NFL Report Cards: Team-by-Team Grades for Week 4

Week 4 began with a strange, sloppy overtime game involving missed field goals and a backup quarterback. Then it kept right on bringing them. 

From the Ravens beating the Michael Vick-Josh Scobee Steelers to the Matt Hasselbeck Colts beating the kicker-challenged (well, everything-challenged) Jaguars to the Saints flooding the borders of the Cowboys defense while Brandon Weeden slept at his post, it was a week of close games and field-goal misadventures.

Not every team needed overtime to produce a wacky field-goal finish. Brandon McManus was McMarvelous once more for the Broncos, while Robbie Gould gave the Bears a win their fans kinda-sorta wanted, and the Browns gave the Chargers' Josh Lambo a chance to be John Rambo. Still, many games were decided in the final minute, and most included some troubling variation on "wide left."

Of course, not every game was close. One team played poorly enough to get its coach fired. Another tops this week's report card by scoring 48 points, which is a great way to make sure you don't lose on a late field goal.

Reminder: These are the weekly report cards, not the power rankings. Every week is a clean slate. The season-long report card is in the final slide.

This Week's Result: Falcons 48, Texans 21

Offense: Wow. A.

Defense: Double wow. At least the Falcons' offensive success could be expected: Matt Ryan and the receivers can always be counted upon for some points. Who expected the Falcons to have a stout run defense and dependable secondary, though? A.

Special Teams/Coaching: Dan Quinn knows his music, so he probably knows the Coach of the Year award is a lot like the Best New Artist Grammy. So far, Quinn's program looks a heck of a lot better than the Fine Young Cannibals. A.

Looking Ahead: The Redskins. More fresh NFC East meat.

This Week's Result: Bengals 36, Chiefs 21

Offense: Diverse and dynamic, except for a hiccup in the second quarter caused by penalties and a missed field goal. The Bengals mix and match their weapons exceptionally well and are deadly near the goal line, where A.J. Green and a read-option wrinkle force defenses to spread themselves too thin so Jeremy Hill can batter them. A.

Defense: A typical defensive performance against the Chiefs: five sacks, a few occasions where Jamaal Charles makes everyone look silly. The Bengals didn't break (and produced a timely turnover when the game was too close for comfort) but could use a little less bending between the 20s. B+.

Special Teams/Coaching: Mike Nugent missed a short field goal in a game that remained close for too long. Both game plans worked, and the Bengals did a fine job of pulling away in the fourth quarter. B+.

Looking Ahead: The Seahawks bring a true "contender test." Since the Bengals are at home at 1 p.m., they might actually pass it.

This Week's Result: Packers 17, 49ers 3

Offense: The Packers only had four wide receivers and two tight ends available, and that includes sixth-round tight end Kennard Backman among the "available." So Aaron Rodgers distributed passes to whoever was left, Eddie Lacy (18-90-0) and James Starks ran hard, and the Packers manufactured a relatively efficient offense. B+.

Defense: The defense needed to play a near-perfect game against a weak opponent, and it came through. Carlos Hyde rushed for just 20 yards, and the 49ers' passing game consisted of just two big plays. Nick Perry (two sacks Sunday, three for the year) is coming around as a third option for the pass rush. A.

Special Teams/Coaching: Mason Crosby missed an important field goal. Head coach Mike McCarthy made the right choice by converting a pair of 4th-and-short situations, but the Packers committed eight penalties and came up short on too many third downs. These are quibbles: McCarthy had a depleted roster ready to play on the road after a short week. B+.

Looking Ahead: Never look past the St. Louis Spoilers.

This Week's Result: Jets 27, Dolphins 14

Offense: The running game was solid. Ryan Fitzpatrick delivered enough decent passes and nifty scrambles against an eager-to-quit defense to conceal the fact every other throw bounces about seven yards away from its target. B.

Defense: Guys, you don't have to commit pass interference when Ryan Tannehill doesn't really want to throw the football and his receivers don't really want to catch it. Sloppy late-game lapses made this game almost as long as a cricket match. B.

