Much Anticipated DirtDirtDirt NFL Grades through Wk 12

[PatsFan2003]

After too many requests to count for my Week 12 NFL Grades, I've decided to put it together for everyone
(if you cant detect the sarcasm in that statement, please quietly exit this thread)

Anyways, these grades on not solely based on W/L records, but more importantly, Results vs Expectations, as well as competitiveness and general effort as far as what ive witnessed this season watching a lot of football

So here we go:

AFC East

Patriots - Grade A+ This isnt just a homer grade cause everyone knows i love my Pats, but gotta give it to them. I dont think anyone ever thought winning the AFC East was in question, but after a sub-par start, there was some speculation that this would be the beginning of the end. Since Week 5, the best scoring defense in the NFL. Brady is the MVP of the league as of today. The 16-0 speculation was never very realistic after Edelman went down especially, but 14-2 is very attainable, no one would be surprised.

Bills - Grade B Bit of a Jekyll and Hyde team thats hard to figure from week to week, but at the end of the day, they sit in the thick of the playoff race through 12 weeks, and i doubt many people saw this coming

Jets - Grade A- Again, this is a "results vs expectations" grade, and the expectation by many many around the game was that this Jets team could be historically bad, a lot of predictions of an 0-16 season. They are only 4-7 but play so way above the talent level on the roster every week. They could have won any of the losses to Atlanta, NE, Miami, Tampa, Carolina. They are not an easy W by any stretch, they are within striking distance of a win every single week, pretty impressive compared to what was expected

Dolphins - Grade F As ugly a 4-7 team as you will see in the NFL. Turning Jonathan Stewart into Jim Brown a couple of weeks ago was the clearest sign this team has mailed it in. Followed up by surrendering 30 points to Ryan Fitzpatrick, and a non competitive showing in Foxboro last week. Some could point to the Tannehill loss, I personally never saw him as that much of a difference making QB...Too much talent on both sides of the ball to have the mostly non competitive season they have had.

Your head must hurt from hitting yourself in the head with that Patriots grade...

I give the Jets a solid B for the expectations factor but they still sort of suck

And I give the Bills a C because they still aren't that good (assuming no big upset sunday) and the coaching decision to bench Tyrod Taylor was beyond stupid.

 

[PatsFan2003]

AFC South


Titans - Grade B- Almost the unanimous pick to win the division this season, they have had to fight, not so impressively, to a 7-4 record. Marriotta looks like a QB that better be able to use his wheels and stay healthy at the same time, because he is proving to be a pretty bad pocket passer only. Like most AFC South winners, this has the looks of a team that will get to January and get slaughtered pretty quickly


Jaguars - Grade A+ Think most felt something building here, dont know if any saw it arriving so soon. Some impressive lopsided victories this season, a defense that looks as good as any defensive unit that could be playing in a month, and a rookie RB that has been asked to carry a big load and delivered. Can they overcome the elephant in the room under center, enough to actually win games come playoff time?


Texans - Grade C One player turned this season from a SB sleeper season into a completely unwatchable football team. This falls on a HC that simply does not get more out of less, pure talent dictates results for bad head coaches, and thats Obrien. Should be noted this is a guy that deemed Case Keenum a useless backup, in favor of Tom Savage, quite possibly as bad a QB as we have seen in this league for a few years


Colts - Grade C+ 3-8 record doesnt reflect the effort this team has given. Their blowouts have come out at the hands of some of the leagues best teams, they have otherwise been in most of the games they have played deep into the 4th quarter. Compared with expectations once we learned Luck was finished, this team has not been as bad as the record might indicate

I give the Texans a B because they've lost two of their best defensive players and a star QB. With a little luck they could be winning their division next year.

 

[PatsFan2003]

NFC North


Vikings - Grade A+ The very definition of a great HC preparing his team, putting his key offensive players in the best position to succeed. They play mistake free football, which goes a long in January, they play some stingy shutdown defense. This may very well be the biggest threat to the Eagles in the NFC, and the SB being in Minnesota, not an unrealistic dream for Vikes fans


Lions - Grade C+ Just always seems like the same 9-7, maybe 10-6 if things break right team. Rarely steal that unexpected Win, do nothing at all very special. Stafford is steady eddie, WR's are solid, Running game is poor, and we wouldnt expect this defense to make big plays when they need to. 6-5 seems just about perfect for what this team is


Packers - Grade C- Unfair Grade considering, well, ya know......But this grade includes an organization that never seems to assemble a good enough roster around Arod, a HC that has seemingly been carried by 2 all time great QB's and has looked lost when he has neither. Hundley has been in the system for 3 years, and could not appear more confused leading this team until just recently. That falls directly on the HC


Bears - Grade C+ Much of what was expected. They have even pulled out a couple of nice wins we didnt expect, and have played mostly competitive games. Long way to go, but maybe they have the right QB in place, Howard and Cohen look to have the running game solidified for a long time, some nice defensive pieces. John Fox is and should not be long for this job

I like the Vikings a lot. A well balanced team on both sides of the ball.

