Chris Simms' Team-by-Team Grades for NFL Week 5

It’s Week 5 of the NFL season—and a handful of teams aren’t sticking to the syllabus. 

Buffalo fired its offensive coordinator. So did Baltimore after a few confusing calls this past weekend. And if the Chargers don’t show up to play in two days, we could have our first head coaching casualty.

I factored in those moves—as well as the moves that weren’t made in the offseason—for this round of NFL grades. Is your team getting the most out of its talent? Is coaching scheme or roster composition holding it back?

I analyzed the stats and game tape; you only need to scroll through this slideshow to find out.

Offense: It’s game over when Dallas gets its offensive line going. Ezekiel Elliott rolled through the middle of Cincinnati’s defense like he was back at Ohio State and this was Rutgers week. Then, Dak Prescott took bootlegs and play-action fakes off Bengals adjustments. Total domination by an arrow-up team.

Defense: Name a star player on Dallas’ defensive line. Anyone? Anyone? That group just dressed down one of the best units in football this decade. Andy Dalton was under constant fire all afternoon. And on the back end, Dallas held up in coverage.

Grade: A+

Offense: Brandon Brooks had a holding call that erased a big gain. Carson Wentz took a delay-of-game penalty during a game-deciding drive. Ryan Mathews lost a fumble that essentially lost Philadelphia the contest. The bye week wasn’t kind to coach Doug Pederson’s offense…and yet the Eagles were still within range until Wentz threw his first professional interception.

Defense: I thought Fletcher Cox might struggle against Detroit’s big offensive line. I didn’t think he’d disappear. The Lions were able to run sweeps and counters to get big No. 91 off balance. One silver lining: linebacker Nigel Bradham (three tackles for loss) was all over the field.

Grade: C

Offense: Big Blue featured a play where Odell Beckham Jr. lined up for a swing pass out of the backfield. They also ran Beckham Jr. on a nifty reverse-option play. That’s about all that changed from the previous week, though. Eli Manning is still inaccurate. And the Giants offensive line still can’t move anyone around.

Defense: Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo devised a strategy to rush four and drop back the rest. Therein lies the problem in facing Aaron Rodgers: With absolutely no pressure from Jason Pierre-Paul or Olivier Vernon, No. 12 was able to pick apart that same depleted secondary when it mattered most.

Grade: C-

Offense: You pick up on a few things when Matt Jones can’t pound the ball. Example: Kirk Cousins is a big fan of the go route, but he overthrew about four of them against Baltimore. I’ve also noticed Captain Kirk can throw darts to the left side of the field on the outside. He can’t do the same on the right.

Defense: Washington is lucky that now-former Ravens offensive coordinator Marc Trestman got away from the running game. Because for the fourth time in five weeks, the Redskins looked incapable or unwilling in the tackling department. The 'Skins secondary was just as lucky Breshad Perriman couldn’t control a last-minute touchdown pass, too.

Grade: B

Offense: Tyrod Taylor reverted back to a Tyrod Taylor-like 124 passing yards. He didn’t need to do much in Week 5, though. Buffalo’s offense runs through LeSean McCoy, and not even the great Rams defense could slow him down. McCoy won’t go down after contact or arm tackles. It’s a damn impressive resurgence.

Defense: Thought this game was going to be a blitz-fest? That’s exactly what Rex Ryan wanted. He sat the Bills defense back in zone coverage and let his front four force the issue. Guys like Lorenzo Alexander (three sacks) were happy to do so. And guys like Nickell Robey-Coleman were happy to take Case Keenum errors back the other way for six.

Grade: A-

Offense: Keep in mind: Seven of their 17 points game on a Jakeem Grant punt return touchdown and the ensuing extra point. So the final score doesn’t do Adam Gase’s terrible offense justice. Ryan Tannehill can’t feel pressure closing in. Perhaps because he’s always one step away from a sack; it’s his new normal.

Defense: Maybe it’s coincidence. Maybe he caught a cold or something. But Ndamukong Suh was a non-factor for all but two snaps in Week 5. His defense has far too many of those. What it needs is some players capable of going toe-to-toe with a tough Tennessee O-line.

