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Carson Palmer, you missed out.
You missed a chance to be the starting quarterback on a team that has a lot of good young talent, guys you could have helped mold into a good football team.
I know you grew tired of hearing Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco in your ear all the time crying like cats in heat, and the Bengals haven't exactly been a model of NFL success, but the group that is in place now seems to be building to something.
| More on NFL Week 6 |
| Analysis |
Clark JudgeThat is Cincy's Andy Dalton at 4-2. So he isn't producing the numbers Cam Newton is; he is producing wins. Week 6 Judgements >> 
Will BrinsonThough Jim Schwartz might have looked like the aggressor, blame has to lie with Jim Harbaugh. Sorting the Sunday Pile >> |
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Your stubbornness, your selfishness and your refusal to play for the Bengals has you sitting at home in California.
Those young players, the guys who should be your young teammates, are 4-2 with a rookie quarterback.
How's that working out for you, Carson?
The Cincinnati Bengals, thanks to their 27-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, are now 4-2 and one of the surprise teams in the NFL. Their four victories match exactly what they had in all of 2010.
They're doing it with a rookie quarterback in Andy Dalton and the NFL's top-rated defense. Dalton was 25 of 32 for 264 yards and a touchdown against the Colts. The defense sealed the victory when it forced a fumble by Pierre Garcon that Carlos Dunlap returned 35 yards for a touchdown with 2:22 left in the game to ice it.
I know the four teams the Bengals have defeated have a combined 7-12 record, but they did beat the 4-2 Bills. A look at their schedule the rest of the way shows a not-so-imposing road.
They play at Seattle next week, have road games at Tennessee and St. Louis and have home games against Arizona and Cleveland. Of course, they still have to play the Ravens and Steelers, the two top teams in the division, twice each.
As Dalton grows in confidence, and those young defensive players continue to improve, the Bengals should get better and better, which is why I give them an A here atop our CBSSports.com Grades, not for the week but for the season.
Hope you're enjoying your time off, Carson. You might want to pay attention to that new movie coming out where time is a currency.
You're losing a lot of valuable currency sitting at home wasting a season on the sidelines.
| Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011 | |||
| Team | Grade | GPA | Atlanta Falcons 31, Carolina Panthers 17 |
 | B | 1.90 | Falcons: The Falcons got back to the basics Sunday, using a healthy dose of Michael Turner to power the offense on the ground and using a bend, but don't break philosophy on defense. There are still many areas to clean up, but Sunday's game plan looked very similar to those from 2010. -- Knox Bardeen, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C- | 2.50 | Panthers: Cam Newton threw three interceptions and the Panthers blew a fourth quarter lead for the third straight week to fall to 1-5. Carolina's defense was gashed by Michael Turner, who ran for 139 yards and two scores. This is a young team and clearly they haven't learned to finish. -- Steve Reed, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Cincinnati Bengals 27, Indianapolis Colts 17 |
 | B+ | 2.60 | Bengals: The maturation of QB Andy Dalton continues to pay dividends. Despite a running game that was ineffective, Dalton become the savior instead of the liability rookie quarterbacks are supposed to be. Add two critical turnovers from the top-ranked defense and suddenly the Bengals are 4-2 entering the bye week. Hard to argue with that. -- Paul Dehner, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D | 1.67 | Colts: Indianapolis waited three quarters to show signs of life offensively, and yet couldn't fix a pass defense that continues to be gashed -- this time by rookie QB Andy Dalton. Toss in two lazy fumbles that led to 14 Cincinnati points and there are plenty of directions to point the blame. -- Paul Dehner, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | San Francisco 49ers 25, Detroit Lions 19 |
