NFL Report Card Week 15: Handing out Grades to All 32 Teams

Week 15 was an odd one for the NFL.

Aaron Rodgers and the undefeated Green Bay Packers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, of all teams. Then the winless Indianapolis Colts beat the Tennessee Titans.

The New Orleans Saints blew out the Minnesota Vikings, and Tim Tebow couldn't come back against the New England Patriots. Mike Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles even played up to their talent level.

Reggie Bush rushed for more than 200 yards, while Chris Johnson couldn't gain 60. We all know the big storylines (aka Tebow), but what do we know of the smaller ones?

Every game of Week 15 deserves a grade, regardless of how weird or not weird the outcome was.

Chicago Bears

In a shocking performance, Caleb Hanie played terribly.

Josh McCown did no better, and he threw an interception in his two passes.

With no Matt Forte, Chicago couldn't get its run game going either, and, as a result, the Bears scored only 14 points.

Four interceptions and only 221 yards tells the story for Chicago.

Chicago's defense, on the other hand, played excellently, limiting the Seahawks to just 286 yards.

Only the Bears offense allowed Seattle to win this game, despite what the scoreboard may suggest.

Grade:  D

Cincinnati Bengals

Andy Dalton turned in an unspectacular performance, and Cedric Benson wasn't much better on the ground.

However, A.J. Green continued to dominate, and the Bengals did score 20 points, which will beat the Rams on most days.

Cincinnati actually allowed Kellen Clemens to play reasonably well, and the team did not force a single turnover. The Bengals did, however, play well against the run, as Steven Jackson rushed for just 71 yards.

Grade:  C

Buffalo Bills

Now the starting running back in Buffalo, C.J. Spiller is finally playing like the No. 9 overall pick.

However, Ryan Fitzpatrick continues to play terribly, and Spiller's play wasn't enough to give Buffalo the victory over Miami.

Though the Bills held Matt Moore to a completion percentage of 50 percent, he threw for 217 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Buffalo's run defense was putrid as well, and Reggie Bush gained more than 200 yards on the ground.

Grade:  D+

Denver Broncos

As usual, Tim Tebow struggled through the air but excelled on the ground.

The Tebow-led rushing attack provided 252 of Denver's 393 yards.

For once, however, Tebow couldn't pull off the win against a superior team.

Denver's defense performed worse than usual, and Brady effortlessly completed passes.

Even New England's rushing attack took off, as the Patriots gained 141 yards on the ground.

Grade:  D+

Cleveland Browns

With Colt McCoy out because of a concussion, Seneca Wallace played adequately, but better than McCoy typically does.

Peyton Hillis finally had a decent but unspectacular game, gaining 99 yards on 26 carries.

Though John Skelton threw for 313 yards, the Browns and Joe Haden did a great job of shutting down Larry Fitzgerald until the end of the game.

Cleveland's front seven also did an excellent job of containing Beanie Wells.

Grade:  C-

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Josh Freeman built off a disappointing season, throwing for just 148 yards on 27 attempts.

The Buccaneers' rushing attack was no better, as LeGarrette Blount gained just 21 yards on the ground.

The Tampa Bay offense produced a pathetic 190 yards and scored just one touchdown.

Raheem Morris' defense was dominated, and Tony Romo picked apart the Buccaneers secondary.

Tampa Bay also allowed Felix Jones to gain 108 yards on just 22 carries. This was a game in which the Buccaneers did nothing well.

Grade:  F

Arizona Cardinals

Playing against a poor Cleveland defense, John Skelton was solid if unspectacular.

Beanie Wells couldn't seem to find a seam big enough for a big play, and the Arizona offensive line didn't accomplish wonders for him.

The Cardinals run defense played reasonably well against Peyton Hillis, but rookie wide receiver Greg Little dominated.

Seneca Wallace didn't dominate by any means, but Arizona needed to provide more of a pass-rush than they did.

Grade:  C

San Diego Chargers

With Philip Rivers finally playing up to his ability, the Chargers are rolling.

Rivers did nothing spectacular here, but he didn't make mistakes and managed the San Diego rushing attack.

Though Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert were both unspectacular, the two combined for 130 yards and three touchdowns.

The Chargers allowed Ray Rice to succeed on his meager 10 carries, but Joe Flacco played poorly.

San Diego frequently pressured Flacco, and the Delaware product was unable to make them pay.

Grade:  A

Kansas City Chiefs

In a shocking victory, Kyle Orton helped deal the Packers their first loss of the season.

Orton gained nearly 300 yards through the air with little help from the run game.

However, Orton did not throw a single touchdown pass, and Kansas City's scoring was carried by kicker Ryan Succop.

The Romeo Crennel-led defense limited Aaron Rodgers to what was by far his worst game of the season.

The Chiefs held the explosive Packers offense to just 14 points and sacked Rodgers four times.

Grade:  A-

Indianapolis Colts

Despite completing 11 of his 17 passes, Dan Orlovsky threw for just 82 yards.

Fortunately for the Colts, Donald Brown took off, gaining 161 yards on only 16 carries.

Chris Johnson had found success lately, but surprisingly, Indianapolis shut him down, allowing 55 yards on 15 carries.

