| Week: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 |
 |
Dud Sunday.
That's what we had in the NFL this weekend. There were so many blah games it felt like a college football Saturday.
We knew it would be bad for a couple of reasons. There were no games matching winning teams. Some of the better offenses in the NFL, including the Patriots and Eagles, also didn't play this week.
| More on NFL Week 7 |
| Analysis |
Clark JudgeSomething is very wrong with Philip Rivers. If he doesn't come around, the Chargers are doomed. Week 7 Judgements >> 
Will BrinsonSo much about the Broncos' win was about the Dolphins inability to operate as a successful team. Sorting the Sunday Pile >> 
Mike FreemanThe Falcons did plenty Sunday. They won on the road. Now it's time to see what the Lions can do once hard times hit. Read More >> |
| Related links |
|
| Video |
|
| NFL coverage on the go |
That led to lower-scoring games, some danger-to-your-eyes games (Browns 6, Seahawks 3) and little drama. None of the late games was really close, although the Vikings did make it interesting late against the Packers in a game that wasn't all that close.
There was drama in Miami, where Tim Tebow led a 15-point comeback, and some in the Chargers-Jets game, but not much elsewhere.
Dud Sunday.
Every once in a while, especially when we have byes, we get weeks like this. Next week isn't much better, but looking ahead there are some intriguing weekends coming up.
One thing we did get from Sunday's games was a reminder from the Raiders and Lions why it's always too premature to think they are playoff good. The Falcons beat the Lions in Detroit and the Chiefs shut out the Raiders in Oakland. At least there was some drama in Detroit as the Lions tried to rally from behind with a late-minute drive.
The Raiders didn't even show up. Kyle Boller reminded us all why he's Kyle Boller -- a big-armed passer who isn't accurate.
That reminds me of a Boller story a scout told me. When he was coming out of California, his pro-day workout was unreal. He knelt on the 50-yard line and fired passes into the end zone. Then he tried to throw a ball into a garbage can 40 yards away. He tried and tried and tried, but couldn't do it for the scouts.
As the scouts walked away, up the stadium steps, they heard a yell from the field.
"I did it," Boller yelled. "I did it."
Moral of the story: Boller couldn't do it when the lights were on. Still can't. He sure didn't do it Sunday.
Let's give the entire day an "F" here in our CBSSports.com Grades.
Dud Sunday.
Let's hope we don't have any more.
| Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011 | |||
| Team | Grade | GPA | Carolina Panthers 33, Washington Redskins 20 |
 | B+ | 2.61 | Panthers: Cam Newton was terrific against a quality Redskins defense, completing 18 of 23 passes for 256 yards and with one passing TD and another on the ground, his seventh of the season. Steve Smith had another big game and Carolina's defensive had three sacks and intercepted John Beck once to snap a three-game losing streak. -- Steve Reed, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D | 2.63 | Redskins: The Redskins were hurting and they lost even more players. But the offense had no rhythm early in John Beck's first start and the defense was unable to stop the Panthers most of the game. They also couldn't force any turnovers against a team that has struggled in that area. The offensive coaches sometimes seem stuck between who they want to be vs. who they are. -- John Keim, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Cleveland Browns 6, Seattle Seahawks 3 |
 | B | 2.06 | Browns: The Browns placed consistent pressure on Charlie Whitehurst, preventing Seattle from breaking anything on the ground and locking down receivers Sidney Rice and Doug Baldwin. QB Colt McCoy played well in the second half and RB Chris Ogbonnaya had an encouraging debut. -- Marty Gitlin, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D | 2.14 | Seahawks: Is there an F-minus? That's what the offense earned against an albeit increasingly stingy Cleveland defense. QB Charlie Whitehurst proved inaccurate throughout and out-of-sync with his receivers, who for the most part couldn't separate. The run and pass defense performed decently, which improved the overall grade. -- Marty Gitlin, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Atlanta Falcons 23, Detroit Lions 16 |
 | B- | 2.01 | Falcons: Brent Grimes' solid play limited Calvin Johnson's effectiveness, and relentless defensive pressure helped Atlanta overcome Matt Ryan's shaky performance. The Falcons were once again far from consistent, but big plays in key situations helped them grind out a much-needed win. -- John Kreger, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D+ | 3.13 | Lions: Falcons' mistakes kept Detroit in the game until the final drive, but the Lions' effort was by far their worst of the season. Undisciplined penalties, poor O-line play, and coverage lapses at inopportune times combined to doom Detroit. The Lions now face a pair of difficult road games. -- John Kreger, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Denver Broncos 18, Miami Dolphins 15 |
 | C+ | 2.13 | Broncos: Admit, it, QB Tim Tebow is amazing. He helped Denver score 18 points and overcome a 15-0 deficit to take an 18-15 overtime victory. LB D.J. Williams had a sack, caused fumble and recovered a fumble in overtime and K Matt Prater, who missed two FGs earlier, hit the game-winning 52-yard FG. Unreal. -- Chris Perkins, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | F | 1.13 | Dolphins: Miami (0-6) allowed Denver to come back from a 15-0 fourth-quarter deficit, tie the game at 15 and win it in overtime. Absolutely pathetic. The Dolphins have now lost nine consecutive games and 12 of their last 13 at home. They might truly be the worst team in the NFL. -- Chris Perkins, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | NY Jets 27, San Diego Chargers 21 |
 | A- | 2.19 | Jets: The offense put together solid pass protection for Mark Sanchez, who finally established a connection with Plaxico Burress. LaDainian TOmlinson and Shonn Greene combined for the team's best rushing numbers of the season. The defense continued to suffer injury woes. However, the team pulled itself together and head into their bye week at 4-3. -- Lisa Zimmerman, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C+ | 2.04 | Chargers: After a fast start, the Chargers became their own worst enemy, committing 13 penalties for 95 yards. QB Philip Rivers' two INTs changed the momentum of the game. On defense, the Chargers allowed the Jets their highest rushing numbers of the season. One bright spot was the return of TE Antonio Gates, who had five receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown. -- Lisa Zimmerman, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Chicago Bears 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18 |