Special Teams/Coaching: The decision to pack American toilet paper for the trip made all the difference. The only toilet paper the Dolphins packed had plays written on it. A.

Looking Ahead: A bye, a Redskins team that's in a much better frame of mind than the Dolphins, then things get real against the Patriots.

This Week's Result: Broncos 23, Vikings 20

Offense: This is what late-, late-era Peyton Manning looks like, so get used to it. Ronnie Hillman produced a 72-yard run and helped C.J. Anderson provide enough of a ground game to keep the Vikings pass rush at bay. B.

Defense: The unit provided an insane amount of pass rush at the start and end of the game. In between, it allowed Teddy Bridgewater and Adrian Peterson to noodle their way down the field four yards at a time. A-.

Special Teams/Coaching: Brandon McManus provided three field goals. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips brought the crazy. The offense is becoming more Peyton-like each week, with more audibles and quick passing. One quibble: The Broncos punted on 4th-and-1 from near midfield while leading by 10 points to start the fourth quarter. Trusting the defense is great, but extending your lead while eating some clock is better. A-.

Looking Ahead: A Raiders-Browns road trip that promises to be harder and stranger than it looked on the schedule.

This Week's Result: Giants 24, Bills 10

Offense: The Giants offense looked a little bit like it was supposed to, with special teams ace Dwayne Harris (5-51-1) serving as a make-believe Victor Cruz. The running backs averaged less than four yards per rush, and third downs were an adventure (3-of-15), but the Giants frequently went uptempo to keep the Bills blitz on its heels, Rashad Jennings produced a big play in the passing game out of the backfield, and the offensive line played well against a nasty defensive front.

Quick side note: Someone needs to tell Odell Beckham Jr. that he is allowed to make two-handed catches and gets no bonus points for lunging after every high pass like he is posing for the video game box. B.

Defense: The Bills had no drives with more than one first down or 21 total yards until late in the third quarter. The Giants defense played a disciplined, fundamentally sound game against a team that uses scrambling, screens and misdirection as weapons. The safety situation, which looked like a potential disaster midway through the preseason, has stabilized, with Landon Collins and Brandon Meriweather each playing fairly well. B+.

Special Teams/Coaching: Fourth-quarter disaster averted: It was great to see offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo pick up the tempo and attack with a 16-10 lead instead of curling into a little ball and trying to ride out the final nine minutes. The Giants looked like the confident, veteran team facing a talented but unprepared upstart, even though a quick scan of the roster shows the Giants don't have all that many veterans. A.

Looking Ahead: The 49ers are like the Bills without talent or hope.

This Week's Result: Panthers 37, Buccaneers 23

Offense: When your offensive highlight is a backup tight end retrieving a fumble and running it for a touchdown, you take that 37-point final score and stuff it into the stat sheets before anyone looks too closely. D+.

Defense: Josh Norman (two interceptions) gets better every week. Ryan Delaire (two sacks) is the latest mystery contributor on defense. Thomas Davis and A.J. Klein continue to do outstanding work at linebacker during Luke Kuechly's absence. Playing an interception dispensary made everyone look even better. A.

Special Teams/Coaching: Playing a rookie quarterback on the road in the rain? Force turnovers, keep things close to the vest on offense, limit mistakes. Mission accomplished. B+.

Looking Ahead: Not to second-guess general manager Dave Gettleman, what with his ability to discover Ryan Delaire-types, but the bye week would be a great time to call the Bears again to see if there are any available skill-position players who want to hang out with Jared Allen.

This Week's Result: Ravens 23, Steelers 20

Offense: A solid effort given who the Ravens were left with after Steve Smith Sr. and Michael Campanaro went down. Justin Forsett (150 rushing yards) made the Steelers pay for blitzing the edge, while Joe Flacco threw for 189 yards to receivers so anonymous they could be Chiefs starters. B-.

