Pittsburgh Steelers (W, CLE, 30-27)
The Steelers beat the Browns at home for the 11th straight time, but blew a 24-point lead in the second half. This Brian Hoyer-led comeback came without Ben Tate and Jordan Cameron. When the Browns come to Heinz Field, it’s as close to a guaranteed “W” for the Steelers as there is in the NFL. If after leading 27-3 at halftime the Steelers needed Shaun Suisham to bail them out with a 41-yard field goal in the final seconds, it doesn’t bode well for their season.
Grade: C+
Philadelphia Eagles (W, JAX, 34-17)
A win is a win, but the Eagles fell behind the traditionally lowly Jaguars 17-0 in the first half. After throwing just two interceptions last season, Nick Foles threw one in the first half and lost two fumbles. The Eagles sandwiched two touchdowns around a defensive three-and-out to start the second half, and Foles threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin to give the Eagles the lead in the fourth quarter. The comeback was all well and good, but falling behind a rebuilding team like the Jaguars suggests inconsistency for a team that’s expected to run away with the NFC East title this season.
Grade: C+
Jacksonville Jaguars (L, at PHI, 34-17)
There was something to be said right off the bat for the Jaguars’ scouting department in this game. Or maybe it’s just the quickness of someone’s dialing fingers in the frenzy to sign undrafted free agents. Allen Hurns, an undrafted rookie, caught touchdowns on the first two passes thrown to him as the Jaguars built a 17-0 halftime lead. The Jaguars couldn’t hold that lead, partly because they converted just two of their 14 third-down opportunities. However, they gave the overwhelming NFC East favorites a scare. That’s not a bad first step on the road to relevance.
Grade: C+
New Orleans Saints (L, at ATL, 37-34, OT)
It’s difficult to grade either side too harshly in an instant classic like this, but the Saints defense must be held accountable for Matt Ryan’s 448 passing yards and the Falcons’ staggering 568 yards of offense. They didn’t even allow that many yards in a game during their pathetic, post-Bountygate 2012 season, when they were the worst defensive team in the league. The Saints’ offense put up some big numbers, too. They racked up 472 yards and 30 first downs. But Marques Colston, who caught five passes for 110 yards, fumbled in Saints territory in overtime. That’s a big no-no, and it was the difference in the game.
Grade: C+
San Diego Chargers (L, at ARI, 18-17)
The Chargers couldn’t close the deal with an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter. They also couldn’t run the ball. They ran it 24 times for 52 yards and an anemic 2.2 yards-per-carry average. Rookie linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu seems like a good pick early on. He blocked a punt in the second quarter to set up the field goal that put the Chargers on the board. He also strip-sacked Carson Palmer in the third quarter. Three plays later, Ryan Mathews ran 20 yards for a touchdown to increase the Chargers’ lead to 17-6. The Chargers could have had three more points in the fourth quarter, but Rivers fumbled a snap in the shotgun, knocking the Chargers out of field-goal range.
Grade: C+
Washington Redskins (L, at HOU, 17-6)
The Redskins succumbed to Houston’s ravaging defense. Some of their offensive numbers looked good. Robert Griffin III completed 29 of 37 passes for 267 yards. Washington ran for 131 yards as a team at a pace of 5.7 yards per carry. However, newly-acquired deep threat DeSean Jackson wasn’t used properly. He caught eight passes for 62 yards, a meager 7.8 ypc average. According to ESPN, Griffin’s passes to Jackson averaged just 2.4 yards through the air. Griffin ran just three times for two yards. The Subway spokesman’s career has run off track since his dazzling rookie season. Could Kirk Cousins be given a chance to start in the coming weeks?
Grade: C
Cleveland Browns (L, at PIT, 30-27)
Brian Hoyer would have been almost as famous in Cleveland as LeBron James – or even Johnny Manziel – if he could have led the Browns to a victory after trailing 27-3 at halftime. Hoyer and the Browns – without Ben Tate and Jordan Cameron – battled back to a 27-27 tie, but that was all they had. This downtrodden franchise didn’t give up despite trailing by 24 in a place where they haven’t won since before James played his first NBA game. Ben Roethlisberger did burn them for 278 yards in the first half, however.
Grade: C
New England Patriots (L, 33-20, at MIA)
Tom Brady’s accuracy is slowly abandoning him as he ages. The 37-year-old completed only 51.7 percent of his passes Sunday (29 of 56). This is the first time the Patriots have lost two straight games to the Dolphins since 2000 and 2001. The 2001 loss was Brady’s second career start. This was the Patriots’ first loss in a season opener since they lost 31-0 at Buffalo in 2003. Of course, anyone who’s watched a down of football knows not to count out the Patriots. They won the Super Bowl after losing that opener at Buffalo in ’03. But then again, times are changing, and Brady is 37. Can he muster one more good season?
