamaal Charles, the Kansas City run game is still struggling, but Dwayne Bowe was able to make up for it. Bowe contributed five catches for 107 yards and was far and away the best Chief on offense.

This game was largely a battle between two terrible teams, but the Chiefs are starting to rebound. They are still not a good team, but they aren't a terrible-beyond-belief one either.

Grade:  C

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts obviously don't play until Monday night, so a grade cannot be given. Expect for Indianapolis's offense to struggle with Curtis Painter at the reins. It is widely known that the Colts have been awful this year, and nothing suggests that this will change against the Buccaneers.

Dallas Cowboys

Leading 27-3 in the third quarter, the Cowboys seemed to have this game well in hand before two Tony Romo pick six's put the Lions back into the mix. If Romo could just take back his three interceptions, he would have had a good game, but his poor decisions cost Dallas the game.

The Cowboy defense actually did an excellent job against an explosive Detroit offense until the fourth quarter. Really, Calvin Johnson was the only player to hurt Dallas, and in all honesty, the 6'5" 239-pound receiver is simply impossible to cover.

There is no doubt that the Cowboys should have won this game. The loss lies purely on the shoulders of Tony Romo and his three interceptions. The team was solid in every other aspect and let the game slip out of their hands.

Grade:  C-

Miami Dolphins

Chad Henne was forced from the field due to injury soon after the game started, and Matt Moore played the remainder of the contest. The Dolphins failed to produce much offensively and were unable to contain Phillip Rivers and the Chargers.

Rivers only had one touchdown but threw for 307 yards with no interceptions and a high completion percentage. Ryan Mathews and Vincent Jackson both managed to hurt the Miami defense, and it's obvious that the Dolphins miss Vontae Davis.

Matt Moore didn't do as poorly as one may have expected, but he did throw an interception and zero touchdowns. Reggie Bush only had 15 touches and 65 yards, and the Miami offense simply couldn't get anything going.

Grade:  C-

Philadelphia Eagles

The self-proclaimed "dream team" is now 1-3 and has lost some very winnable games. Mike Vick and DeSean Jackson both put up huge numbers but could not put enough points on the board.

The Philadelphia defense has struggled and allowed a weak 49ers team to gain 442 yards. With incredible talent on the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles simply should not be allowing this type of production to such a marginal offense.

The stats all look great for the Eagles, but the stats didn't translate into points. Philadelphia gained 513 yards and produced several huge plays, yet scored just 23 points. Right now, the Eagles aren't playing particularly well on offense or defense and need to do something.

Grade:  D+

Atlanta Falcons

Through the early part of the 2011 season, the Falcons have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL. The team's offense hasn't lived up to expectations and its defense has struggled more than was expected.

The Atlanta defense struggled against Seattle, allowing Tarvaris Jackson to throw for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns. The Falcons shut down the Seahawks' running attack but allowed a terrible offense to produce 28 points.

Matt Ryan had what may have been his best game of the season, despite Michael Turner struggling some. Julio Jones is emerging as a great weapon for Ryan, and has outproduced Roddy White as of late.

It's nice for the Falcons to get the win here, but they should not be proud of how closely they played a bad team.

Grade:  C

San Francisco 49ers

One of the NFL's biggest surprises, the 49ers are now 3-1. Alex Smith and Frank Gore both produced big numbers and put up 24 points on what was supposed to be a good defense.

Considering the ridiculous amount of playmaking ability on the Philadelphia offense, the fact that San Francisco was able to hold the Eagles to just 23 points is rather impressive.

Frank Gore dominated the Philadelphia run defense, gaining 127 yards on 15 carries. Alex Smith even played well and threw for 291 yards and no touchdowns. If San Francisco can continue to play like this, they will easily make the playoffs.

Grade:  B+

New York Giants

Eli Manning had an excellent game against a decent Arizona defense. The Giants' run game didn't fare quite as well, but the passing attack was good enough to earn a victory for New York.

The Giants did an excellent job of limiting Kevin Kolb, but Larry Fitzgerald managed to cause considerable damage. Beanie Wells ran all over New York's defense, gaining 138 yards and three touchdowns.

Manning completed nearly 70 percent of his passes and threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions. Ahmad Bradshaw and the run game did virtually nothing, but the team's passing attack was good enough to score 31 points and win the game.

Grade:  B

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville defense did a good job of holding the Saints to just 23 points, but with a rookie Blaine Gabbert at quarterback, the team is going to struggle offensively. Maurice Jones-Drew dominated when he was given the ball but didn't have enough chances.

The Jaguars were able to sack Drew Brees on three different occasions and was able to cause two interceptions. Jacksonville allowed Darren Sproles to hurt them, but did a good job against Mark Ingram, who received the bulk of the Saints' carries.

