NFL Report Cards: Team-by-Team Grades for Week 12

Have you ever seen an honors student react to a bad grade? 

It doesn't have to be an F. Even a C-plus will do the trick for the typical Hermione Granger-level overachiever. First, the lower lip starts quivering. Then comes a quick spin through the five stages of grief. This can't be happening! It's not fair! Can I get a retest? How can I possibly move on from this 78 on a chemistry quiz?

Finally, there's acceptance, usually in the form of a teacher showing Mr. or Ms. Valedictorian that even with the semi-poor grade, their average is 96.7.

Yes, we're talking about the Patriots. They got a poor grade this week. Some other contenders for No. 1 in the class like the Panthers, Bengals and Broncos earned some easy A's. Does that mean there is a changing of the guard atop the year-to-date GPAs? Before you find out, you'll learn that:

• The Seahawks offense and defense switched places, Freaky Friday style.
• Rex Ryan replaced his brother as the guy with the least appropriate defensive game plans in the NFL.
• The Vikings don't need downfield passing to succeed, though it helps.
• Chargers-Jaguars games can be more fun than you think.

Remember, these are weekly report cards, not power rankings. Each team gets a clean slate each week. The year-to-date GPAs are on the final slide.

This Week's Result: Panthers 33, Cowboys 14

Offense (B): The Panthers didn't turn the ball over, but they also settled for many field-goal attempts at the ends of short drives. A lack of big-play ability could be a problem down the stretch: The Panthers had just two offensive plays of 20-plus yards.

Defense (A+): Luke Kuechly (two interceptions, one touchdown) threw his hat into the Defensive Player of the Year ring. The Panthers defense scored two touchdowns and held the Cowboys to 31 rushing yards. All of this will be ignored by the "Cam Newton for MVP" bandwagon.

Special Teams/Coaching (A): Graham Gano had a late field goal blocked but made four others; a fifth field goal was taken off the board by a dumb Cowboys penalty. Thomas Davis recovered a late onside kick to prevent any Cowboys heroics. (The Cowboys were offside anyway, but why leave anything in doubt?)

Ron Rivera appeared content to play for three sometimes—like with Newton running quarterback draws on 3rd-and-long—but also took Gano's field goal off the board when he knew a touchdown would deliver a knockout punch.

Looking Ahead: Four divisional games in five weeks, starting with a trip to New Orleans.

This Week's Result: Lions 45, Eagles 14

Offense (A): Matthew Stafford (five touchdowns) reaped a bountiful Thanksgiving harvest.

Whenever Calvin Johnson (8-93-3) wasn't covered by a rookie or Theo Riddick (5-62-1) by a pass-rusher, Stafford tossed short passes to Golden Tate (7-50-1) underneath soft coverage or pitched the ball to Ameer Abdullah (75 total yards), who weaved through defenders whose minds seemed to be on Black Friday doorbusters.

Defense (A): The Eagles netted just 227 yards. Ezekiel Ansah recorded 3.5 sacks, taking over the game once Eagles tackle Jason Peters got hurt.

Special Teams/Coaching (A): The Lions committed just four penalties. Let's not wax too poetic about the brilliance of the Lions game plan: Grandma could look up from basting the turkey and scream, "Throw it to Megatron!" if she saw Eric Rowe playing 10 yards off him.

Looking Ahead: A second straight Thursday game for both the Lions and Packers.

This Week's Result: Bengals 31, Rams 7

Offense (A): Jeremy Hill (16-86-0) ran hard before suffering a minor ankle injury late in the game. Andy Dalton (20-of-27, 233 yards, three touchdowns, one interception) distributed the ball to nine different players. A.J. Green added two touchdowns. The offensive line held the Rams sackless.

It was the typical Bengals offensive team effort.

Defense (A): Geno Atkins provided a sack and three stuffs for a loss. Leon Hall, George Iloka and Reggie Nelson each intercepted a pass. Dre Kirkpatrick broke up three passes.

It was the typical Bengals defensive team effort.

Special Teams/Coaching (A): The Bengals committed just three penalties. The offensive game plan had just enough wrinkles to punish the Rams for being too aggressive. The defensive game plan was to play vanilla so the Rams would beat themselves, which is always the right strategy.

A convincing win silenced talk about an impending Bengals collapse. It probably calmed a few nerves in the locker room as well.

Looking Ahead: A trip to see the Browns, who are like the Rams, only uglier and more familiar.

This Week's Result: Broncos 30, Patriots 24

Offense (B+): C.J. Anderson (15-113-2, 40 receiving yards) and Ronnie Hillman (14-59-1) ran exceptionally hard, fighting for extra yards like it was the Broncos' biggest game of the year (which it was, of course).

Brock Osweiler started off shaky but grew into the game. Demaryius Thomas caught just one 36-yard pass on a whopping 13 targets, but that one catch was a fourth-quarter drive-sparker, and Emmanuel Sanders (6-113-0) filled the void.

