- Only one team received an ‘A’ in USA TODAY Sports’ NFL team grades for September, while another got an ‘F.’
- The Bengals were the lone team to receive an ‘incomplete’ due to Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury.
- The Colts, Eagles and Rams were among those who narrowly missed out on the top mark.
As the calendar flips to October, teams have completed less than a quarter of their slate. But this is nonetheless a meaningful juncture as byes begin and players filter onto and off of injured reserve. And with each franchise having four games in the books, every coaching staff and roster has some emerging trends to respond to.
Grading can’t be done in a vacuum, so every mark that USA TODAY Sports is doling out is determined with the team’s preseason expectations and overall capabilities taken into account.
With that in mind, here are grades for all 32 teams based on their September play:
NFL team grades for September
A
Buffalo Bills: Despite its standing as one of the league’s two remaining undefeated teams, Buffalo isn’t without fault. But it’s hard to argue with the results. A shapeshifting offense is mowing down all comers, averaging a league-best 0.18 expected points added per play, according to Next Gen Stats. With the ability to seamlessly toggle between Josh Allen airing it out to an array of pass catchers and turning the reins over to James Cook and the ground game, Joe Brady’s attack has the flexibility to keep opponents off balance all season. Rocky play at safety and frequent lapses in stopping the run have left some unease about the defense, which has also had trouble getting off the field on third downs (42% conversion rate allowed). But Buffalo has maintained the theme of rising to the occasion ever since its stunning Week 1 rally to upend the Baltimore Ravens. It will need to continue that trend once the schedule gets tougher on the back end, but this is a team plowing a trail to a possible No. 1 seed at a time when the AFC’s other leading contenders are faltering.
A-
Indianapolis Colts: They were cruising for the only A+ of the young season until an unfortunate series of miscues, including AD Mitchell’s two major blunders and the defense only having 10 men on the field for the game-winning score, doomed Indianapolis in Sunday’s loss to the Rams. Still, not much can tarnish an initial run that has featured Daniel Jones’ full-on revival as a starting quarterback. Shane Steichen has coaxed consistency out of not only Jones but an entire attack that has routinely stayed on schedule with an NFL-best 50% success rate, according to Sumer Sports. Lou Anarumo’s arrival has made the defense notably more dynamic, though cornerback Xavien Howard is revealing himself as a liability after surrendering seven catches on 10 targets for 112 yards and a touchdown against the Rams. If the early formula largely holds, Indianapolis should at least make a push for its first division crown since 2014.
Los Angeles Rams: The national view of this team might be significantly different had Sean McVay’s crew managed to hold on against the Eagles in Week 3. No matter. With Matthew Stafford continuing to sling the ball with impressive command and Puka Nacua outpacing the rest of the NFL with 42 catches and 503 receiving yards, Los Angeles remains every bit of the legitimate contender we’ve come to know under McVay. Is that enough to stave off the rest of the NFC West as well as push Philadelphia for the conference crown? To be determined. But beyond a shaky outlook at cornerback, there’s not much holding this group back at the moment.
Los Angeles Chargers:Jolting the Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil to open the season served as an impressive mission statement from a group intent on ending its rival’s nine-year reign atop the AFC West. But after Justin Herbert surged to a spectacular start, the quarterback – and Los Angeles’ offense – already might be at an inflection point. In the last two games, Herbert has now been pressured 50 times and taken 26 hits, with the protection gaffes worsening upon Joe Alt’s exit in Sunday’s loss to the New York Giants. While determining out how to move forward with the passing attack figures to be a supreme challenge for Jim Harbaugh, the grade should be determined based only on what has already occurred. Despite the emerging problems, sitting in the lead for the division is a fine place to be.