Grade: C
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (L, 20-14, CAR)
You just can’t lose at home to a backup quarterback. The Bucs didn’t have to worry about Cam Newton, but they did have to worry about Derek Anderson, who threw for two touchdown passes and led the Panthers to a 17-0 fourth-quarter lead. Josh McCown threw two interceptions and fumbled twice. He recovered both fumbles, but on the second one he picked the ball back up and threw an interception. The play looked like a lowlight from the Buccaneers’ inaugural 1976 season. Bucco Bruce would have been proud. McCown did throw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to pull Tampa Bay to within 17-14.
Grade: C
Baltimore Ravens (L, CIN, 23-16)
The Ravens get an “A” off the field for releasing Ray Rice now that just about everyone has seen what happened inside the infamous Atlantic City elevator. On the field? That’s a different story. The Ravens fell behind 15-0 in the first half after generating only 97 yards of total offense. Flacco capped off the first half by making what he called “probably the stupidest play I ever made in football,” according to NFL.com. He took a sack to end the half instead of throwing the ball away with the Ravens in field-goal range. Flacco threw the ball 62 times with only 35 completions. So far it looks like a rough adjustment under new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak.
Grade: C
Chicago Bears (L, BUF, 23-20, OT)
This was an unbelievable loss for the Bears on multiple levels.They lost to one of the league’s projected bottom feeders. They had 29 first downs compared to 15 for the Bills. They committed four penalties. The Bills committed nine. But Jay Cutler threw two interceptions, including one in the fourth quarter with the Bears on the fringes of field-goal range and the score tied 17-17. Fred Jackson’s 38-yard run in OT brought the ball to the Bears’ 1-yard line and set up the game-winning field goal.
Grade: C-
Oakland Raiders (L, at NYJ, 19-14)
So the Jets’ front seven is going to stop a lot of running backs this year. But 25 rushing yards on 15 carries? That’s … just … putrid. The Raiders were 3-for-12 on third-down conversions and had to punt nine times. The defense wasn’t much better. It was trampled for 402 yards, including 212 on the ground. Rookie quarterback Derek Carr was the only one keeping the Raiders from getting a failing grade. He wasn’t spectacular, completing 20 of 32 passes for 151 yards (4.7 yards per attempt) with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Raiders couldn’t expect much more from the rookie against such a strong defense.
Grade: C-
New York Giants (L, at DET, 35-14)
The Giants are having a difficult time adjusting to new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. Eli Manning completed 18 of his 33 passes for 163 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Crunch those numbers and it comes out to a 53.0 passer rating. The Giants couldn’t run the ball, either. They moved it 53 yards on the ground at an average of 2.4 yards per carry. The Giants kept the game close in the first half, trailing only 14-7 at the break, but both of Manning’s interceptions came in the third quarter and led to 10 points for the Lions.
Grade: D
Dallas Cowboys (L, SF, 28-17)
Considering the holes in their defense, the Cowboys’ grade should get a boost any time they hold an opponent under 30 points. But this was ugly. Tony Romo threw three interceptions. DeMarco Murray fumbled on the second play of the game, and Chris Culliver picked it up and returned in 35 yards for a touchdown. Good teams don’t fumble the ball away on the second play of the season. It raises questions about the Cowboys’ focus. This game wasn’t as close as it looked. The 49ers needed just four offensive plays to take a 21-3 lead after the first quarter. The score was 28-3 at halftime. Nothing else needs to be said.
Grade: D
St. Louis Rams (L, MIN, 34-6)
The Rams lost Sam Bradford for the season, but their defense was supposed to compensate for that to some degree and at least make them respectable. St. Louis registered 53 sacks last season, but sacked Matt Cassel just once on Sunday. The Rams were still within striking distance, trailing 13-3 in the third quarter. But wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson broke the game open with a 67-yard touchdown run. The Rams limited Adrian Peterson to 75 yards, but that didn’t do any good when they let a receiver run for 102 yards on just three carries.
Grade: D
Kansas City Chiefs (L, TEN, 26-10)
Alex Smith, Mr. Efficient, threw three interceptions in the game. Jamaal Charles, third in the NFL last season in rushing with 1,287 yards, gained just 19 yards on seven carries. Charles caught four passes, but only for 15 yards. Those numbers would have been better if the Chiefs possessed the ball for more than 22 minutes and 16 seconds, but when you convert just one of your 12 third downs, your offense will be watching the defense a lot. The Chiefs benefited from a soft schedule last year. It’s a lot tougher this year, but this wasn’t supposed to be one of the tough ones.
Grade: D
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