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NFL Report Card: Grading All Teams Before NFL Week 10
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- NFL Report Card: Grading All Teams Before NFL Week 10
All 32 NFL teams have played either eight or nine games, meaning they're officially halfway through the regular season. So we thought it was fitting to assess the performance of each team as is. Some have earned an A+, while others are flunking their way to an F. How does your team's NFL report card look ahead of Week 10?
Arizona Cardinals : C-
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Kyler Murray helped the Cardinals win their first two games of the season, but he lost the next three. Suffering an injury gave way to Jacoby Brissett , who now takes over as the full-time starter. Brissett has created a spark, and the defense respectively ranks 11th in points allowed. Perhaps they can still turn this thing around and finish with a seven or eight win season.
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Atlanta Falcons : D+
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There is absolutely no excuse for the Falcons ranking 28th in scoring. They've spent first round picks on their quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end. They even have two first-round offensive linemen too. On the bright side, Atlanta's defense is much improved, but it won't matter if they can't score more than 17.9 points per game.
Baltimore Ravens : D+
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We'll cut them some slack, because the Ravens are playing a lot better as of late, winning their past two games. Yet, they still earn a D+ after such a horrid start. The silver lining here is that they've allowed fewer than 18 points in the past three games, and more defensive reinforcements are on the way. There could still be a path to the playoffs, and even the AFC North divisional crown.
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Buffalo Bills : A
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They hit a rough patch there, but the Bills have returned to glory after taking care of the Chiefs . Buffalo is back to ranking third in scoring. While the defense has had moments of weakness too, they've allowed an average of just 15 points per game in the past two. We don't see any reason why this team can't compete for a Super Bowl.
Carolina Panthers : A-
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Carolina's offense as a whole still needs a lot of work, but they seem to have struck gold with Rico Dowdle . The Panthers have rushed for fewer than 100 yards just once this season. Considering they weren't expected to compete for a playoff spots this season, Carolina's start has been very impressive thus far.
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Chicago Bears : B
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Seeing Caleb Williams find more success with Ben Johnson is exactly what the Bears had in mind. However, allowing over 40 points in two of their contests halfway through the year is far from ideal. Still, the Bears are headed in the right direction and are showing some real potential in coach Johnson's first season.
Cincinnati Bengals : D
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There's no way to sugarcoat it. The Bengals sport the NFL's worst defense, and they seriously considered not paying Trey Hendrickson enough to get him on the field. Joe Flacco has provided a much-needed boost to the offense, but it's amazing how little this front office did to fix a defense that was known to be a massive weakness.
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Cleveland Browns : D-
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A 2-6 Browns team didn't even become sellers at the trade deadline. Though, they probably love the young core that's been developing thanks to an extremely strong rookie draft class that sets Cleveland up for a much brighter future. Cleveland was never expected to compete this year, but you can't help but feel bad for the veterans on this roster.
Dallas Cowboys : C-
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Just when we were about to bump the Cowboys down to a D-, they go out and make two defensive upgrades. One of them, Quinnen Williams , is significant. It all still feels like a lateral move after trading Parsons and essentially just getting one first-round pick in return after they traded another for their new All-Pro DT, but the Cowboys are a better team than they were last week. We're just not sure it will matter this year.
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Denver Broncos : A
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One of the NFL's hottest teams, the Broncos are on track to finish with a top seed in the AFC. It hasn't always been pretty though, five of their wins have been by one possession. But wins are wins and with the Broncos having a top-five defense, it's only natural that they've kept things close. However, for them to be a true Super Bowl contender, we need to see more from the offense, one that tried and failed to get Jaylen Waddle at the deadline.
Detroit Lions : B+
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The Lions now have more losses than they had last season, but expecting them to maintain a 15-win season was never very realistic. Boasting the NFL's second-highest scoring offense, Detroit has the potential to hang with anyone. At this point, it's just a matter of being consistent and avoiding mistake-filled games like we saw last week against Minnesota .
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Green Bay Packers : B+
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The Packers have had some confusing performances, like losing to the Browns and Panthers. Yet, they've overall been productive on offense and aside from allowing 40 points to the Cowboys, haven't gotten walloped on defense either. But we also haven't seen Green Bay put forth that dominant performance that makes them look like Super Bowl contenders, and we're a bit surprised they didn't do anything extra at the trade deadline, but having limited draft capital after the Parsons trade made things difficult.
Houston Texans : C-
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The Texans still have the NFL's best defense, but the offense hasn't been consistent enough. Now that C.J. Stroud is set to miss time, Houston's playoff hopes are dangling on a tightrope. Winnable matchups against Jacksonville and Tennessee could turn Houston's fortunes around, but we wouldn't expect it with Davis Mills .
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Indianapolis Colts : A+
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The Colts suddenly committed six turnovers out of nowhere, but we're willing to forgive one bad game, especially since they still came within seven points of another victory. They already had the NFL's seventh-best defense but after acquiring Sauce Gardner , their secondary should be more stable. Plus he has the potential to be a gamechanger, which could be a big help in the playoffs.
Jacksonville Jaguars : B
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While they're on the positive side, the Jaguars are nearly in no man's land at 5-3. Yet, this is a lot better than other recent Jacksonville teams have done. But they shouldn't have needed overtime to beat the Raiders , and getting blown out by the Rams suggests Jacksonville is closer to a pretender than an actual contender this year.