Grade: D

Offense: It’s Ryan Fitzpatrick rifling off a hurried throw to Brandon Marshall. It’s Matt Forte treading through a wide-open hole. This Jets offense isn’t changing anytime soon.

Defense: This defense is susceptible to the pass at every level. Leonard Williams and Muhammad Wilkerson can’t break through in time to sway quick slants and bubble screens. Rookie Darron Lee was abused in coverage by Le’Veon Bell. And this secondary allows more deep throws that travel 20 or more air yards than any in football. Sammie Coates certainly knows it.

Grade: C-

Offense: You might’ve heard a certain quarterback has returned. But so has the two-tight end offense he ran during past Super Bowl trips. Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett accounted for nearly 40 percent of Tom Brady’s targets. Expect that number to creep even higher if they keep producing (11 combined catches, 176 yards, three touchdowns) like they did in Brady’s return.

Defense: What does Cleveland do best? Run the ball? Enter big old Alan Branch. New England essentially played jumbo defense and dared whichever Browns quarterback was healthy to throw. Turns out that’s a solid strategy.

Grade: A+

Offense: The big numbers are nice to see—it shows this offense really might be better with Brian Hoyer at the helm. It probably would’ve been better if Alshon Jeffery received more meaningful targets. Instead, those throws went to unproven guys like Cameron Meredith. His fourth-quarter fumble undid all that offensive goodwill.

Defense: I’m not sure what to make of this effort. Willie Young had three sacks, and the Bears had five in total. Is that a function of improved play? Or is it a function of a bad Colts offensive line? Either way, Young and Co. couldn’t get to Luck in time to stop a game-winning touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton. They’re still one of the most banged-up groups in football.

Grade: B+

Offense: There are two kinds of games played at Ford Field: The ones that involve Theo Riddick and the ones that don’t. This game was a Riddick game. Offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter deployed No. 25 to great success all over the field. He responded with broken tackles and first downs all day.

Defense: Darius Slay is selling game-clinching plays at half price. That’s why Detroit could afford two. A forced fumble that defensive tackle Tyrunn Walker “straddled” and recovered started it off. Then, when Philadelphia regained possession, Slay picked off Carson Wentz to ice it. Pretty impressive for a group missing Ezekiel Ansah and DeAndre Levy.

Grade: A-

Offense: Balanced offensive football? In Green Bay? It seems too good to be true—until you review the box score from Sunday Night Football. Eddie Lacy adds an element to this offense that makes it so tough to stop. Oh, and Aaron Rodgers had approximately three years to throw every time he dropped back. 

Defense: The Giants tried to run on Green Bay. It failed miserably. Don’t sleep on this Packers defense; the inside linebackers are tough, and Clay Matthews is coming back off the edge again. Keep in mind the Packers were down Damarious Randall and Sam Shields. It’s scary stuff.

Grade: A-

Offense: Sam Bradford really missed on six passes all afternoon (one was tipped and the other was dropped). The rest felt like they went to three guys: Jarius Wright, Adam Thielen and Cordarrelle Patterson. The first two could provide this offense with some pop out of the slot. And if Patterson’s half of what he was his rookie year? Watch out.

Defense: Neither DeAndre Hopkins nor Will Fuller had a catch until the middle of the third quarter. I repeat: Neither DeAndre Hopkins nor Will Fuller had a catch until the middle of the third quarter. Just wave goodbye to your top wideout when you face this Vikings defense.

Grade: A+

Offense: I’ll ask this question again: What is the Bengals offense? It seems to me like it’s a ton of throws to A.J. Green and not enough attention elsewhere. Ken Zampese had 11 days to get Andy Dalton ready for a vanilla Dallas defense. He failed almost as hard as Kevin Zeitler fails to avoid penalties.

Defense: They got their asses handed to them. There’s no other way to explain it. Dallas lined up with five down O-linemen and rode Ezekiel Elliott to the end zone. Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap were swallowed whole. This game was a Bengals fan's worst nightmare.

Grade: D

Offense: A guy who looks like Jesus, a Wildcat quarterback and a rookie all enter FirstEnergy Stadium. Get it? They’re all playing for the Browns! Cleveland’s quarterback curse has hit a pitiful new low. The Browns offense can’t function if opponents can stack the box and disrespect the pass. Would you respect Charlie Whitehurst/Terrelle Pryor/Cody Kessler to throw it deep? 

