NFL Report Card Week 9: Handing out Grades to All 32 Teams

With November now upon us, it's an indication that the tension level of each NFL game rises significantly.

Granted, they are all counted the same, but the final part of the season presents far more pressure to win than does the first.

The Jaguars, Lions, Panthers and Vikings all have a weekend of rest before returning to the weekly grind, while the Eagles and Bears have an extra day to prepare for their Monday night encounter in South Philly.

For the other 26 teams in the NFL, Sunday presented the challenge of starting 2011's second half off on the right foot.

Miami Dophins: A-

Tony Sparano may only have a few games left as the head coach of the Dolphins, but his team is certainly playing with full effort. That effort was finally rewarded with a 31-3 blowout of the Kansas City Chiefs.

In win No. 1 for Miami in 2011, Matt Moore threw three touchdowns and 244 yards. His favorite target on the afternoon was Brandon Marshall, who caught eight passes for 106 yards and a TD. Tight end Anthony Fasano made the most of his two receptions, finding himself in the end zone at the end of both grabs.

Reggie Bush was utilized in the passing game as well, but he also scored his first rushing touchdown as a member of the Dolphins.

Kansas City Chiefs: F

Last Monday night, Arrowhead Stadium was electric. Their Chiefs pulled out an overtime victory over the San Diego Chargers to claim a fourth straight win and place themselves in the running for the AFC West title.

On Sunday against Miami, the atmosphere was far more sullen.

Kansas City looked more like the team that started this season, as it allowed the Dolphins to notch their first win of the season by an astounding 28-point margin on the Chiefs' home turf.

Seattle Seahawks: C-

It's kind of sad to think that Tarvaris Jackson is the best option for the Seahawks at quarterback. Jackson threw three second-half interceptions and played a major part in Seattle's 23-13 road loss to the Cowboys.

The saving grace on offense was Marshawn Lynch, who produced his first 100-plus-yard rushing effort of the 2011 season.

Penalties were also costly. The Seahawks were flagged 10 times for 88 yards.

Dallas Cowboys: B-

Tony Romo was able to limit his mistakes and throw two touchdowns. Running back DeMarco Murray ran for 139 yards on the ground to continue his impressive start in the Dallas backfield.

But considering how many chances the Cowboys had to score in their contest with the Seahawks, the margin of victory probably should have been larger than 10 points.

The defense did recover from last week's drubbing to limit the Seattle passing game and force three turnovers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: C

Tampa Bay couldn't get out of their own way in the Superdome. The Bucs committed nine penalties totaling 80 yards, many of them killing drives that could have resulted in more points. 

Josh Freeman was 27-of-37 passing for 281 yards and a fourth-quarter TD pass to Kellen Winslow that brought his team within eight points. However, the offense was done in by going 2-of-12 on third down conversion opportunities.

New Orleans Saints: B

The Saints needed a bounce-back performance after laying an egg in St. Louis last weekend. New Orleans got a "W" against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, although it still couldn't provide the knockout punches that we're used to seeing.

After building a 24-6 advantage heading into the fourth quarter, the Saints let the staggering Bucs get back into the contest. They needed a John Kasay field goal to seal the nine-point victory.

Drew Brees did have another interception, but he completed 27 of his 36 passes for 258 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The real strength of the offense on this afternoon was the running game. Four different ball-carriers (including Brees) combined to rush for 195 yards.

San Francisco 49ers: B+

The 49ers continue to prove that they are sticking around as an NFC power.

With Alex Smith's ability to manage the game along with Frank Gore and the offensive line leading the rushing attack, San Francisco claimed its fourth win of the year in the Eastern Time Zone with a 19-11 victory over the Redskins.

Smith had just seven incompletions and once again did not turn the football over, while Gore ran for over 100 yards for the fourth consecutive game.

The Niners also, for the most part, did a superb job in preventing any movement from the weak burgundy and gold offense.

