GrnBay007
10-02-2007, 08:44 AM
CBSSports.com Senior Writer Pete Prisco grades each team's performance every week.
Three weeks ago on opening day, the Chicago Bears played the San Diego Chargers in what many said could be a Super Bowl preview.
Is that laughable now or what?
Both the Bears and the Chargers fell to 1-3 with losses on Sunday. The only San Diego victory came in that game against the Bears.
Who could have imagined this?
The Chicago Bears made a quarterback change against the Detroit Lions, and it failed. Brian Griese did the same things that Rex Grossman did. He turned it over. The Lions ran one interception back for a touchdown and had another thwart a threat in the end zone at the end of the half.
Kyle Orton, you ready?
Let's face facts. The Bears are limited on offense. They can play all the good defense they want, and Devin Hester can return a kick a game, but until they get that offense going, it won't matter.
As for San Diego, they can't defend the pass and they can't pass it. That's a bad combination. Philip Rivers went to the Pro Bowl last year, but you would hardly know it by watching him now.
His hometown fans booed the heck out of him in the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chargers blew two 10-point leads in falling to 1-3. It was a must-win game for the Chargers, and they couldn't get it.
That should be a troubling sign for any Chargers fans out there.
Your team isn't any good, and losing to the Chiefs at home earns them a big fat F in our CBSSports.com grades.
The flip side is the Green Bay Packers. They're the surprise of the league at 4-0. On a day in which Brett Favre broke the NFL record for touchdown passes -- did you hear? -- the Packers impressed by going into Minnesota and winning against a team returning home after two road games. That's tough to do.
For that, the Packers earn an A+. It would normally be just an A, but with Favre's touchdown record, I was nice and threw on the plus.
Hey, even I get sappy when it comes to historic moments.
Sunday, Sep. 30, 2007
Detroit Lions 37,Chicago Bears 27
(B+) Lions: The defense, which has been ripped all year, came up big here. They had one return for a touchdown and a big interception in the end zone. Jon Kitna had a nice day against the banged-up Bears secondary.
(D) Bears: So much for going to Brian Griese. He was picked off three times, one returned for a touchdown. The pass defense struggled. The Bears are 1-3 -- do you believe it?
Dallas Cowboys 35,St. Louis Rams 7
(A) Cowboys: Tony Romo lit it up again and the defense was suffocating. That was a nice game for Patrick Crayton with his two touchdown grabs. This is a good football team. The only letdown was the special teams touchdown.
(F) Rams: Boy, was that bad. The defense fought for a while, but they got no help from the offense. It's hard to believe this is the same star-studded group. Marc Bulger is really struggling.
Cleveland Browns 27,Baltimore Ravens 13
(B+) Browns: The offense once again helped them to a 14-0 lead, but it was the defense that made all the key stops. The Ravens moved the ball, but the Browns didn't let them get into the end zone but twice. Derek Anderson had another big day.
(C-) Ravens: At some point, they have to start playing like the elite team they're supposed to be. The defense got pushed around early. The offense didn't do much until it was too late.
Buffalo Bills 17,NY Jets Jets 14
(B+) Bills: That was a nice showing by rookie Trent Edwards at QB. He looked like a veteran. The defense bent but didn't break. They found a way to slow the Jets when they got close. That was a nice victory.
(C-) Jets: This is one that will sting. You can't blow all those scoring chances and expect to win. The defense let a rookie carve it up.
Atlanta Falcons 26,Houston Texans 16
(B) Falcons: They passed the ball well and their defense came up with big plays when they needed them. Joey Harrington had a solid day throwing it and Michael Jenkins had a nice day catching the ball.
(C-) Texans: They were shorthanded, but somehow found a way to make it close. Matt Schaub had a nice game in his return to Atlanta. It's hard to win without three key offensive players.
Green Bay Packers 23,Minnesota Vikings 16
(A+) Packers: This was Brett Favre's day. He not only broke the touchdown record, but shredded the Vikings defense. Green Bay's defense had a good day, except for a few long runs.
(D) Vikings: The secondary had a rough go of it against the Packers receivers. Kelly Holcomb seemed to struggle getting into a groove. Left tackle Bryant McKinnie had an awful day.
Oakland Raiders 35,Miami Dolphins 17
(A) Raiders: Daunte Culpepper got revenge against his former team, throwing for two scores and running for three. The offensive line gashed the Miami defense all day long as the Raiders ran for 299 yards.