Defense (A-): The Patriots couldn't run the ball and were held to just two third-down conversions on 13 attempts. With the Patriots' receiving corps depleted and snow falling, the Broncos could have done a better job of shutting down Brandon Bolden and Scott Chandler. That sounds like a nitpick until you remember the Patriots held the lead until just a minute and nine seconds remained in the game.

Special Teams/Coaching (B+): The Broncos continue to commit amazingly dumb penalties—pouncing on Tom Brady's helmet when he is already lying on the ground is like begging him to use the free first down to beat you, Von Miller—and the Broncos should be better than their opponents at fielding and downing punts in snowy Mile High conditions.

But Gary Kubiak, Wade Phillips and their staff had Osweiler ready and did what they had to do to keep the Broncos in position for a late-game surge.

Looking Ahead: A trip to San Diego followed by a visit from the Raiders should put the Broncos in position to both seize the AFC West and stake their claim to more.

This Week's Result: Texans 24, Saints 6

Offense (B): Brian Hoyer had the first good game by a Texans quarterback this season that didn't involve just chucking the ball in DeAndre Hopkins' general direction and hoping for the best. Hoyer threw one dopey interception but distributed the ball underneath to a variety of targets. Alfred Blue (16-77-1) led an effective rushing attack that moved the ball while munching a lot of second-half clock.

Defense (A): J.J. Watt had another two-sack day at the office. The rest of the Texans defense stymied the run, flustered Drew Brees and forced three red-zone stops.

Special Teams/Coaching (B+): The offensive game plan featured direct snaps and shovel passes to Cecil Shorts III to keep the Saints guessing (the New Orleans defense has been guessing for two years) and keep Hoyer from having to do too much. The Texans have made peace with their current brand of football.

Whether "making peace" will result in more than eight wins remains to be seen.

Looking Ahead: A trip to face the Bills, who think they are good at defense-and-ball-control football but really aren't.

This Week's Result: Chiefs 30, Bills 22

Offense (B): The Chiefs overcame a slow start, miserable weather and an injury crisis along the line, thanks to big games from Jeremy Maclin (9-160-1 receiving) and Spencer Ware (19-114-1). Alex Smith helped the patchwork line by rushing for 35 yards and getting rid of the ball instead of courting disaster.

Defense (C+): Sammy Watkins caught six passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns, but there is not much you can do when a well-covered receiver jumps into the stratosphere to make catches. The Chiefs dialed back their blitzes and forced Tyrod Taylor to scan the field from the pocket. The longer the game wore on, the less Taylor saw that he liked.

Special Teams/Coaching (A+): The Chiefs were one injury away from putting a defensive lineman on the offensive line, but Andy Reid managed to swap out his center and left tackle against an allegedly vicious pass rush without getting his quarterback creamed.

The strategic gap between the Chiefs and Bills was huge. The Chiefs adjusted on both sides of the ball as the game progressed, while the Bills played four quarters as if it were still the middle of the preseason.

Looking Ahead: Back-to-back Raiders and Chargers games could kick the Chiefs' playoff campaign into top gear.

This Week's Result: Jets 38, Dolphins 20

Offense (B): Ryan Fitzpatrick threw four touchdowns. Brandon Marshall caught two touchdown passes. Chris Ivory led a ground game that hammered out 137 yards against a defense that leads the league in rhetoric about being stout against the run.

Even Devin Smith climbed from the blooper reel to the highlight reel with a touchdown catch. The Jets were docked a letter grade for dropped passes in the first half. They missed an opportunity to salt the game away even earlier than they did.

Defense (A): The Jets played well without Darrelle Revis. The Dolphins did not convert a third down in the first half and did nothing noteworthy on offense until garbage time. Granted, the Dolphins replaced their playbook with a Successories catalog last month. But still, bully for the Jets defense!

Special Teams/Coaching (B): Nothing fancy here. Just a divisional win to halt a losing streak.

Looking Ahead: Jets-Giants. It's like the preseason "Snoopy Bowl," only meaningful and watchable.

This Week's Result: Bears 17, Packers 13

Offense (C+): Jay Cutler is now a pesky game manager who tosses short passes to his receivers in stride and avoids turnovers. Yes, that may be yet another sign of the apocalypse. Matt Forte (15-44-0 rushing, one nine-yard catch) didn't do much as a running back, but his presence gives Cutler a more reliable receiver and pass protector in the backfield.

Defense (C+): The Bears didn't defend the run or tackle in the open field well against the Packers. On the other hand, they took away the deep pass and provided enough tight coverage to make life difficult for Packers receivers who don't handle that well.

Special Teams/Coaching (B+): The Bears committed 12 penalties (they essentially flagged themselves out of one promising drive) and gave up a long kickoff return. But the game plan was solid, and the Bears came pumped up to play.

Veterans who looked like they might be in tee-time mode by this point of the season (Lamarr Houston, Tracy Porter, Willie Young and Cutler) played hard on the road in the sleet. That's a testament to John Fox's ability to keep the Bears with the program.

