Tuesday 3 October 2017 17:24, UK
We're at the quarter mark of the 2017 NFL season, with the league's best, and worst, beginning to become apparent, but who were the top-performing teams and who must do better specifically in Week Four?
There's top marks for the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers after upset road wins, but big, fat, fails for the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns.
Here's a look at our weekly team grades...
Philadelphia Eagles (W 26-24 @ Los Angeles Chargers)
The Eagles go into Los Angeles and come away with a slender win, their third of an impressive start to the season. Running back one-two punch of LeGarrette Blount (136 yards) and Wendell Smallwood (34 yards, one TD) continue to impress. Grade A-
Dallas Cowboys (L 30-35 v Los Angeles Rams)
In any other season - specifically last year - this would have looked like a real upset at home for the Cowboys but, in truth, Dallas were just edged out by a superior side. This Los Angeles outfit look legit, running up the scoreboard in excess of 30 points for the third time this season. The Cowboys kept pace as best they could - Dak Prescott throwing three TDs - but it just wasn't enough. Grade C
Washington Redskins (L 20-29 @ Kansas City)
The Redskins didn't do much wrong either. They were competitive once again and nearly came away with back-to-back wins over teams in arguably the best division in football right now, the AFC West. The one area they could improve is the run game - Samaje Perine, Rob Kelley and Chris Thompson split carries but none could manage more than 27 yards. Grade C
New York Giants (L 23-25 @ Tampa Bay)
The Giants just can't buy a win! New York suffer a fourth defeat in a row to start the season, with the latest two of those both decided by game-winning field goals - Nick Folk's 34-yard effort doing the damage this week following Jake Elliott's 61-yard stunner for Philadelphia last week. Grade E
Detroit Lions (W 14-7 @ Minnesota)
A strong divisional road win for the Lions, who normally rely so heavily on their gun-slinging QB Matthew Stafford to get them out of jail in a shootout, but this time it was the strength of their defence and running game - Ameer Abdullah, 94 yards and one TD - that inspired their victory. Grade A
Green Bay Packers (W 35-14 v Chicago)
Just the four touchdowns from QB Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay's routine Thursday night win over Chicago - he loves playing 'dem Bears!' Jordy Nelson also had a fine night, reeling in two of those TD passes on a 75-yard night. Grade A
Minnesota Vikings (L 7-14 v Detroit)
The Dalvin Cook injury is a big blow to a team which has also been without its starting quarterback Sam Bradford - in fact, without two starting QBs, if you include Teddy Bridgewater - in recent weeks. The rookie running back Cook tore the ACL in his knee in the Detroit defeat and will miss the rest of the season. Grade C-
Chicago Bears (L 14-35 @ Green Bay)
Mike Glennon had another poor night at quarterback, throwing two picks (and a touchdown) in the divisional defeat on the road in Green Bay. The talk is that rookie, and second overall pick in the draft, Mitch Trubisky is set to get the start in Glennon's place for the Monday night visit of Minnesota in Week Five. Grade D-
Carolina Panthers (W 33-30 @ New England)
Super Cam Newton is back! Or certainly, it seems that way… It took a trip to the defending Super Bowl champions to shake him from his recent ennui - Newton ran over the New England 'D' for one touchdown and threw for another three. Grade A+
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (W 25-23 v New York Giants)
Nick Folk nailed a game-winner as time expired to see Tampa Bay bounce back from a disappointing Week Three defeat to Minnesota. QB Jameis Winston was back to being the 'good' version of Jameis Winston in this one, throwing for 332 yards and three TDs. Grade A
New Orleans Saints (W 20-0 v Miami @ Wembley)
The Saints win a second straight on the season with a shutout victory over the Dolphins in a real damp squib of a game at Wembley. As well as another impressive performance by the young New Orleans defence, the main bright spot of the game was the play of rookie running back Alvin Kamara, who had 10 catches out of the backfield for 71 yards and a score. Grade A-
Atlanta Falcons (L 17-23 v Buffalo)
Atlanta lose their grip on the division ever-so-slightly with defeat to an admittedly impressive Buffalo outfit while their other three division rivals all earn wins. Not helping the matter is that they've got an extra week to stew on their only defeat of the season so far as they now head into their bye. Grade C
Los Angeles Rams (W 35-30 @ Dallas)
QB Jared Goff's Jekyll and Hyde turnaround in Year Two in the NFL continues, with a two-TD strong showing in the team's stunning road win in Dallas. He now has seven touchdowns to just the solitary interception so far this season, compared to the five picks he threw in his opening four games last year. Oh, and what about Todd Gurley? Well, I'll tell you…. 121 yards on the ground, and 94 receiving, with one TD. That's what! Grade A+
Seattle Seahawks (W 46-18 v Indianapolis)
Better from Seattle! The team has struggled, particularly on offence, at times through the first four games and though there was still some rustiness evident - two Russell Wilson interceptions - they were back to their explosive best in the second half to outscore the Colts 36-3. The injury to promising running back Chris Carson is a setback though. Grade A-
Arizona Cardinals (W 18-15 v San Francisco) (OT)
Clutch from Larry Fitzgerald. The 34-year-old wide receiver broke the field goal monopoly against the 49ers with mere seconds remaining in overtime as he went up a reeled in Carson Palmer's game-winning TD pass. Grade B
San Francisco 49ers (L 15-18 @ Arizona) (OT)
San Francisco showed so much promise in putting up 39 points - admittedly in defeat - against the Rams in Week Three, but the offence was back to its soporific best, or worst if you like, against Arizona. The 49ers couldn't get into the endzone once, living off only field goals, and it was only their defensive display - limiting the Cardinals to the same - that took the game into overtime. Grade E