Defense: It adjusted to the Steelers' Michael Vick game plan, kept Antonio Brown (5-42-0) from being a factor no matter how many times he ran laterally across the field and took advantage of the fact the Steelers didn't really have a traditional "field-goal range." B.

Special Teams/Coaching: Justin Tucker 52-yard field goals are a Ravens tradition. The Ravens adjusted on both sides of the ball when down 20-7 and persevered despite a lack of passing weapons. John Harbaugh's staff hardly called a flawless game plan: The fake field goal was weird, and the Steelers had many chances to ice the game. But the Ravens did lots of the little things right they often do right when engineering one of their mucky wins. B+.

Looking Ahead: Steve Smith Sr. (back) might not be available to face the Browns. You know how back pain puts you in a bad mood? Imagine Smith with back pain. That is one bad mood.

This Week's Result: Saints 26, Cowboys 20

Offense: Drew Brees is back, and he is almost 80 percent as good as ever! The Saints are adjusting to their new offensive reality, with Willie Snead and C.J. Spiller starting to carve out roles that Lance Moore and Reggie Bush once filled. Meanwhile, Josh Hill is acting as an off-off-off brand Jimmy Graham. B.

Defense: Brandon Browner and Delvin Breaux combined for four contact penalties against the Cowboys, giving the Saints 13 total penalties for the year. The run defense played well after the first two drives, and the Saints weren't fooled by any misdirection or trickery, because the Cowboys don't believe in misdirection or trickery. C-.

Special Teams/Coaching: Zach Hocker missed a potential game-winning field goal, but he also took over for injured punter Thomas Morstead without incident. Marcus Murphy had some meaningful kick returns. The game-winning play was an inspired call: The Cowboys' underneath pass defense was a mess without Sean Lee, so why not get the fastest running back in the stadium to the edge as quickly as possible? B.

Looking Ahead: The Saints and Eagles try to disappoint each other into submission.

This Week's Result: Redskins 23, Eagles 20

Offense: The Redskins played smart, "stay on schedule" football, keeping third downs manageable and letting Kirk Cousins (290 yards, one touchdown) work underneath and pick his spots downfield. Blitz pickup was outstanding. Red-zone offense was weak until the final drive. B.

Defense: The front seven performed well to help a depleted secondary, producing five sacks, holding the Eagles to another miserable rushing day (87 yards, 30 of them on one run) and clogging the throwing lanes underneath. B.

Special Teams/Coaching: Dustin Hopkins made three short field goals and two extra points; that’s noteworthy these days. Both game plans suited a windy day and an opponent with a knack for getting in its own way. A-.

Looking Ahead: Can the Redskins avoid an NFC East sweep by the Falcons? Can the Redskins climb to 3-2? Can you believe these are real 2015 storylines?

This Week's Result: Rams 24, Cardinals 22

Offense: Todd Gurley ran for 146 yards and performed a successful Westbrook Kneel (Bizarro Eli?) by taking a knee to kill the clock instead of running in for a late-game touchdown. Tavon Austin slithered for 116 total yards and a pair of touchdowns, usually with three or four defenders diving at his heels. Turnovers and great field position produced two Rams touchdowns, but the offense added 10 more points the hard way, which is an accomplishment for the Rams. B.

Defense: The defensive front provided four sacks, two tackles for a loss and several red-zone stops. When the front four could get to Carson Palmer before he could get to the secondary, the Rams won the matchup. B.

Special Teams/Coaching: The kick-coverage unit pounced on an early Cardinals fumble. Gurley fumbled once but looked like a third-year vet overall; partial credit goes to a coaching staff that has brought him along slowly and judiciously. B.

Looking Ahead: The Rams take their spoiler routine out of the NFC West to visit the Packers. A win in Lambeau could make them more than just spoilers.

This Week's Result: Chargers 30, Browns 27

Offense: The Chargers nearly ran out of healthy offensive linemen and wide receivers when Malcom Floyd and Stevie Johnson got hurt Sunday after the line re-enacted the Battle of Gettysburg against the Vikings two weeks ago. Somehow, Danny Woodhead, Ladarius Green and someone named Dontrelle Inman joined Keenan Allen to help Philip Rivers pass for 358 yards and three touchdowns. A.