Looking Ahead: Back-to-back home games with the 49ers and Redskins could transform the Bears into serious wild-card contenders.

This Week's Result: Seahawks 39, Steelers 30

Offense (A): Yes, an A. The Seahawks offense earned an A. Hang it on the refrigerator! Russell Wilson threw five touchdown passes and—get this—only ran four times for 14 yards and took two sacks.

Wilson actually got to hang in the pocket and throw passes to real, live wide receivers! It was a proud moment, marred somewhat by a season-ending injury to Jimmy Graham just when the Seahawks finally figured out he's a big-play threat, not a blocker.

Defense (C-): Maybe the Seahawks should try a 5-3-3 defense. If no one in their secondary but the three original members of the Legion of Boom can cover anyone, the Seahawks should just spread Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas in a three-deep zone and rush the quarterback like crazy.

That's practically what they did Sunday. Sherman and Chancellor intercepted passes, but the Legion spent a lot of time bailing out DeShawn Shead and Jeremy Lane. The Steelers couldn't run the ball but didn't really want to.

Special Teams/Coaching (B-): Lane sniffed out the Steelers' halfhearted fake field goal and intercepted Landry Jones' pass to Alejandro Villanueva, the world's worst Antonio Brown impersonator. Jon Ryan provided three inside-the-20 punts.

On the downside, the Seahawks couldn't convert an extra point no matter what they tried, and the blocked kicks and failed conversions could have cost them the game.

Looking Ahead: Seahawks at Vikings. Hard-hitting, playoff-atmosphere December football! Bring a parka and a first-aid kit.

This Week's Result: Vikings 20, Falcons 10

Offense (C+): Adrian Peterson grunted out 158 grueling yards and two touchdowns. Teddy Bridgewater sprayed more teensy-weensy short passes to Kyle Rudolph (7-53-0) and anyone else who happened to be hanging around six yards past the line of scrimmage.

Mike Wallace (zero targets) still officially starts for this team with no downfield passing capability. Remember that kid in high school who spent four years on the bench for the basketball team, then officially "started" his final game, trotting back to the bench at the first timeout. Wallace is like that kid, except he is on his third full season of honorary starts.

Defense (B+): The Vikings defense played well but benefited from the Falcons' unforced errors (or barely forced fumbles; it doesn't take much to poke the ball away from Tevin Coleman) and red-zone self-destruction.

Special Teams/Coaching (B): The Vikings won a sloppy game against a fellow middleweight. It was a win that may lock up a playoff berth, but it wasn't the kind of game that starts a Super Bowl bandwagon rolling.

Looking Ahead: Back-to-back games against the Seahawks and Cardinals could get that bandwagon rolling. They could also send the Vikings barreling straight into a ditch.

This Week's Result: Redskins 20, Giants 14

Offense (B): DeSean Jackson burned Jayron Hosley for such an easy touchdown that he misidentified Hosley's uniform number when talking about the play after the game.

Kirk Cousins delivered some crisp passes to wide-open targets across the middle of the field. The Redskins offensive line looks a heck of a lot better with Trent Williams healthy and Josh LeRibeus settled in at center. Cousins was not sacked, and the Redskins had a wisp of a running game for the second time in six weeks.

Defense (B+): Ryan Kerrigan recorded two sacks. The Redskins frequently collapsed the Giants' hot-glue-and-balsa-wood offensive line. Bashaud Breeland (four passes defensed) and others combined to limit the Odell Beckham Jr. damage.

Special Teams/Coaching (B+): Tress Way pinned the Giants inside their own 20-yard line three times. The Redskins kept things simple on both sides of the ball and exploited the Giants' weaknesses.

Looking Ahead: The first-place 5-6 Redskins host the 3-8 Cowboys in a game with playoff implications for both teams. Human society is doomed.

This Week's Result: Colts 25, Buccaneers 12

Offense (C+): Matt Hasselbeck's close-up sleight-of-hand routine continues. Hasselbeck dished dimes to Donte Moncrief (8-114-0) and T.Y. Hilton (6-95-2), floating lots of 15- to 20-yard passes against the predictable Buccaneers defense.

Hasselbeck is always moving forward when he gets sacked. Younger quarterbacks really need to learn the difference between three sacks for a loss of six and three sacks for a loss of 30. The Colts rushed 26 times for 27 yards, so they needed all the Hasselbeck street magic he could muster.

Defense (C+): Erik Walden provided two of the Colts' five sacks. The Colts defense was not as spectacular as the final score would suggest. Indianapolis caught a break from an opponent that started every drive from the 10-yard line, thanks to a touchback and a holding penalty.

Special Teams/Coaching (A): Adam Vinatieri kicked four field goals. Chuck Pagano took a fifth off the board after a Buccaneers penalty, and the offense responded with a touchdown.