Washington Redskins: D

Amidst a chorus of boos at FedEx Field, John Beck and the Redskins offense looked downright anemic for the second straight week.

Beck was 30-of-47 for 254 yards, one interception and a touchdown that came when the 49ers were in a prevent defense.

Washington lacked a downfield passing game, and that can be best shown in the fact that running back Roy Helu notched a team-high 14 catches. Most of those were on screen passes. Helu made a critical error late in the first half when he fumbled. San Francisco made the recovery, and it eventually scored a touchdown to go up 13-3 just before intermission.

The 'Skins defense played well, but it got very little assistance on the other side of the ball.

New York Jets: A-

In a critical AFC East contest, the Jets came to play.

New York's highly touted defense had its best performance of the season against the Buffalo Bills, making Ryan Fitzpatrick look rather ordinary. The Gang Green D forced three turnovers and held Buffalo to a 3-of-11 effort on third down conversions.

Mark Sanchez has lacked consistency for much of his young career. Sunday wasn't stellar, but he did more good than bad. Sanchez connected with six different pass-catchers and found Santonio Holmes for a third-quarter scoring strike that pushed the Jet lead to 20-3.

Buffalo Bills: D-

For a team that has risen to the elite of the AFC due to its offense, the Bills were all but shut down by the New York Jets.

Running back Fred Jackson was held to less than 100 yards rushing for the first time since Week 4. He also coughed up a fumble that eventually resulted in a New York touchdown.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was also struck by the turnover bug. He threw a pair of first-half interceptions as the Bills struggled to get on track.

Cleveland Browns: F

From the outset, the Browns were outplayed and overmatched.

Cleveland QB Colt McCoy was hit eight times and had trouble getting the offense in rhythm. His day ended with a subpar stat line of 14-of-22 for 146 yards, one TD and one INT. The rushing game didn't gain much traction, compiling just 44 yards on 21 attempts.

The Browns defense came into the game ranked 26th against the run...and finished looking much worse.

Houston Texans: B+

Could the Texans be starting to prove they are worthy of the playoffs after all?

With Andre Johnson out, two areas of the team have emerged.

Wade Phillips' defense held the Cleveland Browns to just 172 yards total, recorded four sacks and forced a pair of turnovers in the 30-12 Houston win.

Matt Schaub had just 119 passing yards, but he didn't need to do much. That's because the Texans' backfield duo carried the load. Arian Foster ran for 124 yards, while Ben Tate had 115 of his own.

Atlanta Falcons: B+

Former Crimson Tide standout Julio Jones provided the offense that his alma mater lacked last night in Tuscaloosa.

Jones' breakout performance was jump-started with a diving 50-yard touchdown reception against a pair of Indianapolis Colt defenders. He then followed that up by taking a short pass from Matt Ryan and turning it into an 80-yard trip to pay dirt.

On defense, the Falcons continued to make life miserable for Curtis Painter and the Colts offense, holding them to under 200 total yards.

Indianapolis Colts: D

It's clear who the NFL's Most Valuable Player is: Peyton Manning. With him, the Colts are annual Super Bowl contenders. Without him, they are the worst team in pro football.

Curtis Painter is showing why he is a career backup, as he went 13-of-27 for a paltry 98 yards, one interception and no touchdowns. The running game wasn't much help either. Donald Brown mustered 70 yards on the ground.

An interception return for a touchdown by Jerraud Powers avoided a goose egg on Indianapolis' side of the scoreboard.

Cincinnati Bengals: B+

It may be time to consider Andy Dalton for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The former TCU Horned Frog won't blow you away with stats, but he should impress you with the fact that his team is sitting at 6-2 and in playoff contention.

The most recent Cincinnati victory came in comeback fashion. Dalton, who threw three touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans, led the Bengals to 17 unanswered points for a key road win.

Fellow rookie A.J. Green shouldn't be overlooked. He led the club in receiving yards with 83 on seven catches.

