Washington Redskins (L, at PHI, 37-34)
Former Eagles WR DeSean Jackson caught an 81-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to tie the game 27-27 late in the third quarter. Cousins recovered from his only interception to march the Redskins 80 yards in five plays, throwing a TD pass to narrow the gap to 37-34 with less than five minutes left. Cousins couldn’t put together a game-winning drive, but he completed 30 of 48 passes with three touchdowns. Robert Griffin III can take his time coming back.
Grade: B- (1-2)
New York Jets (L, CHI, 27-19)
The Jets were nine yards away from a touchdown and an attempt to tie the game on a two-point conversion in the final minute, but they ultimately couldn’t climb out of the hole they dug for themselves. Ryan Mundy returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown on the game’s second play. Then a muffed punt and a 33-yard pass interference penalty set up another Bears touchdown, which gave them a 14-0 lead on only six yards of offense. The loss of WR Eric Decker stung, and even though the Jets young receivers stepped up and made plays late in the game, Gang Green came up short.
Grade: B- (1-2)
Houston Texans (L, at NYG, 30-17)
The Giants shot themselves in the foot multiple times early in the game, but the Texans could not capitalize on their miscues. The G-Men later woke up and began to establish the run, and it was all downhill after that. The Texans were gashed on the ground throughout the afternoon, giving up 193 yards in the game. And even though they produced 411 total yards of offense themselves, Ryan Fitzpatrick’s three interceptions proved to be drive-killers.
Grade: C+ (2-1)
Oakland Raiders (L, at NE, 16-9)
It’s not a grade worthy of hanging on the fridge, but the winless Raiders earn a respectable mark for staying with the heavily favored Patriots in their home opener. The Raiders had a shot at the upset for 59 minutes. But an apparent game-tying touchdown by Darren McFadden was negated by a holding penalty, and on the next play Carr threw an interception with a minute left.
Grade: C+ (0-3)
Cleveland Browns (L, BAL, 23-21)
All three games involving Browns this season have ended with last-season field goals, and they’ve lost two of them. Justin Tucker’s 32-yard field goal was the difference in this game. The Ravens must like seeing Billy Cundiff in another uniform. The Browns led 21-17 in the fourth quarter when Cundiff missed a 50-yard field goal. Asa Jackson blocked Cundiff’s 36-yard attempt later in the quarter, and the Browns went three-and-out on their last two possessions to allow the Ravens to come back.
Grade: C (1-2)
Minnesota Vikings (L, at NO, 20-9)
It’s been a long two weeks off the field for the Vikings, who are dealing with the Adrian Peterson situation. And it turned out to be a tough week on the field when Matt Cassel broke his foot in the second quarter. Rookie Teddy Bridgewater, the last pick in the first round of the draft, completed 12 of 20 passes for 150 yards and kept the Vikings in the game despite the absence of Adrian Peterson.
Grade: C (1-2)
New England Patriots (W, OAK, 16-9)
The Patriots are the first team this season to get a lower grade than the team they beat. They let the lowly Raiders hang around until the final minute and needed 325-pound Vince Wilfork to intercept a Derek Carr pass to clinch the victory. The ball bounced off two people before landing in the portly Wilfork’s hands. The play was the stuff of Sunday-morning beer leagues. The Patriots’ offense looked out of rhythm, and the team is going to have to find a way to score points and put together long drives in the future.
Grade: C (2-1)
San Francisco 49ers (L, at ARI, 23-14)
Penalties foiled the 49ers. They were flagged nine times for 107 yards. An unnecessary roughness and a roughing the passer call on back-to-back plays helped pave the way for the touchdown that put the Cardinals ahead 20-14 in the third quarter. The 49ers reached the Cardinals’ 12-yard line on their next possession, but Anquan Boldin was called for unnecessary roughness and Jonathan Martin was whistled for clipping. The drive ended when Phil Dawson’s field-goal attempt was blocked.
Grade: C (1-2)
Buffalo Bills (L, SD, 22-10)
This loss tempered the euphoria of the Bills’ 2-0 start. EJ Manuel completed 23 of 39 passes and Buffalo could only scrape together 87 rushing yards. Fred Jackson caught eight passes, including a touchdown. But no Bills receiver caught more than three. The Bills committed 11 penalties for 110 yards. It looked like Buffalo was the team that traveled three time zones for the 1 p.m. game.
Grade: C- (2-1)
Miami Dolphins (L, KC, 34-15)
Ryan Tannehill completed 21 of 43 passes for 205 yards, and there’s a slight chance he’ll have time for some sightseeing when the Dolphins travel to London this week. According to the Palm Beach Post, Dolphins coach Joe Philbin is hinting that the team is considering replacing Tannehill with Matt Moore. The Dolphins sacked Alex Smith five times, but couldn’t beat a team that was missing seven starters, including Jamaal Charles.
Grade: C- (1-2)
St. Louis Rams (L, DAL, 34-31)
The Rams blew a 21-0, second-quarter lead. It was the second-largest blown lead in franchise history. The Cowboys pulled to within 21-20 when Jared Cook dropped a touchdown pass from Austin Davis early in the fourth quarter. Cook apologized after the game. Davis completed 30 of 42 passes with three touchdowns and two interceptions, but according to NFL.com, Shaun Hill will regain his starting job in Week 5, after the Rams’ bye week.
Grade: C- (1-2)
Tennessee Titans (L, at CIN, 33-7)
The Titans get a bit of a break because they played with heavy hearts after the death of former teammate Rob Bironas. They also played the AFC’s only remaining unbeaten team. But this was an ugly performance. Andy Dalton even lined up as a receiver, and the Titans couldn’t cover him. He caught an 18-yard pass from WR Mohamed Sanu to give the Bengals a 10-0 lead after one quarter. Ryan Succop missed two field goals and Jake Locker’s passer rating was 41.9.
Grade: C- (1-2)
Carolina Panthers (L, PIT, 37-19)
The Panthers attempted just 10 runs for 42 yards against the NFL’s 30-ranked run defense. The Panthers became the first team to turn the ball over against the Steelers this season. Then after losing the ball in the red zone, they were whistled for being offside on the Steelers’ field-goal attempt. The Steelers capitalized on the first down with a touchdown to increase their lead to a commanding 16-3 margin in the third quarter.
Grade: D (2-1)
Green Bay Packers (L, at DET, 19-7)
The Packers have lost to the Lions two straight times for the first time this century. It wasn’t a good day for Eddie Lacy. He ran for only 36 yards on 11 carries. The second-year running back fumbled his second carry of the game, and Don Carey returned it 40 yards for a 7-0 Lions lead. In the second quarter, Lacy was tackled in the end zone for a safety, which gave the Lions a 9-7 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.
Grade: D (1-2)
Jacksonville Jaguars (L, IND, 44-17)
The Indianapolis Colts entered this game with one total sack in the first two weeks of the season, and they had four on Sunday. The Jaguars offensive line makes any team’s pass rush look good. Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said that rookie Blake Bortles will now start at quarterback for the team, according to NFL.com. Bortles entered Sunday’s game in the second half and completed 14 of 24 passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Grade: F (0-3)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (L, at ATL, 56-14)
It was a night reminiscent of the Creamsicle-clad Buccaneers of 1976 and 1977, who lost their first 26 games as an expansion team. Tampa Bay was down 35-0 before recording a first down, and the Falcons’ first-team offense was done after taking a 49-0 lead in the third quarter. The Bucs never showed up and looked like a high school team in getting embarrassed on Thursday night.
Grade: F (0-3)