Pat McAfee delivered two punts inside the 20, and Quan Bray set up a score with a 20-yard punt return. Field position was a huge ally for the Colts, and they committed just six penalties. It was a fine example of one team letting the game come to it while the other spun its wheels.

Looking Ahead: A two-game road trip offers a challenge (the Steelers) and a chance to enjoy some sunny weather (the Jaguars).

This Week's Result: Cardinals 19, 49ers 13

Offense (C): Carson Palmer was solid. Chris Johnson reverted back to his 2013-14 form with 17 yards on 12 carries. Short-yardage and red-zone conversions were major problems. The Cardinals needed two weird penalties (a "running into the official on the sideline" foul and an extra-tacky roughing the passer flag) to save the day in the fourth quarter.

Defense (B): Tyrann Mathieu grabbed an early pick, and the run defense solidified after allowing some easy yards. Anquan Boldin, Vance McDonald and Blake Bell enjoyed too much room to work underneath. It's one thing to trade short passes to the tight ends for sacks and turnovers, but the Cardinals defense only produced two sacks and one turnover. And that wasn't exactly Tom Brady they were facing.

Special Teams/Coaching (C): The Cardinals seemed to be toying with the 49ers early. They got stuffed on 3rd-and-short several times, then lofted a bomb toward the end zone on 4th-and-short. (It fell incomplete.) Bruce Arians' team was in danger of completely outplaying a bad opponent but losing on long field goals and catch-and-run dump-offs to obscure tight ends.

Looking Ahead: The Rams upset the Cardinals early in the year. This flat performance against the 49ers should wake the Cardinals up before it happens again.

This Week's Result: Raiders 24, Titans 21

Offense (B-): Derek Carr shook off a nasty hit early in the game and spread the ball to nine different players. Amari Cooper (7-115-0) reasserted his Rookie of the Year bid. Seth Roberts (6-113-2) is becoming the third option in the passing game that opponents don't have the manpower to handle. Three years ago, the Raiders would be trying to center their offense around a player like Roberts.

Some rainy-day botched snaps, including one on fourth down, kept the Raiders from doing more damage.

Defense (B): Khalil Mack recorded two sacks. Pass coverage was as good as it has been all year. Rain may have served as a 12th man on defense, and there was some clutching and grabbing going on, but David Amerson (six passes defensed) led a secondary that forced 20 incomplete passes.

Special Teams/Coaching (C+): Defensive penalties contributed to all three Titans touchdown drives. The interference fouls belong to the defense, but two roughness penalties go in this category.

There was some wisdom in trying to sit on a 17-14 lead in bad conditions for the entire fourth quarter, but the tactic backfired when the Raiders traded punt for punt until Carr fumbled a snap. It's time to let Carr, Cooper and Co. be themselves in the fourth quarter, especially against so-so opponents.

Looking Ahead: The Chiefs provide the Raiders with another chance to prove how far they have come, or how far they still must go.

This Week's Result: Chargers 31, Jaguars 25

Offense (B): It almost looked like the good old days.

Philip Rivers threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns. Antonio Gates caught two of those touchdowns. But there were key differences. Stevie Johnson and Dontrelle Inman were the top wideouts, not Malcom Floyd (who started but caught just one pass) or the injured Keenan Allen.

The Chargers were picking on the Jaguars defense, not some contender in the heat of the playoff chase.

Defense (D): Manti Te'o set up a touchdown by following Blake Bortles' eyes to an interception. Otherwise, the Chargers defense is a chore to watch, particularly when a ball-carrier breaks into the second level. No defenders get locked into downfield blocks and shoved down the sideline quite like Chargers defenders.

Special Teams/Coaching (B): A late blocked punt gave the Jaguars life, but the Chargers won a game they could have lost by converting touchdowns in the red zone and holding their opponent to field goals. That's a sign of good game management by the coaching staff.

Also, BREAKING NEWS: Javontee Herndon returned two punts for a total of 33 yards, giving the Chargers 34 punt-return yards for the year.

Look out, Devin Hester!

Looking Ahead: The Broncos and Chiefs could shatter whatever fragile optimism comes from a narrow victory over the Jaguars.

This Week's Result: Broncos 30, Patriots 24

Offense (C): Without Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman to play catch-and-run underneath, the Patriots offense consists of power runs that don't go anywhere, Tom Brady bombs that (particularly in snowy conditions) fall a yard or two short of their targets and brief glimpses of the traditional crafty deployment of running backs on wheel routes and tight ends up the seams.

When Rob Gronkowski injured his knee, even the crafty tight end deployments disappeared, leaving Brady to shuffle around the pocket and curse his fate. Aaron Rodgers should pick up the phone to remind Brady he's not alone.

Defense (C): The Broncos rushed for 179 yards. The Patriots neutralized Demaryius Thomas for most of the game and were in command until midway through the fourth quarter, when everyone started looking a little gassed. Overtime at high altitude in the snow off a short week of rest may have been more than the Patriots defense could handle on a night when their offense could not pull away for them.