Seattle Seahawks: After overhauling its offense and subbing in Sam Darnold for Geno Smith, Seattle could have been forgiven if it stumbled out of the gates this season. Instead, the Seahawks have sizzled after a Week 1 misstep against the San Francisco 49ers, surging to a three-way tie atop the NFC West at 3-1. Darnold, who ranks third in the NFL with 9 air yards per attempt, has repeatedly taken advantage of the deep shots afforded to him with play-action looks, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the only player other than Nacua to have reached 400 yards through four games. Meanwhile, Mike Macdonald’s defense remains as difficult to crack as ever. The big letdown has been the run game, which was supposed to be the focal point of new coordinator Klint Kubiak’s attack but has turned up just 3.6 yards per carry so far. There’s still plenty of time and intention to get that phase up to the level of the rest of the operation, however, and an outfit that seemed like an afterthought in the playoff race now is very much part of the early discussion.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Their late-game mojo finally met its match against the Eagles, who finally managed to slam the door shut after Tampa Bay became the first team in the Super Bowl era to record a game-winning score in the final minute of the fourth quarter in each of its first three games. But this stretch has been all about merely scraping by, and the Buccaneers have managed to do just that. With Tristan Wirfs and Chris Godwin back, the four-time defending NFC South champions should be able to round into something closer to the form they’ve displayed when at full strength. It’s high time to cut down on the special teams errors, however, after having two punts and a field goal blocked.
B+
Detroit Lions: Credit Dan Campbell and his new-look staff with quelling any panic that began to percolate after the season-opening flop against the Green Bay Packers. The Lions have reclaimed their place as the NFL’s highest-scoring group (34.3 points per game), proving that Ben Johnson’s departure wouldn’t jam the gears of a machine-like operation. And while new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard is still finding his way, he’s helped the unit tap into a big-play streak, with seven sacks against the Baltimore Ravens and three takeaways against the Cleveland Browns. Things might not run as smoothly as they did throughout the season in last year’s 15-win campaign, but Detroit has summarily dismissed any notion of its imminent demise.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence is completing a career-low 58.3% of his passes with just five touchdowns and four interceptions. A receiving corps beset by drops has failed to consistently help, with 2024 Pro Bowler Brian Thomas Jr. nearing sophomore slump status while catching just 12 of his 32 targets. And No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter’s ironman routine has fallen flat, with the Heisman Trophy winner yielding limited returns on each side of the ball. What, then, has been the engine for the Jaguars’ surprising 3-1 start? The defense’s league-leading 13 takeaways have allowed Jacksonville to tilt each contest in its favor, and Liam Coen has transformed another rushing attack in less than a year. Expecting to continue winning the turnover battle in such lopsided fashion is unrealistic, especially with the schedule getting considerably tougher in a three-game stretch that brings the Chiefs, Seahawks and Rams to town before the bye. But the Jaguars’ winning edge shouldn’t be written off given the potential for improvement in the passing attack.
San Francisco 49ers: For most teams, navigating a bad run of injuries is a week-to-week matter, with a new season typically affording a fresh slate. Not so for San Francisco, which has seen significant personnel losses re-emerge as the prevailing theme of another campaign. Through four weeks, the team managed to push past quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle being sidelined for the short term. Yet things finally seemed to come to a head in Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars, with Purdy showing ill effects of his toe ailment upon his return and a battered receiving corps struggling to rise to the occasion. Kyle Shanahan and Co. deserve their flowers for weathering the issue as best they can for another year, and that resilience could prove meaningful down the stretch. But the talent drain, both stemming from injuries and the roster paring necessitated by a cap recalibration, might be insurmountable.
B
New England Patriots: Too kind of a grade for a team that had five turnovers just a week ago? Mike Vrabel surely isn’t pleased with how often his team has tripped itself up in its first attempts to find a stride. Yet after years of aimless wandering to conclude the Bill Belichick era and then move past it with Jerod Mayo, the franchise is showing signs of an emerging turnaround. Drake Maye has quietly accelerated his ascent in Year 2 by ranking fifth in passer rating (109.4) and fourth in EPA per dropback (0.23). Meanwhile, the defense looks on the precipice of a major breakout with standout cornerback Christian Gonzalez back in the fold. Above all, the Patriots are starting to demonstrate a handle on a clear way out of the cellar: punishing lesser opponents for their mistakes while trying to minimize their own.
B-
Pittsburgh Steelers: A 3-1 opening to Aaron Rodgers’ time at the helm might be taken as a resounding success for some, especially at a time when everyone else in the AFC North is floundering. But from their close call in the season opener against the New York Jets to their fourth-quarter crumpling in Ireland against the Minnesota Vikings, the Steelers have established a nasty habit of making things far more difficult than they need to be. At least they international trip brought out plenty of good, with the run game complementing the quick-hit passing attack and the defense ratcheting up the pressure with a heavy dose of blitzes. Turning those into trends the team can implement stateside would alleviate a lot of the initial trepidation surrounding the Steelers.