Defense: Melvin Ingram and Jeremiah Attaochu combined for 3.5 sacks. That was just too much excitement for the rest of the Chargers defense, which allowed Josh McCown to look like Joe Montana for much of the game and gave running backs a 10-yard cushion on flat passes. In fairness, the Chargers were almost running out of defensive backs, too. C-.

Special Teams/Coaching: The Chargers are dealing with a severe injury rash. Head coach Mike McCoy and his staff deserve credit for getting the healthy bodies lined up and pointed in the right direction. Still, it should not take a second-chance field goal to beat the Browns at home. C+.

Looking Ahead: The Chargers face the Steelers on Monday night. The extra day gives them time to type up the injury report.

This Week's Result: Bears 22, Raiders 20

Offense: It takes a few weeks of Brandon Weeden, the Brothers McCown and (of course) Jimmy Clausen to truly appreciate Jay Cutler. Yes, he even throws fourth-quarter interceptions in his good games. But Cutler distributed the ball well, kept the Raiders off–balance with a downbeat variation of the no-huddle (lots of milling around near the line of scrimmage) and fired tight throws along the sidelines during the Bears' final drive. C+.

Defense: The Raiders gave the Bears a few unforced errors, including a tip-drill interception and a fumbled pitch in the backfield. The run defense played well, and the pass coverage forced Derek Carr to revert to his rookie form and throw a lot of five-yard passes to nowhere. B-.

Special Teams/Coaching: The no-hurry no-huddle, a Martellus Bennett-heavy game plan and the occasional Matt Forte Wildcat wrinkle pushed the Raiders defense past its comfort level. It's not easy to get an 0-3 team ready to play after trading away several players and making it clear that others are on the clock. Head coach John Fox sent a message that trading for the future does not mean throwing in the entire laundry basket. B+.

Looking Ahead: Whoever isn't traded by next Saturday gets to face the Chiefs.

This Week's Result: Broncos 23, Vikings 20

Offense: Adrian Peterson had a vintage John Riggins afternoon: lots of minimal-gain sludge followed by one heroic 4th-and-1 gallop for a touchdown.

Teddy Bridgewater, who discovered early in the game that scrambling backward against the Broncos blitz is a terrible idea, delivered a smart mix of scrambles and short passes in the middle of the game and then surrendered to the blitz again late. Stefon Diggs caught six passes but fumbled at the end of two receptions. Diggs and Cordarrelle Patterson will share the "talented heap of blunders" role until someone claims the job. C.

Defense: The unit played well most of the afternoon. Ronnie Hillman ripped off one huge run, and Peyton Manning did Peyton Manning stuff: audible calls to create mismatches, sudden throws to draw interference penalties. C+.

Special Teams/Coaching: Blair Walsh succumbed to the kicker plague with a missed field goal. Head coach Mike Zimmer and offensive coordinator Norv Turner called a good game. They just reached the limits of the experience level of their players on both sides of the ball. C+.

Looking Ahead: A bye week for a team that absorbs as many bruises at it delivers to lick some wounds.

This Week's Result: Seahawks 13, Lions 10

Offense: Let's just stop pretending otherwise: The Seahawks offense isn't good at offense things. Miraculous Russell Wilson Randall Cunningham impersonations? Sure. Two big plays and a long field goal? Sure. Lining up and driving down the field with conventional runs and pocket passes? Forget about it. Without Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks offense is the Panthers offense with better jewelry and PR but less self-awareness. D-.

Defense: The 2013-14 Seahawks defense played like the 1985 Bears defense. The 2015 Seahawks defense plays like the 1986 Bears defense. The 1986 Bears was exactly as good as the 1985 Bears defense, but no one remembers it because the passing game stunk and the Redskins beat the Bears in the playoffs. Just throwing that out there. A+.