Special Teams/Coaching (B): Stephen Gostkowski delivered a clutch field goal in bad conditions to force overtime. Ryan Allen dropped a few coffin-corner punts.

The Patriots did all the things they usually do to manufacture wins for three-and-a-half quarters, then came face-to-face with both a talented, playoff-tested opponent and an environment where not everything (yes, that includes some late calls) was going to go their way.

Looking Ahead: The Patriots are angry. The Eagles are indifferent.

This Week's Result: Ravens 33, Browns 27

Offense (C): Matt Schaub threw the Official Weekly Pick-Six of Being Matt Schaub and a potential game-killer at the end. In between, he played fairly well. It helped to face a secondary so hapless that receivers like Kamar Aiken (6-80-1) could stop in the open field and wait for passes to arrive.

Defense (C-): The Ravens kept corner blitzing and daring Browns receivers to beat them deep until Travis Benjamin did late in the fourth quarter. Much of what looked like good Ravens defense throughout the game was almost certainly bad Browns offense, and vice versa.

Special Teams/Coaching (A+): Someone named Kaelin Clay returned a punt for a touchdown. Some 6'7" kid named Brent Urban blocked a field goal that Will Hill returned for a game-winning touchdown. Look for John Harbaugh to milk another win or two out of anonymous bottom-of-the-roster guys.

Looking Ahead: More glorified preseason football as the Ravens visit the Dolphins.

This Week's Result: Cardinals 19, 49ers 13

Offense (C): Blaine Gabbert remains the ideal NFL quarterback for generating precisely 13 points in a losing effort. Gabbert's two best passes were an underthrown bomb that Torrey Smith made a play on and a short throwback to Blake Bell that surprised the Cardinals defense. The 49ers went 0-of-9 on third downs despite productive games from Anquan Boldin (8-93-0) and Vance McDonald (6-71-1).

Defense (B+): The run defense held the Cardinals to just 2.4 yards per carry and generated several short-yardage stuffs. The overall defensive effort was high, in contrast to what happened against the Seahawks.

Special Teams/Coaching (C-): Bruce Ellington muffed a punt to set up an early Cardinals field goal. Phil Dawson answered with a 53-yarder before halftime.

While the roughing the passer penalty that put the Cardinals in scoring position late in the fourth quarter was ticky-tacky, the unsportsmanlike contact penalty that preceded it (49ers players wandered into the way of a backpedaling side judge) was an example of basic manage-the-team coaching gone wrong.

Looking Ahead: A two-game Bears-Browns road trip offers the 49ers a chance to prove they are doing more than showing up and trying to keep things close.

This Week's Result: Seahawks 39, Steelers 30

Offense (B): The Steelers offense is deep in a manic phase. Bombs. More bombs! Ha-ha-ha-ha yes, keep slinging it deep, Ben Roethlisberger! We have no need to run the ball. Checkdowns are for the meek. Just find the weakest defensive back on the field and target him like he's a zombie in a video game!

The strategy has its merits—Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant ran wild (14 combined catches for 270 yards) against the Seahawks secondary, which will never be confused with the Browns secondary. But two Roethlisberger interceptions and yet another injury make you wonder if perhaps Todd Haley should tone down the whiz-bang a little bit.

Defense (D): Russell Wilson and the usual cast of so-so receivers exposed the Steelers secondary with five passing touchdowns. The Steelers recorded just two sacks. Their pass rush only looks good on paper because of all the Browns, Ravens and 49ers they have faced.

Special Teams/Coaching (D): The less said about the Landry Jones-to-Random Offensive Tackle fake field goal, the better. The Steelers settled for field goals on a pair of red-zone trips, a symptom of living and dying by the long pass to an almost pathological degree.

Looking Ahead: Either Roethlisberger clears concussion protocols and throws 50 bombs against the Colts or Landry Jones hands off to DeAngelo Williams 50 times against the Colts. Or maybe Roethlisberger starts the game on the bench.

This Week's Result: Chiefs 30, Bills 22

Offense (B-): Sammy Watkins (6-158-2) was outstanding. LeSean McCoy added 101 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Tyrod Taylor threw for three touchdowns without a pick, though he spent too much time hovering in the pocket and waiting for receivers to get open.

Defense (D): Jeremy Maclin kept beating single coverage deep, even though he's the only receiver the defense had any reason to even think about. The fearsome Bills pass rush accomplished little against an opponent starting an offensive line composed entirely of out-of-position backups. Yes, Mario Williams was injured, but come on.

Special Teams/Coaching (D): Did you ever get the impression that Rex Ryan squanders all of his game-planning bandwidth on the Patriots and doesn't even think about how to beat other opponents?

The Bills don't seem to know how to win games like these against fellow defense-and-ball-control teams. Little things, like giving up quick scores before halftime, keep dooming the Bills in close games. Also, they committed nine more penalties.