Gabbert completed considerably less than 50 percent of his passes and threw an interception as well. With Maurice Jones-Drew making plays, it is unusual that the Jaguars chose to pass as much as they did. Though they have struggled some this year, the Saints are still a good team and Jacksonville didn't get completely blown out.

Grade:  C

New York Jets

Mark Sanchez turned in one of the worst games in recent NFL memory and did not produce at all. The team's run game was no better and struggled immensely on offense.

The Jets managed to completely shut down a legitimate Baltimore offense. Ray Rice couldn't gain yards on the ground and Joe Flacco was often off target. In a defensive battle, special teams and turnovers made all the difference.

Sanchez was just 11-of-35 with no touchdowns and an interception. Fullback John Conner was the team's best runner, and the Jets simply couldn't do anything right on offense.

Grade:  C

Detroit Lions

Without two gifts from Tony Romo, the Detroit Lions do not win this game. The team was being dominated before Romo's two pick-six's but was able to make a late resurgence.

Matthew Stafford did not have a particularly good game and completed less than 50 percent of his passes. Calvin Johnson, on the other hand, continued to show that he is the NFL's best wide receiver and simply could not be covered.

The Detroit defense deserves some credit for the three interceptions but was otherwise dominated. The Lions allowed the Cowboys to score at will prior to the middle of the third quarter. Dallas has a good offense, but the Lions' defensive effort in the first half was embarrassing.

Grade:  C

Green Bay Packers

Not surprisingly, Aaron Rodgers torched the Denver defense for over 400 yards and four touchdown passes. Green Bay once again demonstrated an incredibly explosive and talented offense.

The Packers' defense gave up more points than is ideal, but did not have a bad game. With the Green Bay offense scoring so quickly, the Broncos had many chances with the ball. The Packers forced Kyle Orton to throw three interceptions, but allowed Willis McGahee to rush for over 100 yards on 15 carries.

Green Bay's offense continues to dominate every defense it faces. To complement Rodgers' dominant performance, James Starks produced running the ball. Few teams in the NFL could put up this type of offensive production, and the Packers can do it better than just about anyone.

Grade:  A

Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton continued to rack up yards and touchdowns, but was unable to lead the Panthers to a victory. Newton threw for 374 yards, and the team was finally able to get the run game going, gaining 169 yards on the ground.

The team's run defense struggled immensely, allowing Matt Forte to rush for over 200 yards. However, Jay Cutler did struggle some, so the Panthers' defensive effort wasn't a complete failure.

In all honesty, Carolina's offense and defense played well enough to win the game. A punt return for a touchdown by Devin Hester was the difference in the game, and a Cam Newton interception was also costly.

The Panthers have shown promise and are a young, developing team. Until players begin to reach their potentials, however, the team will continue to struggle.

Grade:  C

New England Patriots

Tom Brady was surprisingly quiet throwing the ball and only amassed 226 yards and two touchdowns. Stevan Ridley had a productive day running the ball and was a key element of New England's offense.

The Patriots' defense allowed reasonable production from the Raiders' offense but did have two interceptions. Darren McFadden had some success running the ball, but it was not nearly enough to dramatically impact the game.

Wes Welker had his third 150 yard game of the season and completely dominated the Raiders' defensive backs. Brady was quiet, but he produced more than enough points to win and did not turn the ball over. Oakland is not the pushover it once was, and this is a quality win for New England.

Grade:  B+

Oakland Raiders

Jason Campbell threw for more than 340 yards but could not produce enough scores to win. However, the Raiders managed to stay in a game against one of the NFL's most consistently explosive offenses in the NFL.

The most impressive part of this effort from the Raiders is the lack of production from the Patriots. Tom Brady threw for under 230 yards and only put up 31 points. The Raiders did, however, struggle against the run and didn't create any big defensive plays.

While Campbell threw for a lot of yards, he tossed two interceptions to just one touchdown. Darrius Heyward-Bey actually had a big game, gaining 115 yards on four catches. Oakland demonstrated some explosiveness but couldn't manage to keep up with New England's dynamic offense.

Grade:  B-

St. Louis Rams

This was more or less a competition of who was less awful. With just 172 yards, the St. Louis Rams proved to be far worse than the Redskins.

The Rams' defense has been one of the NFL's worst all year but did manage to hold the Redskins to just 17 points. St. Louis forced Rex Grossman into throwing two interceptions but allowed Ryan Torain to rush for a staggering 135 yards on 19 carries.

Sam Bradford had a terrible game, completing 20-of-43 passes. The Rams' offensive line failed to give Bradford sufficient time to throw and the young quarterback took a beating. Steven Jackson couldn't even manage three yards per carry, and the Rams could do absolutely nothing on offense.

Grade:  D

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens were awful offensively but managed to score 34 points nonetheless. Joe Flacco completed less than one third of his passes and couldn't hit his receivers at all.