NFC South


Saints - Grade A+ Hookers, every night, should be sent to the room of whoever is most responsible for turning this defense around, and for whoever drafted Kamara and Lattimore. If this defense can continue their borderline dominance (with Lattimore), the sky is the limit for this team, we know what they are capable on the offensive side


Panthers - Grade A The team no one wants to seem to appreciate. Maybe its Cams' numbers not jumping off the page, maybe its their propensity to win with defense, but they continue to fly under the radar when discussing some of the best teams in the NFL. 8-3, fighting for first place this week


Falcons - Grade B- Trending in the right direction. Still seem to be uncomfortable under Sarkasian, and it will probably be their death blow in the postseason, but gotta give them credit for fighting through what was looking like a lost season a couple of weeks ago


Buccs - Grade F The trendy pick in the NFC, if not the entire NFL this season. Head Coach has the looks of a goner, deservedly so. I think questions about what exactly Jameis Winston is as a QB are becoming legit. Young guy that will improve? Or a mistake waiting to happen with flashes of greatness mixed in? Wouldnt be the first time we have seen that. They better hope Winston is for real, if not, there will be far too many holes to fill on that roster, beginning with most of the defense.

Same with the Saints. A huge change from the traditional Saints makeup

 

[PatsFan2003]

NFC East


Eagles - Grade A+ Whats to say? A team mostly predicted to finish somewhere behind the Giants and Cowboys. Best offense in the NFL, MVP caliber QB, shut down defense, best record, and best team in the NFL, until proven otherwise


Cowboys - Grade C- SB Expectations, mis-judged the Zeke situation, a HC that seems much closer to bad, than to very good. I thought this team was a true SB threat a few weeks ago. The loss of Zeke has exposed a lot about that offense. Dez is not much more than a complimentary weapon at this stage, the secondary weapons are very weak, and the jury is much more out on Dak than we may have thought a month ago. Hours away from closing the casket on this season


Redskins - Grade B- Considering the low expectations entering the season, and they have had to overcome as long a list of key injuries as any team in the game, they have continued to battle and not a team a contending team wants to face down the stretch.


Giants - F - for Fuck you

To be fair the Giant's have no players left due to injuries so I give them a D..

The Eagles look scary good.

NFC West


Rams - Grade A+ Rookie HC, a 2nd year QB mostly declared football dead, a RB starting to earn the overrated label. Probably no team in the NFL has proven more people wrong than the Rams. And the construction of this roster gives no reason to believe its fluky, and shouldnt shock anyone if this is one of the few still standing in late January


Seahawks - Grade B+ SB Expectations for Seattle are a bit unrealistic if you take a look at how this roster is constructed. They entered the season with as questionable an OLine and RB situation as any in the NFL. They have now suffered through some monster sized injuries, RW has been nothing short of a one man show, and true MVP candidate. Here they are with a realistic shot at winning their division, with a home game vs the Rams still on tap. I think this season from Seattle has been more impressive than many give them credit for


Cardinals - Grade C You lose the most important non QB in the NFL? A guy that totaled 2000+ yards and 21 TD's, on the first series of the 2017 season? Yeah thats tough to overcome. The loss of Palmer was just the cherry on top. They have still battled to a respectable 5-6, have gotten the best of whats left of AP, and didnt allow the wheels on this team to completely fall off.


49ers - Grade D In a pretty weak NFL, even a team in transition should find more than one win. The future is bright with Jimmy G and what they hope is the right young HC to lead them. This has the potential to be next seasons LA Rams

The Rams are the best in the division although I'm not sure they are A+ good,.

Wilson is played great.

 

[PatsFan2003]

AFC West


Chiefs - Grade C Figure this would be roughly the average grade after the A+ first few weeks, and the F last few weeks. At the end of the day, they are still a first place team today, but a failing grade on the season is looking like where this is heading without a QB change


Chargers - Grade B- Trending in the right direction, dealt with a few really tough early season losses, but this is quickly developing into one of the most balanced teams on both sides in the entire AFC


Raiders - Grade D Only reason this isnt an F is because the AFC landscape has allowed them to stay in striking distance. Unimpressive resume of Wins, and some God awful Ugly losses for a team universally predicted to win the division and be a true threat to the Pats in the AFC


Broncos - Grade F Doesnt get much uglier than this, the wheels have fallen completely off. Elway ignoring the QB position and continuing with the false hope that an aging defense can continue to win them 10-13 games, has failed miserably. As this team ages, there seems to be a lot of needs going forward to reach the dominant levels of not so long ago

The Chargers are the only team that deserve any grade above a C.. Talk about not meeting expectations for the rest.