The Colts even stopped Matt Hasselbeck, who threw two interceptions while gaining a meager 223 yards on 40 attempts.

Grade:  B

Dallas Cowboys

In the absence of DeMarco Murray, Tony Romo needed to carry the Dallas offense, and he did.

Felix Jones played well, rushing for 108 yards on 22 carries, but Romo dominated, completing 23 of his 30 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns.

The Cowboys defense limited Josh Freeman to just 148 passing yards on 27 attempts.

LeGarrette Blount was useless, as he rushed for less than three yards per carry. Dallas also sacked Freeman three times.

Grade:  A

Miami Dolphins

Reggie Bush continued his surprising surge, and Matt Moore didn't play badly, either.

With Bush's 203 rushing yards, Moore didn't have to do much, but he still threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns to secure the victory.

The Dolphins allowed C.J. Spiller to put together a big game, but they completely shut down Ryan Fitzpatrick, as he threw three interceptions.

Though Miami allowed 404 yards, the team's defense allowed just 23 points, which was good enough to win.

Grade:  B+

Philadelphia Eagles

Coming off an injury, Mike Vick completed 15 of 22 passes while managing the Philadelphia offense.

LeSean McCoy continued to defy logic by rushing for 102 yards and three touchdowns on a meager 18 carries.

The Eagles naturally forced Mark Sanchez into throwing two interceptions, and the USC grad continued to struggle.

Philadelphia's usually poor run defense played well against Shonn Greene as well, and he gained just 73 yards.

Grade:  A-

Atlanta Falcons

On the surface, Matt Ryan's numbers don't look overly impressive, but he was efficient and led the Falcons to an easy victory.

Though Michael Turner struggled, Roddy White and Julio Jones were able to pick up the slack, as Atlanta scored 41 points.

Defensively, the Falcons benefited from Blaine Gabbert's awful play and struggled to contain Maurice Jones-Drew.

Despite allowing Jones-Drew to dominate, Atlanta's defense only allowed one score, and even that was in garbage time.

Grade:  A

San Francisco 49ers

Alex Smith struggled against Pittsburgh's elite defense, and Frank Gore wasn't productive either. The 49ers gained a total of just 287 yards, yet the team scored 20 points—more than enough to win.

Though Ben Roethlisberger clearly was not healthy, San Francisco—or Aldon Smith, rather—sacked the Pittsburgh quarterback three times. The 49ers also forced four turnovers and limited Rashard Mendenhall to 64 rushing yards.

Grade:  B

New York Giants

Surprisingly, Eli Manning threw interceptions and led the Giants to a loss against the inferior Redskins.

Though Ahmad Bradshaw played well, he did not make enough of an impact to overcome Manning's terrible play.

Defensively, the Giants played well, forcing two Rex Grossman interceptions.

The team also held Roy Helu to only 53 yards on 23 carries.

New York allowed a grand total of 300 yards, which doesn't quite match the 23 points they allowed.

Grade:  C-

Jacksonville Jaguars

Once again, Blaine Gabbert played horribly, though he did complete just more than 50 percent of his passes (sad that this is a positive).

The Jaguars' running game took off, however, as Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 112 yards on 17 carries.

Though the Jacksonville defense did shut down Michael Turner, the team allowed Matt Ryan to complete passes with ease.

The Jaguars did nothing to stop Roddy White and Julio Jones, and the pair combined for 15 catches, 220 yards and three touchdowns.

Grade:  F

New York Jets

Not surprisingly, Mark Sanchez threw two interceptions and contributed to the Jets' efforts in a negative manner.

New York's rushing attack also faltered, as the team gained only 94 yards on the ground.

The Jets allowed Mike Vick to turn in one of his most efficient games this year, despite playing injured.

New York's supposedly elite run defense also allowed LeSean McCoy to gain 102 yards and three touchdowns on only 18 carries.

Grade:  D

Detroit Lions

The Lions further solidified their playoff status in a game they won only because of a 98-yard touchdown drive with little time remaining.

Matthew Stafford had one of his best games of the season, throwing for 391 yards and four touchdowns. Calvin Johnson was just as good, if not better.

Detroit was hurt by the streaky Carson Palmer, who completed 32 of his 40 passes for 367 yards.

The Lions secondary was exposed by allowing Darrius Heyward-Bey to gain 155 yards on eight catches, and the team didn't shut down Michael Bush, either.

Grade:  C+

Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers finally lost.

Rodgers was not his usual self, completing less than half his passes for only 235 yards.

Even if the Packers were playing against a great defense, this performance would have been extremely disappointing.

Green Bay allowed Kyle Orton to pass for 299 yards, but Kansas City's rushing attack was not particularly effective.

The Packers defense allowed just one touchdown and played well enough to win any other week this season.

Grade:  C-

Carolina Panthers

Despite not producing the insane passing yards he has in other games, Cam Newton was excellent in Carolina's victory over the Texans.

DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart got in on the act as well, though the Panthers gained just 316 yards.

Defensively, Carolina forced T.J. Yates into throwing two interceptions.