Kansas City Chiefs: The gloom of an 0-2 start has dissipated at least somewhat, with the longstanding class of the AFC just one game back of the division lead. More important than where Kansas City stands now, however, is how it got here. Xavier Worthy’s return from a shoulder injury sustained in the opener single-handedly transformed a passing attack that couldn’t count on finding anything easy without him. With defenses having to account for Worthy’s speed downfield, a ripple effect is created in which other pass catchers can finally thrive over the middle and Mahomes can more comfortably beat the blitz. That doesn’t fully excuse the Chiefs from failing to clear their own bar in the first three weeks, but the lackluster production is easier to stomach knowing where things could be headed as Rashee Rice’s six-game suspension also approaches its expiration.
Chicago Bears: The vibes in Chicago might actually be … good? Even as pervasive offensive miscues keep the full Ben Johnson experience from taking hold, the coach’s partnership with Caleb Williams has sparked a good deal of hope for a franchise that has gone without much for more than a decade. Chicago shouldn’t have needed a blocked field goal to wrap up a win over the Las Vegas Raiders, and there’s plenty of work to be done in both stopping the run and establishing it. But even if the Bears don’t become a serious factor in the NFC North until next year, there’s at least reason to stick around to see how a discernible sense of progress shakes out.
C+
Green Bay Packers: In opening with two of the most dominant outings of the month, Green Bay built a significant buzz as a leading Super Bowl contender. Those days now feel a long way off after the Packers came crashing back to earth in the last two weeks, during which the team bungled a gimme game against the Browns and came within a single second of another massive misfire before salvaging a tie with the Dallas Cowboys. Maybe dealing with that variance is simply how life is going to be for the NFL’s youngest roster. But after appearing to have solved last year’s troubles with measuring up against the league’s elite, Green Bay looks ill-equipped to join that group itself until it figures out how to establish more consistency – and strike a proper balance of aggression and composure – on both sides of the ball.
Washington Commanders: Too early to render much of a definitive verdict on this all-in edition of the Commanders given Jayden Daniels’ absence from the last two contests. But Washington failed each of its road tests while getting by at home against subpar foes. Most worrisome for the team is the nature in which it was overwhelmed in each loss, as the Packers defense sent Daniels reeling and the Falcons diced apart a sloppy defense for 436 yards. Getting back Daniels and Terry McLaurin should give Washington the window to leave the first month behind it, especially if it can clean up the mistakes on the other side of the ball. But maybe this is an introduction to some tougher breaks for a group that had a lot of things go its way in a fortuitous 2024 run.
Atlanta Falcons: When it comes to bombing a test, falling 40-0 to a division rival that last season set the NFL record for points allowed is real ‘see me after class’ stuff. But the Falcons took their faceplant against the Carolina Panthers plenty seriously, firing wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard afterward while also moving offensive coordinator Zac Robinson from the booth to the sideline. The result was a bounceback effort that yielded 24 first downs against the Commanders and the kind of all-around excellence that was expected of a unit that looked to be on the brink of something special in Michael Penix Jr.’s first full season as a starter. It shouldn’t have taken a unit with this much talent so long to get going, but the trendline is at least pointed upward.
Dallas Cowboys: Jerry Jones bookended his offseason with decisions that drew massive scrutiny from outside. While the move to hire first-time head coach Brian Schottenheimer hasn’t yet proven cataclysmal, the fallout from trading Micah Parsons is undeniable for a defense that has been ripped apart for an NFL-worst 297.3 passing yards per game. Better communication could go a long way toward resolving the coverage busts that have become all too frequent, but there’s also a personnel disconnect with Matt Eberflus’ zone-heavy scheme that looks irreparable in the middle of the season. Dak Prescott has done yeoman’s work to cover for the flawed composition of this roster, but engaging in weekly shootouts seems bound to result in disappointment for a group not built to win this way.
C
Arizona Cardinals: Everything seemed to be trending toward a third-year leap in Jonathan Gannon and Monti Ossenfort’s extensive build. Yet after just barely handling two overmatched opponents in the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, Arizona revealed itself as not ready to compete with the rest of the NFC West just yet in consecutive losses to the 49ers and Seahawks. For all the progress the defense has made thanks to the signings of Josh Sweat and Calais Campbell, an offense that still can’t foster a consistent connection between Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. has been a major disappointment. A better push up front could help the run game ramp back up after James Conner was lost for the season, but the Cardinals are facing a serious risk of being left behind in the division yet again.