 

[PatsFan2003]

AFC North


Steelers - Grade A+ An embarrassing loss, a head scratching loss, and a couple of wins that should have ended in a much more dominant way, other than that, here they are, lining up perfectly for a Week 15 war with the Pats for AFC supremacy. This team has only one mission and finally getting over the Pats hurdle is really what defines this season for them


Ravens - Grade B- An offense that will scare no one in a month, but a defense that can always be dangerous come playoff time. This is an unimpressive B- but they deserve credit in a season of limited expectations, to be one of the postseason teams as we sit here today


Bengals - Grade D Uninspiring team that screams for a complete rebuild around Mixon and AJ. This team defines 7-9, and the Steelers can put the nail in the coffin of their season. Even with a win this week, id be shocked if this team has it in them to reel off a strong finish


Browns - Grade F Poor Coaching hire, more competitive recently, and Kizer has shown some decent flashes. if Gordon can stay on the field, he, Coleman, the rookie TE, Crowell and Duke, the return of Joe Thomas, and the core doesnt look all that terrible. But 0-11 is 0-11 and an F is the only grade that can be attached to that

I can't give the Steelers an A+ just because of their inconsistancy but they are the second best team in the AFC.

I still don't want to play the Ravens in the playoffs. Flacco would likely come out of his coma and play well.

 

[Cedrique]

NFC North


Vikings - Grade A+ The very definition of a great HC preparing his team, putting his key offensive players in the best position to succeed. They play mistake free football, which goes a long in January, they play some stingy shutdown defense. This may very well be the biggest threat to the Eagles in the NFC, and the SB being in Minnesota, not an unrealistic dream for Vikes fans


Lions - Grade C+ Just always seems like the same 9-7, maybe 10-6 if things break right team. Rarely steal that unexpected Win, do nothing at all very special. Stafford is steady eddie, WR's are solid, Running game is poor, and we wouldnt expect this defense to make big plays when they need to. 6-5 seems just about perfect for what this team is


Packers - Grade C- Unfair Grade considering, well, ya know......But this grade includes an organization that never seems to assemble a good enough roster around Arod, a HC that has seemingly been carried by 2 all time great QB's and has looked lost when he has neither. Hundley has been in the system for 3 years, and could not appear more confused leading this team until just recently. That falls directly on the HC


Bears - Grade C+ Much of what was expected. They have even pulled out a couple of nice wins we didnt expect, and have played mostly competitive games. Long way to go, but maybe they have the right QB in place, Howard and Cohen look to have the running game solidified for a long time, some nice defensive pieces. John Fox is and should not be long for this job


NFC South


Saints - Grade A+ Hookers, every night, should be sent to the room of whoever is most responsible for turning this defense around, and for whoever drafted Kamara and Lattimore. If this defense can continue their borderline dominance (with Lattimore), the sky is the limit for this team, we know what they are capable on the offensive side


Panthers - Grade A The team no one wants to seem to appreciate. Maybe its Cams' numbers not jumping off the page, maybe its their propensity to win with defense, but they continue to fly under the radar when discussing some of the best teams in the NFL. 8-3, fighting for first place this week


Falcons - Grade B- Trending in the right direction. Still seem to be uncomfortable under Sarkasian, and it will probably be their death blow in the postseason, but gotta give them credit for fighting through what was looking like a lost season a couple of weeks ago


Buccs - Grade F The trendy pick in the NFC, if not the entire NFL this season. Head Coach has the looks of a goner, deservedly so. I think questions about what exactly Jameis Winston is as a QB are becoming legit. Young guy that will improve? Or a mistake waiting to happen with flashes of greatness mixed in? Wouldnt be the first time we have seen that. They better hope Winston is for real, if not, there will be far too many holes to fill on that roster, beginning with most of the defense.

Wow. I had no idea the Panthers were 8-3. This McCaffrey kid seems to be getting better and better.

 

[sonnyblack65]

Your head must hurt from hitting yourself in the head with that Patriots grade...

I give the Jets a solid B for the expectations factor but they still sort of suck

And I give the Bills a C because they still aren't that good (assuming no big upset sunday) and the coaching decision to bench Tyrod Taylor was beyond stupid.

Dirt gave up his job at the Enquirer and now writing for NY Times, keeping it real now

 

[Pure Steel]

Dirt gave up his job at the Enquirer and now writing for NY Times, keeping it real now

I believe Dirt/Oscar gave up being a sportswriter, I think he's working with Beau Buffingham for some swanky magazine....

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

Dirt gave up his job at the Enquirer and now writing for NY Times, keeping it real now

I thought Dirt got demoted to the Newark Star-Ledger?