Looking Ahead: The Texans represent another toughness-and-defense challenger. Let's see if the Bills can figure out that DeAndre Hopkins demands double coverage and J.J. Watt must be blocked.

This Week's Result: Redskins 20, Giants 14

Offense (D): The Giants jerry-rigged an offensive line together out of spare parts like John Jerry, then expected Eli Manning to win the day despite zero support (13 rushes, 33 yards) from the running game.

Manning threw two tip-drill interceptions early and an honest one in the end zone to kill a third-quarter drive. In between, he sprayed incompletions all over the field as the Giants converted just three of 15 third downs. Odell Beckham Jr. (9-142-1) added to his highlight reel, but his production required 18 targets.

Defense (C): As soon as Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie left the game with an injury, DeSean Jackson blew past the remaining slowpokes in the Giants secondary for a 63-yard touchdown. It was the only big play the Redskins really needed.

The Giants did some things well on defense: They held the Redskins scoreless despite awesome field position in the first quarter and allowed just one short drive in the second half. But zero sacks and zero turnovers gave the Giants zero opportunities to make life easier for their scuffling offense.

Special Teams/Coaching (C-): Dwayne Harris likes to field punts inside his own 10-yard line for some reason. The Giants blocked a field goal and kept their penalty total low.

Fighting their way back into the game when they were reduced to Bobby Hart on the offensive line took, um, heart. But the Giants took too many chances on offense and not enough on defense, letting an opportunity to distinguish themselves from the NFC slop go to waste.

Looking Ahead: The Giants and Jets will be battling for the heart and soul of New Jersey. The governor, of course, will be rooting for the Cowboys.

This Week's Result: Chargers 31, Jaguars 25

Offense (C): The Jaguars moved the ball easily between the 20s. T.J. Yeldon and Denard Robinson each ran well given limited opportunities, while 10 different players caught passes.

However, Blake Bortles threw an interception near his own goal line, and his idea of the perfect red-zone play is to scramble five yards past the line of scrimmage, then attempt a pass. (Once is a funny blooper, Blake. Twice is a bad habit.)

Defense (D+): The Jaguars produced a few stops early and late. In between, Philip Rivers imposed his will and spread the ball to a variety of open receivers.

Special Teams/Coaching (C): Jason Myers kicked four field goals. A late blocked punt provided some drama. A 4th-and-7 touchdown pass to Julius Thomas was inspired (though a second fourth-down effort came up short).

But the Jaguars settled for too many field goals. The offensive game plan was nutty. Instead of running the ball in goal-line and short-yardage situations, they either let Bortles innovate the illegal forward pass or attempted Tyson Alualu rollout tomfoolery. The Jaguars outplayed the Chargers for the whole first half and trailed 21-9 for their efforts.

This was a squandered opportunity for the Jaguars to prove they have really climbed above the NFL's filter feeders.

Looking Ahead: A road game with the Titans. Commence filter feeding!

This Week's Result: Raiders 24, Titans 21

Offense (C): Graded on a curve for a rookie quarterback with no running game on a rainy day, Marcus Mariota (17-of-37, 218 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions) played fairly well. As usual, the Titans were allergic to throwing downfield and got mostly two-yard runs from Antonio Andrews and David Cobb. All three touchdown drives were aided by at least 15 yards of Raiders penalties.

Defense (C-): The Raiders moved the ball well all game, despite miserable conditions. They got a break on the final drive with a tacky defensive holding penalty on fourth down, but the Titans could have erased that storyline with another set of stops instead of two quick completions for a touchdown.

Special Teams/Coaching (D): It doesn't even seem fair grading this coaching staff of fill-ins, particularly in a weather game decided in part by a close call. But if you can figure out what Mike Mularkey, Jason Michael or even the well-regarded Ray Horton is bringing to the table besides thin broth, let us know.

Looking Ahead: Titans-Jaguars? Do we have to?

This Week's Result: Colts 25, Buccaneers 12

Offense (C): The stats look good: 132 rushing yards, 245 passing yards, just one turnover. Dig a little deeper and you find five sacks, lots of penalties, a pair of drives that stalled at or near the red zone and too many second-half three-and-outs.

Defense (C+): The Buccaneers held the Colts to just an inch or so over one yard per rush. The Colts didn't score a touchdown until late in the third quarter. But the Buccaneers are vulnerable to soft throws into the gaps in their paint-by-numbers zone coverage. Guess what kind of throws Matt Hasselbeck is still good at?

Special Teams/Coaching (D-): Connor Barth missed an extra point and a long field goal. Chris Conte committed a dumb leaping penalty (didn't he watch Byron Jones on Thanksgiving?) to turn a Colts field goal into a first down near the goal line. Twelve penalties for 95 yards helped tilt the game toward the Colts.

The Buccaneers couldn't buy many breaks in a game where every Colts fumble either rolled out of bounds or got negated by a penalty, but they allowed bad bounces to become a factor by not seizing control of the game when the Colts were sputtering early.