Buffalo Bills (W 23-17 @ Atlanta)
Buffalo, along with the Rams, are arguably the story of the season so far, particularly after this incredible upset win over the previously unbeaten Falcons. The defence played lights out, intercepting Matt Ryan twice, as well as returning a fumble of his for a touchdown, while they also restricted explosive wideout Julio Jones to just 30 yards on three receptions. Grade A+
New York Jets (W 23-20 v Jacksonville) (OT)
Jets owe a surprise second win of the season to their running back pair of Bilal Powell and rookie Elijah McGuire. Powell clocked 163 yards off 21 carries, including a bizarre 75-yard score where it appeared he initially he had been tackled, while McGuire scored his first NFL TD, another monster 69-yard effort. Grade A
New England Patriots (L 30-33 v Carolina)
Despite Tom Brady's best efforts - another 300-yard day passing, including two TDs - the Patriots slip to another defeat in front of their home fans. The defence looks particularly suspect, especially against the run. Genuine cause for concern for the reigning Super Bowl champs. Grade D-
Miami Dolphins (L 0-20 v New Orleans @ Wembley)
Not many positives at all to take from their fourth trip to London, 10 years on from their first. They at least managed 10 points in defeat to the Giants on that occasion, in contrast to being bageled on this occasion. British-born running back Jay Ajayi (12 carries, 46 years) had a couple of nice runs early on, but it certainly wasn't the homecoming he was hoping for, a Thierry Henry hug aside. Grade F
Pittsburgh Steelers (W 26-9 @ Baltimore)
The return of Le'Veon Bell! The Steelers back has been conspicuous by his absence through the first three weeks of the season which saw him average a paltry 3.5 yards a carry. But, with a heavy workload of 35 carries in Baltimore, Bell clocked his first 100-yard game of the year, scoring two touchdowns on his way to a 144-yard effort on the ground. Grade A
Cincinnati Bengals (W 31-7 @ Cleveland)
That's more like it, if you're a Bengals fan. Their first win of the season, as impressive as it was, did only come against the lowly Browns, and there are still concerns over their running-back-by-committee approach as Andy Dalton scrambled for a team-high 29 yards, but, his four TDs passing saw the team cruise to a comfortable win in Cleveland. Grade A-
Baltimore Ravens (L 9-26 v Pittsburgh)
The offence, or lack of it, continues to be a major concern for Baltimore. They were held scoreless in the first half by division foes Pittsburgh and though QB Joe Flacco showed some signs of revival in the third quarter, leading two drives for 10 points, the comeback never really looked on. Grade E
Cleveland Browns (L 7-31 v Cincinnati)
Oh to be a Browns fan! Cleveland had been competitive (ish) in their first three defeats of the season but, facing their most winnable game yet, at home, against division rivals - and similarly winless - Cincinnati, they collapsed. The defence made Dalton look like Tom Brady, while the offence were held scoreless until a Duke Johnson one-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. Grade F
Houston Texans (L 57-14 v Tennessee)
What a win for the Texans! And, what a performance from rookie QB Deshaun Watson! If there were still any questions over his ability to cut it at the pro level following his initial promising displays to start the season, this four-TD strong showing - as well as one rushing score - should dispel any doubts. Grade A+
Jacksonville Jaguars (L 20-23 @ New York Jets) (OT)
And as quickly as that, the Jags are back to their inconsistent best! Following a 44-7 thumping of the Ravens at Wembley last week, Jacksonville slipped to a surprise defeat in New York. Rookie running back Leonard Fournette was one bright spot, leading the team in rushing (86 yards) and receiving (59 yards and a TD). Grade D
Indianapolis Colts (L 18-46 @ Seattle)
The Colts were competitive to a point, even holding a lead at half-time in Seattle, but things tailed off quite dramatically after the break as they added only three points to their score and conceded 36! While back-up QB Jacoby Brissett was picked off once and lost a fumble, he still showed flashes of being a solid NFL starter. Grade D-
Tennessee Titans (L 14-57 @ Houston)
A disastrous day at the office against their divisional rivals. But, a hamstring injury to quarterback Marcus Mariota certainly didn't help. Admittedly, he wasn't having his best day, throwing two interceptions - as did replacement Matt Cassel - but did at least run in for two scores. Grade E
Kansas City Chiefs (W 29-20 v Washington)
The Kansas City train keeps on rolling on, as they now sit as the NFL's only unbeaten team through four games of the season. They left it late on Monday night to earn the fourth of those wins, but still were mightily impressive in doing so - rookie running sensation Kareem Hunt had another 100-yard game, and tight end Travis Kelce also hauled in 111 yards receiving plus a TD. Grade A+
Denver Broncos (W 16-10 v Oakland)
Once again, the Denver defence was dominant, but once again it wasn't the famous 'No Fly Zone' defensive backfield necessarily doing the damage - through four games of the season, the Broncos have held top-tier running backs Melvin Gordon, Ezekiel Elliott, LeSean McCoy and now Marshawn Lynch (12 yards) to a combined 95 rushing yards on 50 carries. Grade A
Oakland Raiders (L 10-16 @ Denver)
It was all so good in Oakland when starting the season 2-0 and looking like potential Super Bowl challengers, but back-to-back defeats and now a back injury to their young star quarterback Derek Carr - who is set to be out for between two and six weeks - means that the playoffs now could be a push in the ultra-competitive AFC West. Grade D
Los Angeles Chargers (L 24-26 v Philadelphia)
Familiar story for the Chargers; competitive throughout but once more unable to get over the line late on and so they slip to another slender defeat. One positive is, at least, that the aerial attack looks back to its best - following three picks in the Week Three defeat to the Chiefs, Philip Rivers tossed two touchdowns in this one, while receivers Keenan Allen and Tyrell Williams both clocked 100-yard outings. Grade D-