Minnesota Vikings: In building one of the NFL’s most well-rounded rosters, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah seemed to afford Minnesota a good deal of leeway as it prepared to break in J.J. McCarthy as its new starting quarterback. Not only have the Vikings failed to determine whether they have a viable long-term answer behind center, but the team’s margin of error for its signal-caller has eroded considerably. McCarthy’s wild debut reinforced that patience would be required in his development, and Minnesota has hardly been anywhere near as reactionary as outsiders have been in responding to his first two starts and subsequent sidelining by a sprained ankle. But the Vikings’ vision of complementary football has hardly come to fruition, and the mounting injuries along the offensive line could make it impossible to minimize the ask of McCarthy this season.
Denver Broncos: Not much to be gleaned in victories over a pair of the league’s most forlorn franchises in the Tennessee Titans and Cincinnati Bengals. Still, Sean Payton probably will accept whatever promising signs he can get from his offense after an uninspiring beginning to the season. Denver has to avoid digging itself into holes on first and second down, a problem that’s been exacerbated by a predilection for penalties. Yet even though the Broncos failed to get out to the fast start that Payton harped on before the season, the lasting damage here might not be extensive.
C-
Carolina Panthers: The case against buying into the concept of momentum carrying over from one NFL season to another resides in Charlotte. When the perpetually resetting Panthers managed to pull off overtime wins in two of the team’s final three contests last season, some saw the stretch as an indication that Carolina was building toward something substantial in 2025. Outside of the shutout against the Falcons that is shaping up to be an aberration, however, things appear as dire as ever. Carolina surrendered 42 unanswered points to the Patriots and has seen its already putrid pass rush repeatedly stall out with a 24% pressure rate. Meanwhile, the Bryce Young-Tetairoa McMillan connection that began so promising has come apart. If Dave Canales doesn’t identify solutions quickly, the Panthers could be forced to take drastic action in the latest attempt at an in-season course correction.
Cleveland Browns: There’s a lot more upside here than one might expect from a franchise that gave off a strong sense it was spinning its wheels until 2026. Jim Schwartz’s defense doesn’t offer any easy outs, with the unit allowing a league-low 222.5 yards per game and 4.1 yards per play. Meanwhile, the promising rookie class is helping to reload a roster hurting for young talent, as running back Quinshon Judkins, linebacker Carson Schwesinger and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. have all made strong initial impressions. All of that has been rendered moot, however, by an offense that has coughed up eight turnovers and can’t seem to get anything started. Even more deflating than the early results is the lack of a path forward. Monday’s trade for offensive tackle Cam Robinson will only go so far toward repairing a woefully undermanned front, and the shaky receiving corps has only compounded issues that arose elsewhere. While Kevin Stefanski might not budge anytime soon in his refusal to bench Joe Flacco, turning to Dillon Gabriel might be one of the only moves left at his disposal to chart a new course for the unit.
Las Vegas Raiders: The Silver and Black opted to pursue sizable investments at both quarterback and running back to establish an immediate sense of clarity in the backfield. Instead, the Raiders have presented two of the more prominent cases of underperformance at each spot. The common denominator seemed to be the offensive line, which repeatedly allowed for No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty to be swarmed behind the line of scrimmage in the first three games while also giving up 51 pressures on Geno Smith during that same span. But even when the front stepped up considerably in a Week 4 outing against the Bears, Smith still came apart at the seams with his second three-interception game in three weeks, dooming Las Vegas to its third consecutive loss. Perhaps the team’s 240-yard rushing day, which represents a single-game high for any offense in 2025, should be taken as an indication that Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly could be putting everything together in short order. Until they do, the Raiders won’t achieve the return to relevance that owner Mark Davis has so doggedly sought.
Miami Dolphins: The days of mere mediocrity surely seem alluring to many in South Florida. The Dolphins earned the Week 1 spotlight for all the wrong reasons with a 33-8 drumming by the Colts that was a disaster on nearly every front. Miami exhibited more determination and promise in its following two losses before finally coming out ahead of the New York Jets in a prime-time ensuring one of the AFC East doormats its first win. With Tyreek Hill suffering a dislocated knee in that game, however, an overdue reset for the franchise now looks almost inevitable.