Special Teams/Coaching: Steven Hauschka provided most of the points (again). Jon Ryan provided booming punts. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell appears to collect a paycheck for saying "run around in circles until something happens, Russell." In fairness, that's more than offensive line coach Tom Cable does. C+.

Looking Ahead: Off to Cincinnati. The defense flies first class. The offense should have to walk.

This Week's Result: Colts 16, Jaguars 13

Offense: Matt Hasselbeck received his copy of the Old Journeyman Quarterback's Playbook in the mail (it comes with an AARP application and a coupon for gutter shields) and executed it like he wasn't a day over 36. The offensive line and receivers knew they had to elevate their games, so they did, somewhat. Frank Gore and Josh Robinson each fumbled, and the running game produced just 2.5 yards per rush. C.

Defense: Too generous early, better in the second half, susceptible to gouging runs in overtime and incapable of rushing Blake Bortles for most of the day. C+.

Special Teams/Coaching: Adam Vinatieri provided a game-winning overtime field goal; there's that. The Colts needed a game-winning overtime field goal to beat the Jaguars at home; there's also that. C-.

Looking Ahead: Thursday night against the Texans. Will it be Andrew Luck vs. Ryan Mallett? Matt Hasselbeck vs. Brian Hoyer? Say...when do the baseball playoffs start?

This Week's Result: Rams 24, Cardinals 22

Offense: The Cardinals looked great between the 20s, give or take a Larry Fitzgerald open-field fumble. The red zone brought trouble; even Carson Palmer's touchdown pass to David Johnson was preceded by a strip-sack. If Chris Johnson were a dependable goal-line runner, he would still be a Pro Bowler in Tennessee, not an end-of-camp pickup. C.

Defense: No team has really tried thumping the ball between the tackles this year. The Rams did it successfully, setting up their wisp of a passing game. Future opponents took note. C.

Special Teams/Coaching: An early kick-return fumble put the Cardinals behind, and they are a much different team when trailing than when riding a two-touchdown lead. The Cardinals played hard for four quarters, but the Rams demonstrated just how reliant the Cardinals are on exploiting the mistakes of their opponents. C.

Looking Ahead: Off to Detroit, where "exploiting the mistakes of opponents" is always a viable strategy.

This Week's Result: Bears 22, Raiders 20

Offense: The Raiders Legends of Tomorrow revealed their work-in-progress nature. Amari Cooper went 4-49-1 but had a costly drop. Latavius Murray fumbled and tipped a short pass into a defender's hands. Derek Carr threw some off-target third-down passes and took a pair of avoidable sacks. It wasn't a lost cause, but it was definitely a "growing pains" game. C-.

Defense: The Raiders cannot cover tight ends at all. They may not realize that tight ends are eligible receivers. Open-field tackling is also a problem. A botched Bears snap and a Jay Cutler freebie interception made the Raiders defense look better than it was. D+.

Special Teams/Coaching: Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is opening things up for Carr—10 different receivers were targeted, with varying degrees of success. Winning at Soldier Field is never easy, no matter how pathetic the Bears get, but head coach Jack Del Rio must get his team to win games like these when it holds the lead for much of the game. C.

Looking Ahead: The devastating Broncos defense is coming. Peyton Manning is also scheduled to appear.

This Week's Result: Seahawks 13, Lions 10

Offense: Pitiful for most of the evening, brilliant for one late drive and utterly Lions-like when Calvin Johnson turned a game-winning touchdown into a fumbled touchback. The Lions figured no one could predict their plays if they unveiled some all-new stuff: shorter underneath routes, some misdirection plays for Ameer Abdullah, touches for Zach Zenner and Tim Wright. So in the name of unpredictability, the Lions chose to attack the best defense in the NFL in the toughest environment in the NFL with stuff they are not good at. D.

Defense: An excellent game. Ziggy Ansah and James Ihedigbo produced strip-sacks that almost helped the Lions pull off an upset. A.