Looking Ahead: Back-to-back visits from the Falcons and Saints as the soft underbelly of the NFC South slithers along.

This Week's Result: Bears 17, Packers 13

Offense (D): Davante Adams (two catches for 14 yards on 11 targets) has regressed as a player. He's now a pass-dropping, route-rounding liability. He's also Aaron Rodgers' first option on any pass more than seven yards downfield.

The Packers are uncomfortable with the wide receiver screen game: Rodgers and the receivers lack timing on quick throws, and no one blocks downfield. Factor in Eddie Lacy's fumbles and his trouble in short-yardage situations and some James Jones near-misses, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Defense (B): The Packers defense took away everything deep and held the Bears to 3.3 yards per rush. The inability to generate turnovers remains a big problem now that the offense rarely provides a cushion.

Special Teams/Coaching (C-): Mason Crosby kicked a 50-yard field goal. Jeff Janis provided another long kickoff return. So...why wasn't Janis involved in the offense? How much worse can he be than Adams? The run-heavy game plan made sense on an icy, drizzly night, but the Packers appear to be trying to do a lot of things they just don't do very well.

Looking Ahead: A rematch with the Lions. The Packers can't afford another close divisional loss.

This Week's Result: Vikings 20, Falcons 10

Offense (D+): No team sabotages itself quite like the Falcons.

Tevin Coleman (18-110-0) lost his third fumble of the year, this one at the end of a 46-yard run. Matt Ryan threw his fourth red-zone interception of the year, and a clipping penalty by Tony Moeaki in the end zone negated a Coleman touchdown a few plays earlier.

An 80-yard drive late in the fourth quarter made Ryan's final stats (22-of-31, 220 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions) look better than his on-field performance.

Defense (B-): Ricardo Allen intercepted a pass in the end zone. The Vikings had no deep passing game, as usual. But the Falcons could not stop the run or get off the field. The Vikings were 7-of-12 on third-down conversions and controlled the clock in the fourth quarter (10 minutes and 13 seconds).

Special Teams/Coaching (D): A fourth-down conversion attempt late in the game was over before it started: Ryan took a shotgun snap in an empty backfield and was promptly hammered by half the Vikings defense.

Fourth downs, goal-to-go situations on offense, 3rd-and-medium situations on defense: These are situational challenges for coaches. The Falcons had all the answers in September but cannot get out of their own way now.

Looking Ahead: The Falcons start a three-game road trip in Tampa. They are more likely to return home on their shield in a month than carrying it.

This Week's Result: Ravens 33, Browns 27

Offense (C): Coordinator John DeFilippo used shifts and motion to slide his pieces all over the chessboard. But the Browns don't have chess pieces. You know those little blue sticks you jammed into the cars in The Game of Life? DeFilippo moved little blue sticks around the chessboard. None of the sticks could run the ball at all, and the Josh McCown stick snapped at the end of the game.

Austin Davis entered the game and simultaneously made things cooler (with his live arm and legs) and stranger (with his Herm Edwards-on-hallucinogens clock-management style).

Defense (C+): A pick-six and a late-game interception sound like a lot, but that's just the quota against Matt Schaub.

Special Teams/Coaching (F): The Browns special teams are an institution of sadness and regret unto themselves. Punt-return and blocked-field-goal touchdowns aside, Davis did a fine job at the end of the game at quarterback. It's a shame his coaches expected him to manage the clock like a 12th-year vet instead of using his two timeouts.

Looking Ahead: Lots of quarterback speculation and the Bengals, in that order.

This Week's Result: Texans 24, Saints 6

Offense (D): The Saints were terrible on third downs (3-of-12), terrible in the red zone (0-of-3) and imbalanced on offense (44 passes, 10 runs) despite some productive plays by Mark Ingram in a game that never got totally out of hand.

These criticisms would usually fall under "Coaching," but there isn't much else to say about the Saints offense except that Drew Brees threw a lot of wobblers and short checkdowns that accomplished nothing.

Defense (D): Well, a D is an improvement for this defense. Brian Hoyer was able to dink and dunk his way to a 14-point lead early in the game, then coast. Before Dennis Allen replaced Rob Ryan, "coasting" may have meant scoring 21 more points instead of 10.

Special Teams/Coaching (D): The Saints spread 10 penalties across all three phases of the game. As mentioned above, the situational play was awful. Kai Forbath kicked a 57-yard field goal, but it's hard to interpret half a team's point total coming from one extra-long field goal as a good thing.

Looking Ahead: The Saints host the Panthers. Sean Payton orders Allen to grow his hair out so he is easier to yell at.

This Week's Result: Panthers 33, Cowboys 14

Offense (D-): One of the weirdest narratives of Thanksgiving week was the yarn about the Cowboys running the table and making the playoffs with Tony Romo back.