New York Giants: A win over the previously unbeaten Chargers in Jaxson Dart’s starting debut saved Big Blue from entering outright disaster territory. It’s worth noting, however, that this is almost the exact scenario that the Giants said throughout the offseason they were so intent on avoiding. In installing Dart, a directionless regime has seemingly compromised the development plan of its rookie signal-caller so as not to let the season at hand spin completely out of control. But with Malik Nabers’ torn ACL hindering an already insufficient supporting cast, life could get a lot tougher for Dart once foes focus on clamping down on his running ability and quick-hit passes. Desperation seldom serves young players well, and the Giants have clearly arrived at the point where short-term considerations are outweighing the long view.
New Orleans Saints: This might stand out as a somewhat generous mark for one of the league’s three winless entities and a group with the third-worst point differential at -55. Yet the first year under Kellen Moore has featured a strong amount of resolve from a bunch determined to bridge a sizable talent gap with each of its opponents. New Orleans kept Buffalo’s hands full in an eventual 31-19 loss and has clawed to stay in games despite not leading since the first half of its season-opening defeat against the Cardinals. Yet with the front office caught midway through the demolition phase of a personnel overhaul, the returns could be far worse in a season of stasis.
D+
Baltimore Ravens: How did Baltimore stumble to a 1-3 start after looking virtually unstoppable for the first three quarters of the season opener against the Bills? Injuries are responsible for sapping a chunk of the defense’s prowess, and the attrition has only accelerated in the last two weeks. But with Lamar Jackson and the offense unable to go it alone – and the two-time MVP also nursing a hamstring injury – the Ravens have supplanted the Chiefs as the most concerning top contender. A softer schedule and better health could give rise to yet another midseason surge. Until an uptick starts to take shape, however, Baltimore will be left to ponder how the rare level of continuity the team was set to enjoy came undone so quickly.
D
New York Jets: Either Aaron Glenn’s message of accountability has fallen on deaf ears or the first-year coach needs a new way to preach to his players – or both. The winless Jets have somehow fallen short of even the most scaled-back expectations, repeatedly botching the basics with pre-snap penalties (six on offense Monday against the Dolphins) and fumbles (an NFL-worst six lost already). Don’t merely condemn one side of the ball, however, as a defense still dotted with high-level talent is routinely being caught off guard. It all leaves an uncomfortable question: Has this regime given way to something even worse than the ‘same old Jets’ that Glenn denied this group embodied?
D-
Houston Texans: In terms of discrepancy between preseason expectations and early results, there’s no bigger disappointment than the Texans. The defending AFC South champions’ plan to repair their offense by empowering C.J. Stroud with more responsibility and reworking the front has thus far backfired spectacularly, with the team averaging just 16 points per contest. Some might view the 26-0 win over the hapless Titans as a get-right game, but it’s difficult to affix that label to an effort that included the Texans surrendering the fastest sack you might ever see when Jeffery Simmons barreled untouched from over the ball to engulf Stroud. The only reasonable sources of salvation are a defense that reliably turns around favorable field position and a boost in the efficacy of the run game behind fourth-round rookie Woody Marks.
F
Tennessee Titans: Safe to say that the rampant errors that defined Brian Callahan’s inaugural season as a coach shouldn’t rest with Will Levis alone. Even in an attempt to embrace a new day with No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, Tennessee is without peer in an unparalleled litany of issues. By almost any measure, the offense stands alone as the league’s least effective attack. Callahan responded with appropriate alarm by relinquishing play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree after three weeks, but the changes only produced the unit’s second sub-200-yard day of the season in the shutout by the Texans. Ward, who has been sacked a league-high 17 times, isn’t taking the troublesome trends lightly, saying the Titans have ‘dropped a quarter of our (expletive) games and have yet to do anything.’ Callahan can’t assert that his team does anything remotely well right now, and there’s no indication of a breakthrough anywhere in the near future.
Incomplete
Cincinnati Bengals: There’s simply no way to properly assess a team that’s been reduced to mere survival mode in the wake of Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury. Quibble all you want with the various decisions that led to Burrow shouldering such a disproportionate load for the organization, but no franchise could reasonably be expected to overcome a comparable loss. Any notion of treading water with Jake Browning is running on life support with a rudderless roster dropping its last two contests by a combined 63 points. The only question now is whether Cincinnati manages to pivot at all as what started as an all-in campaign sinks further into the abyss of a lost year.
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