Special Teams/Coaching: Kidding aside, head coach Jim Caldwell tried to diversify the offense, and future Dolphins head coach Teryl Austin (just stirring the pot here) called a gem of a defensive game. The Lions may be the only 0-4 team in the NFL, but there are plenty of worse teams in the league, for whatever that may be worth. B-.

Looking Ahead: The Lions host the Cardinals, the second-most-likely team on their schedule to win by forcing an end-of-game touchback.

This Week's Result: Giants 24, Bills 10

Offense: Karlos Williams averaged just 2.2 yards per carry. Percy Harvin had just three uneventful catches. The absences of LeSean McCoy and Sammy Watkins were acutely felt by a team trying to feature Charles Clay (9-111-0) and Chris Hogan as primary weapons. Tyrod Taylor didn't play poorly, but his inexperience was apparent: He was late tossing short passes into the flat (limiting yards after the catch) and sometimes ignored open receivers in favor of running. C-.

Defense: The Giants' first touchdown came on a short field. Their last touchdown came late in the game, when the defense had to gamble to generate a stop. Dumb penalties are actually counted in the next section. C+.

Special Teams/Coaching: Seventeen penalties for 135 yards—it's almost as if the Bills are led by a coach known for undisciplined tough-guy antics. On offense, the Bills still can't decide if they are going to let Taylor and Harvin do lots of option-screen stuff or try to prove what a great pocket passer they discovered. D.

Looking Ahead: The Bills face the Titans. Remember: The goal is to beat the rookie quarterback, not necessarily beat him up.

This Week's Result: Ravens 23, Steelers 20

Offense: The Michael Vick Journeyman Experience was just another journeyman experience: Vick produced a deceptively high completion rate (73.1 percent) but a non-nourishing 4.8 yards per attempt while Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell held a Marcus Allen impersonation contest to keep the Steelers moving. The more the Steelers asked of Vick, the less he offered. C-.

Defense: The run defense looked bad because head coach Mike Tomlin kept blitzing to force big plays and protect the secondary. As Joe Flacco explained after the game, the Ravens countered with simple cutback runs whenever they saw blitzers on the edge. Overall, the Steelers defense did enough to win if it got some help from the special teams. C.

Special Teams/Coaching: Josh Scobee was a kicking disaster since the day he was signed to avert a kicking disaster. Most coaches would give Le'Veon Bell the ball at least once in two critical overtime short-yardage situations, but offensive coordinator Todd Haley has spent his career not being most coaches. D.

Looking Ahead: Someone named Chris Boswell takes over at kicker for a Monday night meeting with the Chargers. It almost has to be an improvement.

This Week's Result: Saints 26, Cowboys 20

Offense: Brandon Weeden only has so many good throws per day in him. After the first two Cowboys drives, he ran out of short crossing routes to throw, and the Cowboys stalled until around midnight, when Weeden got a fresh set of throws (his clock is calibrated to Eastern time. Just go with it). With Lance Dunbar injured, Jerry Jones...sorry, Jason Garrett...began compulsively juggling running backs for no good reason. C-.

Defense: The Cowboys defense played poorly, but Cowboys fans and Texas politicians are overreacting as if the Cowboys gave up 48 points in the first three quarters or something. (Complaining about the Texans probably doesn't advance many political agendas just yet.) Drew Brees with a shoulder injury is still Drew Brees, and the Cowboys forced enough three-and-outs and made enough red-zone stops to win if their offense provided some support. This defense was never built to shut out opponents. D.

Special Teams/Coaching: As injuries mount, the Cowboys are reverting to their pre-2014 ways. Bench players have to be able to fill their roles in the NFL, and coaches need to adjust to injuries. The Cowboys look like they are content to wait for Tony Romo and Dez Bryant to return, even if they are 2-7 by then. C-.

Looking Ahead: Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain return to save the day against the Patriots. Umm...hooray?

This Week's Result: Chargers 30, Browns 27

Offense: Very good between the 20s; pretty terrible in the red zone. But hey, very good between the 20s! B-minus.