 | B | 2.53 | Bears: What started out as an easy win degenerated into a sloppy victory thanks largely to Robbie Gould missing a 41-yard field goal, the offensive line failing to properly block the blitz, and Jay Cutler getting sloppy with the football. The running game clicked enough early and the defense did what Lovie Smith loves: produced four turnovers. -- Gene Chamberlain, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C | 2.29 | Buccaneers: Tampa's defense looked sluggish for most of the game, especially against the run. Conversely, Tampa gained only 30 rushing yards, a fact that bogged down Tampa's entire offense until the fourth quarter. The biggest problem, however, was QB Josh Freeman's four interceptions. -- Scott Purks, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Houston Texans 41, Tennessee Titans 7 |
 | A+ | 2.77 | Texans: Arian Foster's mastery on cut-backs enabled him to become the first player in franchise history to have at least 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game. The Titans had just as much trouble stopping Matt Schaub on bootlegs. The Texans now control the division. -- Matt Rybaltowski, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | F | 2.39 | Titans: The Titans suffered their worst loss since a 59-0 dismantling by the Pats in '09. Chris Johnson failed to rush for 20 yards, Matt Hasselbeck barely threw for 100 yards and the defense surrendered more than 500 in the lopsided loss. -- Matt Rybaltowski, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Pittsburgh Steelers 32, Arizona Cardinals 20 |
 | B | 2.67 | Steelers: The passing game rescued the day. Ben Roethlisberger was much improved over the second half last week. WR Mike Wallace topped 100 yards for the seventh time in 10 games. The running game didn't produce overall. The defense yielded 329 yards, two long drives and a 73-yard TD, though only 78 yards on four catches to WR Larry Fitzgerald. -- Chuck Finder, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D | 1.22 | Cardinals: The offense couldn't sustain drives, couldn't get RB Beanie Wells going when he was healthy and turned the ball over early again, giving the Steelers early momentum. When the offense finally did get some momentum in the third quarter, the defense allowed a 10-play, 80-yard Steelers TD drive to give it back. -- Craig Morgan, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Kansas City Chiefs 28, Oakland Raiders 0 |
 | B | 2.06 | Chiefs: The Chiefs' defense dominated from start to finish. Kansas City intercepted Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer three times apiece, returning one against each for a touchdown. The Chiefs jumped to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and were never threatened as they won their third straight game and moved to within a game of first-place San Diego in the AFC West. -- Eric Gilmore, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D- | 2.59 | Raiders: One game after losing QB Jason Campbell to a broken collarbone against Cleveland, the Raiders had a total disaster. QB Kyle Boller got the start, but after throwing three interceptions he was replaced by Carson Palmer. Palmer, acquired Tuesday from Cincinnati in a trade, was clearly rusty and out of sync with his new team, throwing three picks. -- Eric Gilmore, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Dallas Cowboys 34, St. Louis Rams 7 |
 | A- | 2.64 | Cowboys: The Rams were a perfect opponent for a team that not only needed a win but also to re-establish a running game. The Cowboys were able to do both, thanks to a record-setting day by rookie DeMarco Murray, who eclipsed Emmitt Smith's single-game rushing record with 253 yards. QB Tony Romo was solid, the defense was stout and special teams continued to play at a high level. -- Nick Eatman, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D+ | 1.09 | Rams: The problem areas continued for the Rams, including a run defense that was the worst in the league and it didn't get any better, yielding a 91-yard TD run on the first series. The addition of WR Brandon Lloyd will certainly help the offense over time. Credit the Rams for continuing to fight, but they were outmanned on this game. -- Nick Eatman, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Green Bay Packers 33, Minnesota Vikings 27 |
 | B | 3.19 | Packers: The Packers' high-octane offense went into overdrive in the second half and turned a 4-point halftime deficit into a 16-point lead by the end of the third quarter. QB Aaron Rodgers picked apart a short-handed Vikings secondary and led the Packers to a 33-27 road win and a spotless 7-0 start to the season. -- Joe Oberle, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C | 1.39 | Vikings: Despite starting a new C, QB, FS and CB due to injuries, the Vikings hung in against the undefeated defending Super Bowl champion Packers -- for a half. In the third quarter, the offense turned the ball over and the defense gave up big plays. A late rally fell short but offers hope in rookie QB Christian Ponder. -- Joe Oberle, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | New Orleans Saints 62, Indianapolis Colts 7 |
 | A+ | 3.04 | Saints: The Saints offense moved the ball better than it had in team history, and all of that with Sean Payton calling the offensive plays in the coaches' booth. The defense played with more energy than we've seen in a while and actually won the turnover battle, which had been a rarity this season. -- Larry Holder, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | F | 1.43 | Colts: The Colts were a complete and utter disaster as they've ended a streak of nine consecutive 10-win seasons, falling to 0-7. It seemed like the Colts were moving in the right direction to winning a game before they played the Saints. They took about 12 steps backward as the Colts' offense was stagnant and the defense was dreadful. -- Larry Holder, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Monday, Oct. 24, 2011 | |||
| Team | Grade | GPA | Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars |
 | Jaguars: | ||
 | Ravens: | ||
| GPA Key (updated through season) | ||
| A = 4.0 | A- = 3.7 | B+ = 3.3 |
| B = 3.0 | B- = 2.7 | C+ = 2.3 |
| C = 2.0 | C- = 1.7 | D+ = 1.3 |
| D = 1.0 | D- = 0.7 | |