Cincy's defense kept the Titans off the scoreboard in the second half, which allowed Dalton to engineer the resurgence.

Tennessee Titans: C

In wrapping up a three-game home stand, the Titans failed to remain above .500 and were unable to keep pace in the AFC South race.

Things were looking good when Matt Hasselbeck found Lavelle Hawkins in the back right corner for a 16-yard TD pass with eight seconds left in the second period.

That 17-7 halftime lead evaporated thanks to just 95 yards in the final two quarters. Chris Johnson continued to struggle, gaining just 64 yards rushing.

Denver Broncos: A-

For the all the criticism Tim Tebow receives, he is 2-1 as a starter this season with a 38-24 win in Oakland.

He had great assistance from Willis McGahee's 163 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Tebow himself had 117 yards on the ground.

Eddie Royal caught one of the two passing TDs from Denver's starting QB, but his most significant play came when he returned a fourth-quarter punt 85 yards for a touchdown that put the Broncos up by seven with just under six minutes remaining.

Oakland Raiders: C+

The start of Carson Palmer's career as a Raider has not gone according to plan.

Even with a week off to get accustomed to his new offense, the former Cincinnati Bengal still appeared to be rusty. He was picked off three more times in the loss to Denver, giving him six INTs in six quarters in the silver and black.

The 332 yards and three touchdowns were overshadowed by the mistakes. Aside from Palmer's wrongdoings, the Raiders committed 10 penalties for 130 yards.

New York Giants: A

The Giants, embarking on a rough six-game stretch, came through with a statement win in Foxborough even without Ahmad Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks.

What's more, Eli Manning showed that he is indeed worthy of elite status. The New York quarterback led his team down the field in the late going, reminiscent of Super Bowl XLII, to a game-winning touchdown pass to tight end Jake Ballard.

The scoring pass came with 15 seconds left and gave the Giants a 24-20 win.

Brandon Jacobs played well as the lead back in place of Bradshaw, rushing for 72 yards and a TD.

New England Patriots: B-

For the Patriots, it was deja vu all over again.

The rematch of the 2009 championship tilt in Glendale, Arizona saw similar results for New England, as the hometowners were dealt a heartbreaking setback in the closing seconds.

Tom Brady appeared mortal for the majority of the contest, throwing two interceptions and fumbling once.

He did lead a couple clutch drives in the second half, but the Pats' poor defense couldn't hold their two leads.

Green Bay Packers: A-

The best QB in the game showed why he holds that distinction in San Diego.

Aaron Rodgers, the unquestioned MVP of the season's first half, had four touchdown throws and just five incomplete passes for a passer rating of 145.8. He also befuddled the Chargers defense with his feet, running for 49 yards.

Rodgers' stellar performances gives the Packers defense some margin of error. While Green Bay did allow Philip Rivers and the offense to gain 460 yards, it made three key interceptions in a 45-38 win that helped the Pack remain unbeaten.

San Diego Chargers: B-

When the Chargers were 4-1, we believed they were avoiding their usual slow start. But now, at 4-4, we have to question whether or not San Diego has what it takes to be a playoff team.

Philip Rivers is in a curious funk. Last year's top passer threw three interceptions (two of them returned for touchdowns) on Sunday against the Packers, giving him a league-high 14 on the season.

He threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns as the Chargers made a second-half comeback. But they were unable to overcome Rivers' critical mistakes.

The San Diego defense was unable to limit Aaron Rodgers. Then again, no defense has been able to.

St. Louis Rams: C+

Aiming for their second win in a row, the Rams led in almost every statistical category after two quarters were in the books at University of Phoenix Stadium.

They also led on the scoreboard, but only by a 9-3 margin. The second half was a different story. Although the defense forced a pair of safeties in the third quarter, the offense couldn't capitalize and build their advantage.

Steven Jackson did put out another quality rushing effort (130 yards on 29 carries).