Defense: When the Browns are facing a cobbled-together offensive line and two healthy wide receivers, THEY HAVE TO HOLD THE OPPONENT UNDER 30. D-minus.

Special Teams/Coaching: The Browns committed 12 penalties, the costliest one on the final Chargers field goal, giving Josh Lambo a mulligan to win the game. Head coach Mike Pettine is supposed to be a defensive coach, and the Browns have fine defensive personnel. The offense is playing reasonably well. Where are the results? D.

Looking Ahead: The Browns had better not give the Ravens multiple opportunities for a game-winning field goal.

This Week's Result: Bengals 36, Chiefs 21

Offense: Forcing the offense through Jeremy Maclin (11-148-0) is the new "forcing the offense through Jamaal Charles and Travis Kelce." As usual, the Chiefs needed more from the mob informants and method actors playing football players in upcoming movies who make up the non-Maclin-Charles-Kelce portion of their skill-position corps. The pass protection was once again weak. C-.

Defense: The Chiefs' blitz-heavy, 3-2-6 defense is very good at stopping one-dimensional teams but has trouble with balanced teams that can attack with multiple weapons at multiple levels. C.

Special Teams/Coaching: Cairo Santos kicked seven field goals. Head coach Andy Reid developed a game plan that required Cairo Santos to kick seven field goals. From now on, the Chiefs automatically get a letter-grade deduction in this category when they try to execute a two-minute drill with mostly handoffs. D+.

Looking Ahead: The Bears aren't dead. Just mostly dead.

This Week's Result: Colts 16, Jaguars 13

Offense: Blake Bortles was 14-of-18 for 179 yards and a touchdown in the first half and then went 14-of-32 the rest of the way once his targeting software completely glitched. Allen Hurns (11-116-1) was great, T.J. Yeldon (22-105-0) pretty good, but it's shocking how few weapons the Jaguars have after stocking up for two straight drafts and free-agency periods. D.

Defense: Pretty good. The Jaguars forced a pair of fumbles on defense, and Matt Hasselbeck's only touchdown drive was penalty-assisted. B.

Special Teams/Coaching: Did someone say "penalty"? The Jaguars committed 13 of them. Kicker Jason Myers missed multiple opportunities to win the game. The Jaguars have enough problems without mental errors and kicker woes. D-.

Looking Ahead: The Jaguars cross Florida to face Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers. The first two turnovers are free!

This Week's Result: Packers 17, 49ers 3

Offense: Cringe-worthy. The 49ers offense looks like a punk rock band you used to love breaking up on stage. F.

Defense: Aaron Lynch (two sacks, four tackles for a loss) was a monster. Everyone else was pretty good: This was a typical "solid defense getting zero support" situation. B.

Special Teams/Coaching: Jarryd Hayne muffed a punt when his own blocker slammed into him. The game plan wasn't terrible, really: Given what the 49ers have to work with, Colin Kaepernick options make sense, and the team moved the ball a little bit early in the game. Every week, however, we veer a little further into "making the best of a hopeless situation" territory instead of looking for hope. D.

Looking Ahead: The Giants always offer a little hope, though they appear to have figured out the whole fourth-quarter thing.

This Week's Result: Redskins 23, Eagles 20

Offense: Sam Bradford connected on a pair of deep touchdown throws (three overall) but misfired on several others and displayed the pocket presence of an American taking his first trip on a Tokyo subway. Bradford's protection was bad, but he also held the ball too long, too often. As for the running game: Didn't head coach Chip Kelly have more than two running plays at Oregon? D-.

Defense: It played very well in spots but couldn't get off the field when it mattered: The Eagles were 9-of-17 on third-down conversions allowed. With Byron Maxwell out, Eric Rowe and Nolan Carroll II took turns drawing (often ticky-tack) penalties to keep the Redskins moving. B-.