Arian Foster certainly hurt the Panthers, but he wasn't nearly lethal enough to win the game for Houston.

Grade:  B

New England Patriots

After not dominating as much as usual lately, Tom Brady turned in another solid but not life-shattering performance.

The Denver defense allowed completions without much of a fight, and New England ran the ball successfully as well.

The Patriots let Tim Tebow dominate on the ground, but the team did shut down Denver's passing game.

Though New England wasn't exactly playing a legitimate contender here, it was a bit of a surprise for the team to beat a hot Broncos squad.

Grade:  B+

Oakland Raiders

In what might have been his best game of the season, Carson Palmer completed 32 of his 40 passes for 367 yards and no interceptions.

Perhaps as a result, Darrius Heyward-Bey caught eight catches for 155 yards.

Michael Bush played well in Darren McFadden's absence as well.

The Raiders played well against the run, but Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson killed them.

The most devastating blow of the game for Oakland was allowing a 98-yard touchdown drive with little time left in the game.

Grade:  C

St. Louis Rams

The now 2-12 Rams hung with Cincinnati, partially because of Kellen Clemens' surprisingly not-so-awful play.

Star running back Steven Jackson rushed for 71 yards on 18 carries, and St. Louis gained an unimpressive 305 yards.

The Rams allowed an unspectacular performance form Andy Dalton, who threw for just 179 yards.

Cedric Benson wasn't much better, and he rushed for an unimpressive 76 yards on 22 carries. Though St. Louis didn't win the game, the team gave Cincinnati a run for their money.

Grade:  C-

Baltimore Ravens

Joe Flacco struggled against an average San Diego defense, as he threw two interceptions.

Cam Cameron was unable to involve Ray Rice, and even the star running back made little impact on the game.

Baltimore allowed Philip Rivers to compile one of his best games of the season, as the Chargers scored three touchdowns on the ground.

The Ravens defense wasn't as bad as the score suggests, but it wasn't good, either.

Grade:  D-

Washington Redskins

Rex Grossman was horrible, yet the Redskins beat the Giants in an easy victory.

Grossman's two interceptions and Roy Helu's lack of success on the ground severely limited Washington's offense, but the team still scored 23 points.

The Redskins forced Eli Manning into a rare poor performance (this year, at least), and he threw three interceptions.

Though Ahmad Bradshaw played well, he only carried the ball 10 times and didn't make much of an impact.

Grade:  C+

New Orleans Saints

In an outstanding performance, Drew Brees completed 32 out of 40 passes for 412 yards and five touchdowns.

The Saints' rushing attack wasn't bad, either, but in this game, Brees needed no help as the team scored 42 points.

For whatever reason, Adrian Peterson didn't receive enough carries to really hurt New Orleans, and the Saints played well against Christian Ponder.

The Saints held Minnesota to just 207 yards.

Grade:  A+

Seattle Seahawks

As was expected, Tarvaris Jackson struggled against an excellent Chicago defense.

Marshawn Lynch's struggles, on the other hand, were not as expected, but he rushed for just 42 yards on 20 carries.

Seattle's defense certainly dominated Caleb Hanie; though that wasn't exactly unexpected.

The Seahawks also stopped Kahlil Bell, but again, that was expected.

The Seahawks definitely played against a terrible offense—however, the performance was still impressive.

Grade:  C+

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Pittsburgh Steelers

From the start of the game, it was apparent that Ben Roethlisberger was not healthy. The star quarterback limped and struggled to move, and, as a result, was sacked three times. Pittsburgh's offensive line is always terrible, but Roethlisberger was unable to evade the rush.

Roethlisberger's four turnovers certainly didn't help the Steeler defense, which allowed 20 points but only 287 yards. If Pittsburgh's defense had received more help from the team's offense, the Steelers could have shut out the 49ers.

Grade:  D+

Houston Texans

Though Arian Foster produced, T.J. Yates did not play well enough to power the Houston offense onto a victory.

After the Texans fell behind, Yates couldn't lead the comeback, and his two interceptions certainly hurt the team.

As much as Yates let the team down, the Houston defense was even more disappointing.

The Texans did not allow too many yards, but when it came close, they allowed Carolina to enter the end zone.

In Wade Phillips's absence, the Texans simply couldn't stop Cam Newton and the Panthers.

Grade:  D+

Tennessee Titans

Coming off an injury, Matt Hasselbeck struggled, and Chris Johnson was downright horrible.

Jake Locker didn't play poorly, but he played during garbage time, so his results aren't necessarily an accurate indication of his play.

Tennessee certainly did not allow Dan Orlovsky to hurt them, but Donald Brown was incredibly successful.

Though Brown has been a disappointment in Indianapolis, he rushed for 161 yards on just 16 carries.

Grade:  F

Minnesota Vikings

Adrian Peterson was effective with the ball, but he couldn't do much damage on only 10 carries.

Christian Ponder turned in another disappointing performance by gaining just 120 yards through the air, and the Vikings gained a total of 207 yards.

Minnesota's pass defense was simply atrocious, and Drew Brees threw at will, picking apart the Vikings secondary.

The Vikings didn't do a great job of stopping New Orleans' rushing attack, either.

Grade:  F