 | B- | 2.78 | 49ers: Frank Gore's big-play ability -- and a breakout performance from Michael Crabtree -- helped the 49ers overcome 15 penalties and two costly turnovers for a mistake-filled win. San Francisco's veteran LB corps rendered Detroit's potent offense largely ineffective. Jim Harbaugh's team proved they're capable of the ugly wins playoff teams must have. -- John Kreger, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C+ | 3.43 | Lions: Red-zone penalties that cost them points, and an inability to stop the run cost Detroit a game they should've won. After outscoring opponents 109-23 in the second half of its first five games, Detroit's out-of-sync offense could manage just ten second-half points Sunday. San Francisco gave Detroit plenty of opportunities to remain undefeated. The Lions simply didn't take them. -- John Kreger, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Green Bay Packers 24, St. Louis Rams 3 |
 | B- | 3.22 | Packers: Every week, Mike McCarthy reiterates his Packers have much to improve. He's right. The Super Bowl champs are far from playing their best. They didn't score at all in the second half and the running game was punchless. The defense allowed just three points, but it was against the Rams. -- James Carlton, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D | 1.05 | Rams: Dropped passes, questionable play calling, penalties and red zone troubles doomed the offense. The Packers picked on CB Justin King to the tune of two TDs and WR Greg Jennings hauling in six passes for 82 yards. The Rams offense rolled up more than 400 yards, but only scored three points. -- Rom Clements, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | NY Giants 27, Buffalo Bills 24 |
 | B+ | 2.57 | Giants: Turnovers continue to be the biggest determining factor when it comes to the Giants. The Bills failed to intercept a pass or cause a fumble, while Giants CB Corey Webster came away with two crucial picks. The running game finally hit its stride and QB Eli Manning was an effective 21 for 32 with 292 passing yards. -- Alex Raskin, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C- | 2.83 | Bills: The Bills had 12 INTs coming into the game, but instead of adding to that total, the secondary imploded. CB Drayton Florence (three pass interference penalties) was dreadful in place of Leodis McKelvin and the run defense continued to struggle. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick's arm strength is now in question after two poorly-thrown INTs. -- Alex Raskin, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Pittsburgh Steelers 17, Jacksonville Jaguars 13 |
 | C | 2.62 | Steelers: The Steelers were an A in the first half. One completion in the end zone, and they're a resounding F. The offense, after a 17-0 start, evaporated as Ben Roethlisberger ended on a 1-for-6 skein. The defense yielded almost as many Jacksonville second-half points (10) as the previous five foes combined (13). Not good. -- Chuck Finder, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C | 2.02 | Jaguars: This was a tough one to grade. They allowed 315 in the first half and trailed 17-3, but limited the Steelers throughout the second half to inch back in the game. Offensively, the Jaguars were stagnant much of the game and struggled to pass, but behind the running of Maurice Jones-Drew they were effective at times in the second half. -- John Oehser, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Philadelphia Eagles 20, Washington Redskins 13 |
 | B | 1.90 | Eagles: The Eagles did a terrific job defensively, using their speed to stop the Redskins run game; they also appeared to use the linebackers closer to the line of scrimmage. Offensively they managed just 20 points out of 422 total yards. -- John Keim, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C | 2.90 | Redskins: The Redskins' offense managed to get nothing going against a struggling defense. Their running game was non-existent, in part because of two injuries along the line. They rightly benched Rex Grossman for John Beck in the fourth quarter. The defense was excellent in the second half, but they couldn't stop them when needed late. -- John Keim, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Baltimore Ravens 29, Houston Texans 14 |
 | A | 3.35 | Ravens: The Ravens' defense contained Houston's rushing attack to just 92 yards on the ground, limiting RB Arian Foster to 49 yards on 15 carries. This effectively made Houston's offense one-dimensional. The Ravens' offense could use some work in the red zone, though K Billy Cundiff came up big with five field goals. -- Jason Butt, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | B- | 2.57 | Texans: Houston's defense played well through three quarters but wore down in the fourth. It forced two turnovers from Ravens QB Joe Flacco but couldn't do much in the running game. Without its running game clicking, Houston's going to have a hard time scoring points. -- Jason Butt, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Oakland Raiders 24, Cleveland Browns 17 |