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Kansas City Chiefs: B+
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Losing to the Bill stifled the Chiefs' momentum, but Kansas City was just a few plays away from defeating one of the AFC's best. The Chiefs' biggest weakness has been their offense, but with them only recently getting Rashee Rice back from suspension, we expect Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid to iron out all the kinks by season's end. A 5-4 start puts them in a good place heading into the bye.
Las Vegas Raiders: F
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The Raiders responded to a 31-0 shutout to the Chiefs by taking the Jaguars to overtime, which is progress in a long season that sees them enter Week 10 at 2-6. Averaging the NFL's fourth-fewest points wasn't expected for a team with a former Pro Bowl QB, a newly-drafted first-round running back, plus Brock Bowers . Though, their defense hasn't been much better either.
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Los Angeles Chargers : B+
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The Chargers are rolling again after suffering a string of injuries, including to both starting tackles. Trading for Trevor Penning could help stop some of the bleeding, but he won't be as good as the originals. Getting Derwin James back to full strength should help too, but this team's health will be paramount to their long-term success.
Los Angeles Rams: A
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After beating their past three opponents by two scores, the Rams aren't just heading into Week 10 with a winning record at 6-2, they're dominating teams. With a top-ten offense and a top-five defense, the Rams look equipped for a deep playoff run.
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Miami Dolphins : F
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Any hopes of the Dolphins holding out for a playoff spot are dead after falling to 2-7. Now we're just watching to see if Tua Tagovailoa can return to looking like Miami's franchise QB or if Mike McDaniel can do anything to merit an in-season firing. Otherwise we're not sure what they're waiting for.
Minnesota Vikings : C+
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Just when it felt like the Vikings' season was on the rocks, they turn in arguably their best performance against their stiffest competition on the schedule. J.J. McCarthy showed more glimpses of being a franchise quarterback, and he's done so in two big games.
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New England Patriots : A+
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A top-ten offense and defense is not what most expected for the Patriots in year one of Mike Vrabel's coaching tenure. Yet, Drake Maye is playing like a top-five quarterback and the additions on both sides of the ball are paying major dividends. It's a stark turnaround from what we saw last season under the inexperienced Jerod Mayo , but this roster is vastly improved too.
New Orleans Saints : F
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We're witnessing a disaster in New Orleans , but that was to be expected from the moment Derek Carr retired. Now Tyler Shough is getting a chance to show what he can do, but things could get worse before they get better with a rookie QB under center. Yet, his advanced college experience could lead to a shorter learning curve than most first-year QB's have.
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New York Giants : D
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Injuries have sapped what could have otherwise been an exciting season in New York. Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo can't be replaced. But the Giants' defense hasn't held up their end of the bargain either. The run defense has been particularly bad, as the Giants rank dead-last in rushing yards allowed per attempt. Overall, it's a lost season, but at least Dart is gaining experience now.
New York Jets : D
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Performance-wise, the Jets get an F. Trading two starters for three first-round picks? That gets the front office an A. Still, we can't forget that the Jets started their season by losing seven games in a row before finally getting their first win before the bye. This week could get interesting against the Browns, where both teams should be able to win, but the Jets will be more depleted after the trade deadline.
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Philadelphia Eagles : A-
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A bye gave the Eagles a chance to reset and reassess their roster. They ended up adding a potential impact pass-rusher in Jaelan Phillips . We'll see how the offense continues to settle in. Knowing that A.J. Brown won't be going anywhere could help soothe things over, but they've been better as of late.
Pittsburgh Steelers : B
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Pittsburgh's offense is greatly improved, but we're still waiting for Mike Tomlin's side of the ball to figure things out. There are signs though, especially after forcing six turnovers and holding the NFL's best offense to a new season-low 20 points. The question is, can Pittsburgh maintain this sudden momentum?
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San Francisco 49ers : B+
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Getting to a 6-3 record with Brock Purdy only starting two games is very impressive. The rushing offense is still averaging a league-worst 3.5 yards per carry, which hasn't made things any easier on the scoring attack. Yet, Mac Jones has still had some very productive games. Of course, having CMC thrive as a pass-catcher helps too. Defensively, Robert Saleh has them back to being a top-ten unit. Combine their offensive playmakers with a thriving defense, and the 49ers look like playoff contenders again.
Seattle Seahawks : A
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An already great passing offense gets even better with the addition of speed threat Rashid Shaheed . But much of the Seahawks' success wouldn't even be possible if it weren't for also having the NFL's fifth-ranked scoring defense to match their offense too. Either way, the remade Seahawks suddenly look like a team that could be in the playoff mix for years to come.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers : A-
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Once again sitting comfortably in first place of the NFC South, the Buccaneers have played just one bad game all season long. Aside from a stout rush defense, they haven't really been elite in any area. Yet, Baker Mayfield tends to have a way to elevate his teammates, giving the Bucs the type of edge that could take them all the way.
Tennessee Titans : F
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With the NFl's worst offense and third-worst defense, the Titans are hard to watch right now. It also doesn't help that this team has no identity after firing Brian Callahan (not that they had one with him). We don't know what to make of Cam Ward yet, but he hasn't looked like a No. 1 overall pick.
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Washington Commanders : F
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Leaving Jayden Daniels in at the end of a blowout and then seeing him suffer a serious injury perfectly sums up the Commanders' season thus far. Losers of four in a row, we don't expect Marcus Mariota to lead a win over the Lions this week either. With an NFL-worst pass defense allowing 7.7 yards per attempt, we're surprised the Commanders stood pat at the trade deadline, rather than commit to being sellers or even buyers if they feel like they still have a chance.
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