(F) Dolphins: What an awful day. When a team runs for nearly 300 yards, it's a bad day. Trent Green didn't help with his two interceptions. Yecch. Yecch. Yecch.
Seattle Seahawks 23,San Francisco 49ers 3
(A+) Seahawks: Matt Hasselbeck had a huge day. He carved up the San Francisco defense. Seattle's defense played well, too. This was a big road victory.
(F) 49ers: The offense once again struggled. That has been the theme all year long. The defense had problems with the pass.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20,Carolina Panthers 7
(A) Buccaneers: This was all about the defense. The Panthers couldn't get anything going against that unit. The Bucs ran it and stopped the run. Jeff Garcia did his part, too.
(F) Panthers: They have big troubles on defense. They have problems stopping teams. David Carr didn't play that well for Jake Delhomme. That was awful.
Kansas City Chiefs 30,San Diego Chargers 16
(A) Chiefs: That might have been a season-saving second half. Damon Huard came up big when the running game couldn't get going. The defense came on in the second half, scoring the clinching touchdown.
(F) Chargers: The pass defense stinks. The passing game stinks. That's not going to win a lot of games. They made Damon Huard look like a star in the second half. Why did they stop giving it to LaDainian Tomlinson?
Indianapolis Colts 38,Denver Broncos 20
(B+) Colts: They ran it at will against the Broncos and Peyton Manning threw three touchdown passes. The defense gave up some yards on the ground, which is always a concern.
(D-) Broncos: The run defense is awful. The Colts ran it big the entire game. The offense couldn't keep up. If it stays that way, this is a team that will struggle all year long.
Arizona Cardinals 21,Pittsburgh Steelers 14
(A) Cardinals: After a slow start, the team came alive. The punt return for a touchdown by Steve Breaston was huge. The defense had a heck of a day.
(D) Steelers: They did little after the first quarter. They got pushed around late, too. The passing game struggled in the second half.
NY Giants Giants 16,Philadelphia Eagles 3
(A) Giants: The defense was dominant. The pass rush was as good as any, tying a league record with 12 sacks. Osi Umenyiora was amazing with six. And the defense scored a touchdown. They moved the ball on offense but left points on the board.
(D) Eagles: The offensive line was whipped. The receivers didn't get open and this banged-up team looked injured. At 1-3, they're in big trouble
Three weeks ago on opening day, the Chicago Bears played the San Diego Chargers in what many said could be a Super Bowl preview.
Is that laughable now or what?
Both the Bears and the Chargers fell to 1-3 with losses on Sunday. The only San Diego victory came in that game against the Bears.
Who could have imagined this?
The Chicago Bears made a quarterback change against the Detroit Lions, and it failed. Brian Griese did the same things that Rex Grossman did. He turned it over. The Lions ran one interception back for a touchdown and had another thwart a threat in the end zone at the end of the half.
Kyle Orton, you ready?
Let's face facts. The Bears are limited on offense. They can play all the good defense they want, and Devin Hester can return a kick a game, but until they get that offense going, it won't matter.
As for San Diego, they can't defend the pass and they can't pass it. That's a bad combination. Philip Rivers went to the Pro Bowl last year, but you would hardly know it by watching him now.
His hometown fans booed the heck out of him in the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chargers blew two 10-point leads in falling to 1-3. It was a must-win game for the Chargers, and they couldn't get it.
That should be a troubling sign for any Chargers fans out there.
Your team isn't any good, and losing to the Chiefs at home earns them a big fat F in our CBSSports.com grades.
The flip side is the Green Bay Packers. They're the surprise of the league at 4-0. On a day in which Brett Favre broke the NFL record for touchdown passes -- did you hear? -- the Packers impressed by going into Minnesota and winning against a team returning home after two road games. That's tough to do.
For that, the Packers earn an A+. It would normally be just an A, but with Favre's touchdown record, I was nice and threw on the plus.
Hey, even I get sappy when it comes to historic moments.
Sunday, Sep. 30, 2007
Detroit Lions 37,Chicago Bears 27
(B+) Lions: The defense, which has been ripped all year, came up big here. They had one return for a touchdown and a big interception in the end zone. Jon Kitna had a nice day against the banged-up Bears secondary.
(D) Bears: So much for going to Brian Griese. He was picked off three times, one returned for a touchdown. The pass defense struggled. The Bears are 1-3 -- do you believe it?