On the other side of the coin, the Baltimore defense completely shut down Mark Sanchez and the Jets. Mark Sanchez's numbers were even worse than Flacco's, and New York couldn't run the ball at all. The only reason the Ravens managed to win this game was three defensive touchdowns and a terrible Jets' offense.

Baltimore also failed to get its run game going and Ray Rice gained just 66 yards on 25 carries. With this abysmal offensive production, the Ravens should be thankful that they won.

Grade:  B

Washington Redskins

Rex Grossman barely completed 50 percent of his passes, and the offense relied on Ryan Torain. The Redskins allowed a meager 10 points to the Rams, but this could just be a sign of how bad St. Louis' offense is.

Washington's pass rush provided consistent pressure on Bradford throughout the game and completely shut down Steven Jackson. The Rams were only able to gain 172 yards on offense.

Grossman struggled and threw two interceptions, but fortunately for the Redskins, Ryan Torain ran all over the Rams. Washingon's performance wasn't pretty, but it was good enough to beat an awful Rams' team.

Grade:  C-

New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees had an extremely high completion percentage and threw for 351 yards, but he threw two more interceptions and continued to make costly decisions. The Saints' offense should definitely be performing at a higher level than it currently is.

Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert did virtually nothing against the Saints, but Maurice Jones-Drew gained 84 yards on just 11 carries. It's difficult to say whether Gabbert's struggles were due to the Saints' defense or his own ineptitude, but the New Orleans run defense definitely needs some work.

The Saints' defense hasn't been terrible, but the team's offense needs to step up. Everyone knows that New Orleans is an offensive team, but they haven't displayed an elite offense yet.

Grade:  B

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks were able to produce 28 points despite revolving their offense around Tarvaris Jackson. The team had no rushing attack and produced purely through the air.

Seattle's defense didn't play badly and managed to shut down Michael Turner. The Falcons still have a legitimate offensive attack, so limiting Atlanta to 28 points is a respectable effort for the Seahawks.

Despite the numbers, Jackson did not play very well, as his two interceptions suggests. With more of a run game, Jackson may have been able to do better, but he was limited by a one dimensional offensive attack. The Seahawks played a legitimate team closely and even managed to embarrass the Falcons a little.

Grade:  C-

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers did a good job of containing the dynamic Texans offense but could not get anything going with the ball. The team produce a low 296 yards and could not capitalize on a quality defensive effort.

Andre Johnson's injury certainly helped Pittsburgh's defense in stopping Houston, but they did completely shut down Matt Schaub. Arian Foster, on the other hand, went off and rushed for 155 yards. It would appear that the dominant Steelers defense may finally be a thing of the past.

Ben Roethlisberger was no more successful than Schaub and barely threw for 200 yards. The team's run game was even worse, and Rashard Mendenhall averaged less than three yards per carry on nine attempts.

It was a good effort by the Steelers to compete with the Texans, but a few years ago Pittsburgh dominates this game.

Grade:  C+

Houston Texans

Houston's lack of a passing attack without Andre Johnson proves the importance of the star wide receiver. Arian Foster was still able to dominate, but Matt Schaub could get nothing going through the air.

Pittsburgh's offense hasn't been great by any stretch of the imagination, but holding the Steelers to 10 points is still a nice game for the Houston defense. Mario Williams and the Texans' pass rush continued to get to the quarterback and also did an excellent job against the run.

Houston had what was possibly its best game on the ground all year, but threw for a dreadful 138 yards. If Andre Johnson does not quickly recover from a hamstring injury, the Texans' offense may be in trouble.

Grade:  B

Tennessee Titans

The Titans were successful in every aspect of the game and completely dominated the Browns. Matt Hasselbeck was successful through the air and passed for three touchdowns. Chris Johnson finally found success and gained 101 yards on the ground.

Though they were facing a poor Browns offense, Tennessee was able to hold Cleveland to just 13 points. Colt McCoy did not have much time to throw while Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty only had marginal success in the run game.

The Titans' offensive line was able to completely eliminate the Browns' pass rush and the Cleveland defensive line scarcely touched Hasselbeck. Even the Tennessee offensive line succeeded against the Browns' two massive defensive tackles, Ahtyba Rubin and Phil Taylor.

Though they didn't face much competition, the Titans couldn't have played much better.  It's impossible to not be excited about what Tennessee has done so far this year.

Grade:  A

Minnesota Vikings

With the run game not dominating, the Minnesota offense really struggled to get anything going. Donovan McNabb has had problems all season and was no different against the Chiefs.

The Vikings didn't exactly allow the Kansas City offense to run rampant, but they allowed more points than is ideal. The Chiefs have no offensive stars and a bad quarterback, but were still able to score 22 points.

If Adrian Peterson can't take over a game, the Minnesota offense simply isn't going to produce. There is very little offensive talent outside of Peterson and Percy Harvin, and those two can only do so much.

Grade:  D+