After featuring many shocking and exciting moments, the first quarter of the 2014 NFL season is now in the books.
The league’s two unbeaten teams—the Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals—had Week 4 off. No team that has had to play all four weeks is perfect.
It can be debated for hours who the best team in the NFL is through four games, but when it comes to the league’s doormats, the Raiders and Jaguars have separated themselves from the pack.
In between, there have been plenty of surprises. It turns out the Cowboys defense isn’t the train wreck we thought they were. The Saints defense, on the other hand, just might be.
It’s time to break out the red pen and fill out some report cards. Here is each NFL team’s grade at the quarter-mark of the season.
Arizona Cardinals (3-0)
This is a resilient Cardinals team. Despite being without Carson Palmer for two of their three games, Arizona is one of two unbeaten teams remaining in the NFL and the only unbeaten left in the NFC. The Cardinals trailed in the fourth quarter of their first two games, an 18-17 win over the Chargers and a 25-14 win at the Giants. They trailed in the third quarter before rallying to beat the 49ers 23-14 at home. Drew Stanton has barely completed half of his passes (32 of 62), but he’s thrown for two touchdowns and no interceptions as a game manager. Defensively, the Cardinals have allowed 15 points per game, tied for second in the NFL.
Grade: A
Cincinnati Bengals (3-0)
The Bengals won’t really prove anything, of course, until they win a playoff game. But for now, they are off to their best start since 2006. They squandered a 15-0 lead and recovered to beat the Ravens in the season opener at Baltimore, but they haven’t really been challenged since. They beat the Atlanta Falcons 24-10 and the Tennessee Titans 33-7 at home. They are tied for the league lead with a plus-6 turnover ratio and Andy Dalton hasn’t been sacked. The Bengals’ leading tackler is Emmanuel Lamur, an undrafted linebacker who missed last season with a shoulder injury.
Grade: A
San Diego Chargers (3-1)
The Chargers are a point away from being unbeaten. Their only loss came in the opener, 18-17, at unbeaten Arizona. In Week 2 they put a feather in their hat by beating the defending-champion Seahawks 30-21 in San Diego. Philip Rivers has thrown for nine touchdowns and one interception. His 114.5 passer rating is best among the league’s starting quarterbacks. Rivers’ elite performance is not a luxury, because they’re down to Donald Brown as their starting running back because of injuries to Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead. The Chargers are next to last with 69.5 rushing yards gained per game. The only team worse is the Raiders.
Grade: A-
Seattle Seahawks (2-1)
The Seahawks are off to a solid start and are the defending champions until proven otherwise, but any dynasty talk is on hold for now. Seattle ranks sixth in the NFL defensively, but has allowed third-down conversions 49 percent of the time. Only three teams rank lower than that. After leading the NFL with a plus-20 turnover ratio last season, the Seahawks are even in that category this year. They’ve been tested early in the season with a tough schedule. Their one loss came at San Diego, and they’ve beaten the Packers and Broncos at home. They stifled Peyton Manning for three quarters before pulling out the win in overtime.
Grade: A-
Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
Defending your home turf and winning road division games any way you can is a sound formula for success. Since losing their season opener to the unbeaten Bengals, the Ravens have dominated the Steelers and Panthers in Baltimore and scratched out a two-point win at Cleveland. Ray Rice is so out-of-sight, out-of-mind in Baltimore that he might as well have played for the Colts–the Baltimore Colts. Even without Bernard Pierce for the last two games, the Ravens are eighth in the NFL with 134.5 rushing yards per game. Justin Forsett is ninth in the league with 255 rushing yards.
Grade: A-
Dallas Cowboys (3-1)
It looked like the Eagles would be the first team ever to clinch a division title in the preseason. No one else in the NFC East was given a chance. Now, at the quarter-mark of the regular season, the Cowboys are tied with the Eagles atop the division after beating the Saints 38-17 Sunday night in Dallas. This isn’t exactly the Doomsday Defense, but it’s not the laughingstock everyone thought it would be. Dallas has allowed 379.8 yards per game, 24th in the league, but they’re tied for second with eight takeaways. DeMarco Murray leads NFL running backs in both rushing yards (534, 156 more than No. 2 Le’Veon Bell) and touchdowns (five).
Grade: B+
Denver Broncos (2-1)
This isn’t 2013. Nothing is coming easy this year for the Broncos. Instead of offensive fireworks, the Broncos are winning with grit. They’ve fought off fourth-quarter rallies at home to beat the Colts and the Chiefs, then rallied in the fourth quarter themselves to force overtime in a loss at Seattle. Peyton Manning has thrown eight touchdowns and only one interception. His defense helped the Broncos rally to tie the game in Seattle. Overall, however, the Broncos aren’t getting much return for all the money they spent in free agency. They’re 28th in the NFL with 390.7 yards allowed per game.
Grade: B+
Detroit Lions (3-1)
Finally, the Lions are putting the “D” in Detroit. They lead the NFL with 267.2 yards allowed per game and held the Packers to their lowest point total since 2010 in a 19-7 home victory in Week 3. Detroit’s first road win of the year came Sunday against the Jets. The Lions prevailed, 24-17, even though Calvin Johnson was hobbled with an ankle injury. Golden Tate caught eight passes for 116 yards, and leads the Lions this season with 24 receptions. Kicker Nate Freese was waived after going 3 for 7 on field goals. Alex Henery made a 51-yard field goal against the Jets and missed a 52-yarder.