Arizona Cardinals: B

Patrick Peterson is the newest member of the return aces in the NFL. He joined the club with his electric take-back of a punt in the overtime session of the Cardinals' matchup with the Rams.

The rookie from LSU fielded a punt on his own 1-yard line, broke several tackles and went 99 yards to pay dirt to give Arizona the victory.

Peterson bailed out a rather pedestrian offensive showing. John Skelton, in place of the injured Kevin Kolb, was 20-of-35 for 222 yards and a touchdown. But that scoring toss, to Larry Fitzgerald, was critical, as it came with under five minutes to go in regulation.

Peterson also made up for his own mistake. While playing his regular position of cornerback, he committed pass interference to set up a St. Louis field goal.

Baltimore Ravens: B+

Joe Flacco had arguably his best game in the 2011 season opener against Pittsburgh.

In the Ravens' Sunday night encounter with the Steelers at Heinz Field, Flacco provided the best late-game heroics of his still-young career.

Down 20-16 with just over two minutes to go, Flacco engineered a 92-yard drive that culminated in a 26-yard scoring pass to Torrey Smith.

The win was not only a confidence boost for Flacco, but it also gives the Ravens a leg up in any tiebreaker scenarios with the Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers: B

It took three quarters, but the Pittsburgh offense finally got on track.

Down 16-6, Rashard Mendenhall brought the Steelers within three with a one-yard TD run. Ben Roethlisberger then struck on the ensuing drive with a 25-yard scoring connection to Mike Wallace.

Pittsburgh's defense, however, couldn't hold Joe Flacco from completing a game-winning drive, falling 23-20.

Steeler linebacker James Harrison returned fresh and provided a strong pass rush, sacking Flacco on three occasions.

Chicago Bears: Pending

Without Gabe Carimi for yet another week, the offensive line will once again be tested against the Eagles on Monday night.

The offensive burden will once again be placed on quarterback Jay Cutler to make quick decisions and running back Matt Forte to continue his stellar rushing performances.

The latter has been yearning for a new contract, but Bears management hasn't opened its wallet despite seeing the Tulane product go for 553 yards on the ground in the past four games. 

Philadelphia Eagles: Pending

If what we saw from the Eagles last Sunday evening in a rout of rival Dallas is any indication of what's to come, then the rest of the NFC better be ready.

But if they struggle and lose to Chicago at home tomorrow in prime time, the questions that surfaced after a 1-4 start will bubble up yet again.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Incomplete

Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert must be glad to have a week off.

It's been a struggle so far as the starting quarterback for the Jags. Last Sunday against Houston, he completed just 10 of his 30 passes with one touchdown and a pair interceptions. In addition, he left the game for a short time due to a rib injury.

The running game and passing defense have been fine, but there are too many holes in this club to win many games.

Detroit Lions: Incomplete

After a 5-0 start, the Lions crashed back to Earth with two straight defeats.

Detroit rebounded, though, to crush the Denver Broncos 45-10 in Week 8. That could be the boost it needs to survive a competitive NFC North.

Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and company face divisional rivals Chicago and Green Bay over the course of this month.

Carolina Panthers: Incomplete

It's hard to imagine that we would be as impressed as we are with the play of top pick Cam Newton.

As the Panthers have hit their bye week at 2-6, their young quarterback has been nothing but impressive.

He has thrown for 2,393 yards and 11 touchdowns while helping revive veteran wide receiver Steve Smith's career (918 yards and four TDs).

Of course, Newton has made the typical rookie mistakes. But Carolina and its fans are already taking this season in as a success.

Minnesota Vikings: Incomplete

Rookie quarterback Christian Ponder came in to start in Week 7 and has injected some life into what was previously a lifeless club.

The Vikings don't have any playoff aspirations at 2-6. Instead, they hope to continue to develop the skills of the former Florida State signal-caller when they face Green Bay on Nov. 14.

If Ponder's smart, he'll rely heavily on Adrian Peterson, who has 798 rushing yards and nine touchdowns to his name.