Defense: It’s Tom Brady, man. There’s nothing the Browns could do. So I’ll pinpoint a positive in linebacker Christian Kirksey. The guy was flying all over the field against New England and tallied 11 tackles.

Grade: C

Offense: The Ravens are really the anti-Colts; they must run the football to set up the pass. Marc Trestman called games the other way around and paid for it with his offensive coordinator’s job. Terrence West could’ve run all day against Washington’s front seven.

Defense: The Redskins had the more active-looking defense. Terrell Suggs was asked to be this team’s pass rush on one repaired knee and a repaired Achilles tendon. C.J. Mosley could’ve won it on an interception return, but he fumbled the ball away. That last part kind of sums up Baltimore’s defense this year, doesn’t it?

Grade: C

Offense: There is no defense good enough to stop Le’Veon Bell. He’s a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators to deal with. Same goes for Sammie Coates. The guy runs one route and drops half his targets, but he’s such a lethal part of this Steelers team when he’s on point. Credit to those two guys and all five Steelers O-linemen.

Defense: The one big thing that’s different about Pittsburgh’s defense? The secondary. It's improving every week and keeping throws in front of it. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brandon Marshall did most of their damage underneath for the Jets. That’s where this unit wants opposing teams to operate.

Grade: A-

Offense: Jameis Winston could afford an off night for once. The Buccaneers stayed with the run game from the get-go; Jacquizz Rodgers took 10 carries on their opening drive. He ended up with a rare 101-yard outing for a team that desperately needs more balance. They went 0-of-4 in the red zone, but the rest is encouraging.

Defense: Tampa Bay forced two turnovers coming into Week 5. The Bucs will leave with six. Lucky? Absolutely. But I can’t dock a defense for finding a football right in its lap—even when it surrenders 414 total yards to a team led by Derek Anderson.

Grade: B-

Offense: It’s time to start throwing Kyle Shanahan’s name into the mix for any future head coaching openings. What he’s doing with this Falcons offense—particularly with Tevin Coleman as a receiver in space—isn’t new. Shanahan’s been doing it for about 10 years as a positional coach and coordinator. Someone hire this man.

Defense: Vic Beasley just made up for a year-and-a-quarter’s worth of subpar play in 60 minutes. How? By delivering the biggest asswhupping to Broncos tackle Ty Sambrailo that I’ve seen in a while. Beasley is the X-factor; if Dan Quinn can get push out of him, his whole team is a contender.

Grade: A+

Offense: There was a Cam Newton-sized void lining up behind center on Monday night. You could tell early on; The Panthers couldn’t pick up a 3rd-and-1 on their third offensive play. Derek Anderson threw an interception on 1st-and-goal from the 1. Those two plays would’ve been Newton all the way.

Defense: The offense didn’t have the reigning MVP. What’s the defense’s excuse? All the pieces are back in place, save for Josh Norman. Yet a team with Luke Kuechly and all those defensive linemen couldn’t outmuscle the Buccaneers.

Grade: D

Offense: This Colts line is going to surrender sacks. But when Andrew Luck wasn’t buried by the Bears, he actually had time to throw. I counted well over 30 dropbacks without immediate pressure. That’s good news for Indianapolis.

Defense: So many missed tackles. So many holes for Jordan Howard to run through. This Colts defense is bad. Chuck Pagano now has to resort to weird hockey-style substitutions in order to get anything out of this unit. Seventeen defenders had 20 snaps or more, per Pro Football Focus.

Grade: B+

Offense: Few quarterbacks fare better with extra defenders barreling down. But Brock Osweiler regresses into a scared little junior-varsity player; I counted only three passes he completed into Minnesota’s blitz. The $72 million man needs to do a better job communicating with his center and throwing checkdown passes. This is another bad outing against a contending playoff-type team.

Defense: Not the prettiest game by Houston’s secondary. I thought it'd hold the Vikings to a draw in receiver Stefon Diggs' absence, but Sam Bradford had his pick all afternoon. One bright spot? Jadeveon Clowney. He’s an absolute force, and the Texans need him.