Grade: B+
Green Bay Packers (2-2)
Drawing the Thursday night season-opener at the home of the Super Bowl champion is like drawing a two and a nine in Texas Hold ‘Em. Fold and wait until the next hand. That absolves the Packers of their loss in Seattle. Regarding their loss at Detroit, you’re going to lose division games on the road every now and then in the NFL. You have to win some of those, and the Packers did by out-gunning the Bears 38-17 Sunday at Chicago to even their record. Also on their resume is a 31-24 home win over the Jets after falling behind 21-3. Aaron Rodgers is third in the NFL (second if you throw out Derek Anderson) with a 109.1 passer rating.
Grade: B
Houston Texans (3-1)
So far this season, J.J. Watt has two sacks, one fumble recovery, a blocked extra point, a receiving touchdown and an interception. His 80-yard pick-six gave the Texans a 14-10 lead Sunday against Buffalo. The Texans went on to win, 23-17. As the leader of a defense that has allowed third-down conversions a league-best 29 percent of the time, Watt gets an A-plus. The rest of the team? Well, the three teams the Texans have beaten have a combined record of 3-9. Houston can’t rely on Arian Foster to stay healthy. He returned from a hamstring injury Sunday and ran for six yards, although he did catch seven passes.
Grade: B
Indianapolis Colts (2-2)
The Colts make short work of inferior competition. Since their 0-2 start, they’ve disposed of the Jaguars 44-17 on the road and the Titans 41-17 at home. Now the Colts just have to figure out a way to beat a decent team. They gave the Broncos all they could handle after falling behind 24-0 at Denver, eventually losing, 31-24. They led the Eagles 20-6 in the second half, but no lead is safe against Philly. The Colts still led 27-20 and had a chance to close it out, but Andrew Luck threw an interception. Luck leads the NFL in passing yards (1,305) and touchdown passes (13), but he has four interceptions. Only five quarterbacks have thrown more.
Grade: B
Kansas City Chiefs (2-2)
The Chiefs are taking a step forward every week. After losing their opener, 26-10, to Tennessee at home, they gave the Broncos all they could handle in Denver, losing, 24-17. Their first win came in Week 3 on the road without Jamaal Charles when they beat the Dolphins, 34-15. Then they pounded the Patriots, 41-14, in prime time. Sure, the Patriots are struggling, but it’s still a signature win for the Chiefs. Alex Smith has been sacked 13 times. Only the Jaguars’ Chad Henne has been sacked more. But Knile Davis, Charles’ backup, is fourth in the league with 321 rushing yards. So the offensive line can open holes no matter who’s running the ball.
Grade: B
New York Giants (2-2)
Raise your hand if you had heard of Larry Donnell before the season. Undrafted out of Grambling State last year, the 6’6″, 265-pound tight end is tied for seventh in the league with 25 receptions and he’s caught four touchdowns. He’s part of the Giants’ resurgence from an 0-2 start. Their losses at Detroit and at home against unbeaten Arizona don’t seem so bad now. They broke into the win column at home against the Houston Texans and became the first road team to win on Thursday night this season with a 45-14 thumping of the Washington Redskins.
Grade: B
Philadelphia Eagles (3-1)
The Eagles keep getting better and better in the first half. In Week 1, they trailed the Jaguars, 17-0, at halftime at home. In Week 2, they trailed 17-6 at halftime at Indianapolis. In Week 3, they led the visiting Redskins, 21-20, at the break. On Sunday, they led, 21-13, at halftime in San Francisco. But those 21 points came on a blocked punt, an interception return and a punt return. Injuries have ravaged the Eagles’ offensive line, and LeSean McCoy has averaged just 2.7 yards per carry this year. The Eagles’ turnover ratio is minus-4. Still, they’re 3-1 and had a chance to win at San Francisco without any points from their offense.
Grade: B
Chicago Bears (2-2)
In March, Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel explored the possibility of expanding Soldier Field, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Bears probably wouldn’t mind if they renovated during the season and forced them to play on the road the whole year. They’re 0-2 at home and 2-0 on the road. Jay Cutler had 10 touchdown passes and two interceptions entering the second half of Sunday’s game against the Packers, but going nose-to-nose with Aaron Rodgers, he blinked and threw two third-quarter interceptions. The Packers turned a 21-17 halftime lead into a 38-17 win. Not a good start against NFC North foes for the Bears.
Grade: B-
Cleveland Browns (1-2)
Despite being 1-2, the Browns seem to be turning a corner. All three games have been decided by three points or less. The Browns have gone to the wire in every game despite being without Josh Gordon, their top receiver last season. Ben Tate, a free-agent signing who was supposed to be their top running back this season, hasn’t been back since hurting his knee in Week 1. For now, it seems the Browns have the luxury of waiting until Johnny Manziel is good and ready before he takes over at quarterback. Brian Hoyer has thrown for three touchdowns and no interceptions thus far.
Grade: B-