 | A | 2.90 | Raiders: The Raiders honored the late Al Davis with a gritty victory, beating the Browns decisively despite losing QB Jason Campbell to injury late in the second half. Their special teams produced two scores, Jacoby Ford's 101-yard kick return and punter/holder Shane Lechler's 35-yard TD pass to Kevin Boss on a fake field goal. -- Eric Gilmore, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C | 1.90 | Browns: Coming off their bye week, the Browns played as if they were still off. They generated next to no offense until it was too late and couldn't take control of the game even after Raiders QB Jason Campbell was knocked out with an injury. QB Colt McCoy struggled, while RB Peyton Hillis suffered an injured hamstring and made zero impact. -- Eric Gilmore, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | New England Patriots 20, Dallas Cowboys 16 |
 | B+ | 2.77 | Patriots: It wasn't the prettiest victory, with four turnovers, but the Patriots will certainly take it to improve to 5-1 heading into the bye week. The Patriots' defense had its best day against an explosive offense, and the Patriots' offense won the game when Dallas went conservative with a lead late. -- Greg Bedard, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | B- | 2.47 | Cowboys: It's been a long two weeks for this team, and it'll likely be another long one after this last-second loss. The defense was amazing for most of the night but they simply got Brady'd in the end. Tony Romo was solid in a management role but they obviously kicked too many field goals. -- Nick Eatman, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26, New Orleans Saints 20 |
 | A | 2.33 | Buccaneers: A week after looking inept in a 48-3 loss at San Francisco -- while playing Sunday without inactive DT Gerald McCoy (ankle) and RB LeGarrette Blount (knee) -- Tampa did just about everything right, picking off three passes, collecting a Saints' fumble and hitting on long passes. Much credit also has to be given to Earnest Graham, who had 17 carries for 109 yards. -- Scott Purks, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C- | 2.88 | Saints: The Saints committed too many turnovers to overcome. The Saints also failed to score TDs on three trips inside the red zone, twice getting field goals and once throwing an INT. On the defensive side, New Orleans blew several coverages, the most damaging a 65-yard TD pass to Bucs WR Arrelious Benn in the second quarter. -- Scott Purks, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Chicago Bears 39, Minnesota Vikings 10 |
 | A | 2.45 | Bears: The defense did an about-face with two different safeties playing. Although they allowed 276 meaningless passing yards, they achieved the primary objective of limiting Adrian Peterson to 39 yards rushing. Offensively, Jay Cutler had time to pass for the first time and it showed with a 115.9 rating. Devin Hester's brilliance only added to the rout. -- Gene Chamberlain, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D- | 1.28 | Vikings: Getting beat deep is bad, but giving Jay Cutler time to throw deep is even worse considering the Bears' makeshift offensive line. The special teams drubbing was just typical against Chicago. Adrian Peterson had only 12 carries. Although they were behind early, he should have had more -- a handoff to Peterson is more likely to break one than one of Donovan McNabb's weak-armed throws. -- Gene Chamberlain, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Monday, Oct. 17, 2011 | |||
| Team | Grade | GPA | NY Jets 24, Miami Dolphins 6 |
 | C+ | 1.93 | Jets: The Jets once again got off to a slow start and were largely incapable of executing third-down conversions. The running game, which the Jets recommitted to, two weeks ago, also never got rolling. Although their pass rush was intermittent at best, the defense was able to keep Miami's offensive production to a minimum. -- Lisa Zimmerman, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C- | 1.36 | Dolphins: The Dolphins gave their fans a glimmer of hope by coming out of the gate with high energy on offense. However, an backup quarterback in as the starter and their season-long demons got the better of them. The red zone efficiency that they've been trying to achieve never kicked in and third down conversions were almost non-existent. The defense was unable to hold up for four quarters. -- Lisa Zimmerman, RapidReports Correspondent |
| GPA Key (updated through season) | ||
| A = 4.0 | A- = 3.7 | B+ = 3.3 |
| B = 3.0 | B- = 2.7 | C+ = 2.3 |
| C = 2.0 | C- = 1.7 | D+ = 1.3 |
| D = 1.0 | D- = 0.7 | |