Grade: F

Offense: Tennessee’s offensive line is as close to perfect a group as you’ll find right now. Its star? Taylor Lewan, who’s more than made up for a bad penalty against the Raiders in Week 3. I didn’t see him surrender a single pressure. And of course, he helped mow over the Dolphins in the run game. DeMarco Murray is now a front-runner for Comeback Player of the Year.

Defense: Two sacks for Brian Orakpo. Two sacks for Derrick Morgan. Two sacks for Jurrell Casey. Everyone gets two sacks when the Dolphins O-line is on the docket.

Grade: A-

Offense: Blaine Gabbert is not starting material. Blaine Gabbert is not starting material. Blaine Gabbert is not starting material. Blaine Gabbert is not starting material. Do I need to say it more times for the 49ers to hear me? He missed wide-open throws and turned the ball over again. Neither can happen if this team wants to win again.

Defense: This group looked like it was out on the field way too long against the Cardinals. It was missing several key cogs like linebacker NaVorro Bowman. And yet, San Francisco stayed competitive for most of the night. Not a bad outing, all things considered.

Grade: C

Offense: This unit protected Drew Stanton far better than it protected Carson Palmer. I’m not just talking about the offensive line; Bruce Arians threw underneath more in a concerted attempt to help his backup succeed. He also fed David Johnson some long stretch runs that harnessed his elusive ability. The Cardinals can and will win games this way.

Defense: Tyrann Mathieu was back in his usual position…with unusual results. I haven’t seen him earn a whupping like that at slot cornerback in some time. The Cards are fortunate they had others force Blaine Gabbert into some bad throws. Three gold stars to Calais Campbell for looking like his old amazing self.

Grade: B+

Offense: The good news? Los Angeles leveraged Tavon Austin as the weapon he is in the Rams offense. For the first time, No. 11 was in the backfield and taking screens/handoffs/etc. The bad news? Austin can’t dig the Rams out of big deficits alone. They’re built to run with Todd Gurley, and they crumble when that can’t happen.

Defense: No Robert Quinn. No Michael Brockers. No William Hayes. LeSean McCoy only needed to avoid the double-teamed Aaron Donald en route to a masterful rushing performance. Maybe Jeff Fisher could’ve helped things out with fewer fake-punt calls on his own 25.

Grade: C

Offense: Paxton Lynch is a rookie—of course he’s going to struggle. But Gary Kubiak had him throwing deep, not short with a complement of handoffs. We’re back to the question at the core of this entire Broncos team: Can this offense win a game if the defense is down?

Defense: Von Miller was dominant in both the run and pass. Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. shut down outside receivers. And yet…this game was a blowout. Denver’s defense might not be able to stick to the same script. T.J. Ward might be the guy to play a more traditional linebacker’s role; none of Denver's current guys could cover a speed demon like Tevin Coleman.

Grade: C+

Offense: Philip Rivers nearly won this game single-handedly. The guy delivered dime after dime to Tyrell Williams, Hunter Henry and others. But hero ball wasn’t enough to overcome the Chargers’ distinct anti-clutch gene. If Melvin Gordon’s third-quarter fumble wasn’t enough to bring on another meltdown, the fumbled field-goal hold sure was.

Defense: Oh, look! It’s Joey Bosa with two sacks in his NFL debut. I wonder what he could’ve done to prevent San Diego’s 1-4 start if he was ready to go in Week 1. This team really can’t do anything right. It's just good enough to stay in a game but just bad enough to lose.

Grade: D

Offense: Derek Carr for Most Valuable Player. Oakland’s franchise quarterback is a true baller who throws perfect end-zone fades on 4th-and-1…and then he goes for two. And this game could’ve been out of hand if Amari Cooper dragged his feet on either first-half drive that reached inside the Chargers’ 10-yard line.

Defense: I’m not sold on Oakland’s secondary just yet. Some pieces look much improved, though. Rookie Karl Joseph intercepted a ball and recovered a fumble. Sean Smith looks nothing like the hapless cornerback who wore No. 21 in Weeks 1 and 2. But I can't say the same for Reggie Nelson; the veteran safety is showing his age.

Grade: B+