Dallas Cowboys 35,St. Louis Rams 7
(A) Cowboys: Tony Romo lit it up again and the defense was suffocating. That was a nice game for Patrick Crayton with his two touchdown grabs. This is a good football team. The only letdown was the special teams touchdown.
(F) Rams: Boy, was that bad. The defense fought for a while, but they got no help from the offense. It's hard to believe this is the same star-studded group. Marc Bulger is really struggling.
Cleveland Browns 27,Baltimore Ravens 13
(B+) Browns: The offense once again helped them to a 14-0 lead, but it was the defense that made all the key stops. The Ravens moved the ball, but the Browns didn't let them get into the end zone but twice. Derek Anderson had another big day.
(C-) Ravens: At some point, they have to start playing like the elite team they're supposed to be. The defense got pushed around early. The offense didn't do much until it was too late.
Buffalo Bills 17,NY Jets Jets 14
(B+) Bills: That was a nice showing by rookie Trent Edwards at QB. He looked like a veteran. The defense bent but didn't break. They found a way to slow the Jets when they got close. That was a nice victory.
(C-) Jets: This is one that will sting. You can't blow all those scoring chances and expect to win. The defense let a rookie carve it up.
Atlanta Falcons 26,Houston Texans 16
(B) Falcons: They passed the ball well and their defense came up with big plays when they needed them. Joey Harrington had a solid day throwing it and Michael Jenkins had a nice day catching the ball.
(C-) Texans: They were shorthanded, but somehow found a way to make it close. Matt Schaub had a nice game in his return to Atlanta. It's hard to win without three key offensive players.
Green Bay Packers 23,Minnesota Vikings 16
(A+) Packers: This was Brett Favre's day. He not only broke the touchdown record, but shredded the Vikings defense. Green Bay's defense had a good day, except for a few long runs.
(D) Vikings: The secondary had a rough go of it against the Packers receivers. Kelly Holcomb seemed to struggle getting into a groove. Left tackle Bryant McKinnie had an awful day.
Oakland Raiders 35,Miami Dolphins 17
(A) Raiders: Daunte Culpepper got revenge against his former team, throwing for two scores and running for three. The offensive line gashed the Miami defense all day long as the Raiders ran for 299 yards.
(F) Dolphins: What an awful day. When a team runs for nearly 300 yards, it's a bad day. Trent Green didn't help with his two interceptions. Yecch. Yecch. Yecch.
Seattle Seahawks 23,San Francisco 49ers 3
(A+) Seahawks: Matt Hasselbeck had a huge day. He carved up the San Francisco defense. Seattle's defense played well, too. This was a big road victory.
(F) 49ers: The offense once again struggled. That has been the theme all year long. The defense had problems with the pass.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20,Carolina Panthers 7
(A) Buccaneers: This was all about the defense. The Panthers couldn't get anything going against that unit. The Bucs ran it and stopped the run. Jeff Garcia did his part, too.
(F) Panthers: They have big troubles on defense. They have problems stopping teams. David Carr didn't play that well for Jake Delhomme. That was awful.
Kansas City Chiefs 30,San Diego Chargers 16
(A) Chiefs: That might have been a season-saving second half. Damon Huard came up big when the running game couldn't get going. The defense came on in the second half, scoring the clinching touchdown.
(F) Chargers: The pass defense stinks. The passing game stinks. That's not going to win a lot of games. They made Damon Huard look like a star in the second half. Why did they stop giving it to LaDainian Tomlinson?
Indianapolis Colts 38,Denver Broncos 20
(B+) Colts: They ran it at will against the Broncos and Peyton Manning threw three touchdown passes. The defense gave up some yards on the ground, which is always a concern.
(D-) Broncos: The run defense is awful. The Colts ran it big the entire game. The offense couldn't keep up. If it stays that way, this is a team that will struggle all year long.
Arizona Cardinals 21,Pittsburgh Steelers 14
(A) Cardinals: After a slow start, the team came alive. The punt return for a touchdown by Steve Breaston was huge. The defense had a heck of a day.
(D) Steelers: They did little after the first quarter. They got pushed around late, too. The passing game struggled in the second half.
NY Giants Giants 16,Philadelphia Eagles 3
(A) Giants: The defense was dominant. The pass rush was as good as any, tying a league record with 12 sacks. Osi Umenyiora was amazing with six. And the defense scored a touchdown. They moved the ball on offense but left points on the board.
(D) Eagles: The offensive line was whipped. The receivers didn't get open and this banged-up team looked injured. At 1-3, they're in big trouble