It's almost as if we all forgot Romo spent a decade developing a reputation as a player prone to sudden turnover jags, or no one actually saw how poorly he threw the ball against the Dolphins, or some major television media personalities were just pandering to a huge national fanbase (perish the thought).

Anyway, Romo is hurt again, so the Cowboys can go back to being hapless on offense, as if they ever truly stopped.

Defense (D+): Nameless and faceless.

Special Teams/Coaching (F): Byron Jones, whose greatest skill is his ability to jump straight into the air really high, decided instead to jump over the line of scrimmage while trying to block a field goal. The 15-yard penalty turned three Panthers points into seven.

The Cowboys defense started to look tired midway through the third quarter. The organization may now be facing Romogeddon, and it has not done any doomsday prep.

Looking Ahead: A trip to Washington. NFC East football: It's quit-tacular!

This Week's Result: Jets 38, Dolphins 20

Offense (F): The Dolphins' offensive highlight of the last five weeks was a pass that caromed off defender Connor Barwin's helmet and somehow landed in Jarvis Landry's hands for a touchdown.

The Dolphins don't really know what to do with a running game or how to convert a third down before garbage time. Once Mike Pouncey got hurt, even the shotgun snap became an adventure.

Coordinator Bill Lazor was fired after Sunday's loss, and while the precedent of interims hiring interims is the sort of thing that perpetuates futility in Miami, Lazor had it coming.

Defense (D): This game would have been uglier if the Jets didn't drop so many passes.

Special Teams/Coaching (F): Time for another series of meetings to talk about accountability and feelings and stuff.

Looking Ahead: The Ravens. Hoo-boy.

This Week's Result: Lions 45, Eagles 14

Offense (F): Opponents now know all the plays and don't fear any of the players executing them. It doesn't matter how fast the Eagles play.

Defense (F): Let's see, top pass-rusher Connor Barwin now drops into coverage, and rookie Eric Rowe is supposed to cover Calvin Johnson in the red zone. With schemes like these, culture really does win.

Special Teams/Coaching (F): Chip Kelly's critics are now paying more attention to him than they are to his players.

Looking Ahead: The Patriots? Seriously? Oh, good lord.

This Week's Result: Bengals 31, Rams 7

Offense (F): The Rams have been reduced to relying exclusively on Tavon Austin misdirection plays (4-63-1 as a rusher, 6-33-0 as a receiver) for offensive production. Nick Foles threw three interceptions, each more desperate and sad than the last. Todd Gurley (9-19-0) deserves a coaching staff that nurtures young talent instead of shoveling it into a furnace.

Defense (D): The Rams recorded zero sacks, zero quarterback hits and one tackle for a loss.

Special Teams/Coaching (F): On 4th-and-15, late in the fourth quarter, trailing 31-7, the Rams called a deep pass over the middle to...Wes Welker. If there's a way to recklessly endanger a player for no logical reason, Jeff Fisher and his staff have explored it.

Looking Ahead: Foles, Case Keenum and Sean Mannion draw straws. Loser starts against the Cardinals.

It's hard to catch that valedictorian, Panthers and Bengals fans. The valedictorian was acing advanced chemistry in freshman year, when you could barely climb the rope in gym class.

All those B-pluses you earned while the valedictorian rocked straight A's were actually hurting your chances of reaching the top of the class, even though they were separating you from all of the folks who would eventually drop out of cosmetology school.

There's a little weighting built into the GPAs to make November count a tiny bit more than the first half of the season. The weighting brought the Patriots down to the pack a little bit: Sunday's loss and their narrow wins over the Giants and Bills knock them off straight A's.

Maybe next week the Panthers or Bengals will claim the No. 1 spot. Then again, the Patriots are facing the 32nd-ranked team on this list, so don't hold your breath.

1. New England Patriots: 3.50

2. Cincinnati Bengals: 3.41

3. Carolina Panthers: 3.40

4. Arizona Cardinals: 3.05

5. Denver Broncos: 2.90

6. Green Bay Packers: 2.86

7. Kansas City Chiefs: 2.77

8. Minnesota Vikings: 2.74

9. Arizona Cardinals: 2.47

10. Seattle Seahawks: 2.46

11. Chicago Bears: 2.44

12. Pittsburgh Steelers: 2.42

13. Oakland Raiders: 2.42

14: New York Jets: 2.41

15. New York Giants: 2.39

16. Washington Redskins: 2.29

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2.20

18. Detroit Lions: 2.17

19. Houston Texans 2.12

20. Buffalo Bills: 2.11

21. Indianapolis Colts: 2.01

22. New Orleans Saints: 1.99

23. Baltimore Ravens: 1.95

24. Miami Dolphins: 1.86

25. Cleveland Browns: 1.84

26. San Diego Chargers: 1.77

27. St. Louis Rams: 1.74

28. Jacksonville Jaguars: 1.72

29. Tennessee Titans: 1.72

30. San Francisco 49ers: 1.68

31. Dallas Cowboys: 1.60

32. Philadelphia Eagles: 1.59