Special Teams/Coaching: Caleb Sturgis missed a 33-yard field goal and an extra point. Darren Sproles was again required to kick-start the offense with a long return. Kelly must come to grips with the fact opponents have figured out his playbook and he can't play fast-fast-fast without outrunning his own team's comfort in the system. D-.

Looking Ahead: Eagles offense vs. Saints defense: The system that fools no one against the players fooled by everyone.

This Week's Result: Panthers 37, Buccaneers 23

Offense: Doug Martin (20-106-1) and Vincent Jackson (10-147-1) kept the game close through three quarters, with an assist from some on-and-off downpours. Jameis Winston (four interceptions, one fumble) was inaccurate, indecisive and unable to recognize when he was being set up by defenders. "Rookie mistakes" cease to be a good excuse when you keep making the same ones. D-.

Defense: The 37-point final score is misleading: The Panthers had a defensive touchdown, a fluke recover-their-own-fumble touchdown and field-goal drives of 15 and seven yards. The Bucs defense never really had a chance. B.

Special Teams/Coaching: Kyle Brindza missed two more field goals and an extra point; the missed field goals occurred when the game was still well in reach (although they also took place in the pouring rain). It's hard to fault the game plan when a rookie is gift-wrapping turnovers; at least head coach Lovie Smith kept Winston in the game to get some reps against a prevent defense. Maybe those reps will help down the road. D.

Looking Ahead: Bucs-Jaguars. Seriously: Bucs-Jaguars.

This Week's Result: Jets 27, Dolphins 14

Offense: Pass interference was their offensive highlight. F.

Defense: Getting away with pass interference was their defensive highlight. D-.

Special Teams/Coaching: Quitting on your coach ain't cool, kids. F.

Looking Ahead: Bye. Bye-bye, Joe Philbin.

This Week's Result: Falcons 48, Texans 21

Offense: The Texans have scored 19 first-half points through four games. They lead the league in delusional yardage. Sunday was a fine example of the phenomenon: The Texans gained just 130 first-half yards and then poured on 257 meaningless yards in four drives after the Falcons held a 42-point lead. F.

Defense: J.J. Watt managed a sack, two tackles for a loss and two passes defensed while playing 11-on-1. Maybe he should get to select the quarterback. F.

Special Teams/Coaching: This is an unprepared team playing hide-and-seek at quarterback. It's still too soon to call the latest Junior Patriots experiment a complete failure, but it's getting close. F.

Looking Ahead: The Texans face the Colts after a week so short that head coach Bill O'Brien will only have time to change his mind about his quarterback twice.

The first quarter of the season is complete. That makes these year-to-date GPAs kind of like the progress reports you hid from your parents midway through the semester. You know how the GPA system works: 4.0 is an A, 3.0 is a B, and so on down to 0.0.

Your autumn break trip to London is ruined.

1. New England Patriots: 3.93

2. Cincinnati Bengals: 3.55

3. Green Bay Packers: 3.45

4. Atlanta Falcons: 3.41

5. Denver Broncos: 3.13

6. Carolina Panthers: 3.13

7. Arizona Cardinals: 2.99

8. New York Jets: 2.98

9. Minnesota Vikings: 2.73

10. New York Giants: 2.61

11. Buffalo Bills: 2.54

12. Seattle Seahawks: 2.43

13. Washington Redskins: 2.43

14. Baltimore Ravens: 2.33

15. Oakland Raiders: 2.33

16. San Diego Chargers: 2.30

17. Tennessee Titans: 2.29

18. Pittsburgh Steelers: 2.28

19. St. Louis Rams: 2.25

20. Dallas Cowboys: 2.17

21. New Orleans Saints: 2.08

22. Kansas City Chiefs: 1.97

23. Cleveland Browns: 1.86

24. Detroit Lions: 1.85

25. Chicago Bears: 1.73

26. Indianapolis Colts: 1.58

27. Jacksonville Jaguars: 1.53

28. San Francisco 49ers: 1.43

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1.41

30. Philadelphia Eagles: 1.37

31. Houston Texans: 1.23

32. Miami Dolphins: 0.78