2024 NFL Season: Grades for teams coming off Week 5 bye
While the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, and Minnesota Vikings have Week 6 off, the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tennessee Titans all return to action.
So, what happened while the latter four teams were all off last week? Here’s a look at each team’s overall grade for 2024 to date, with a reminder of what happened within the rest of the club’s respective division in Week 5.
Season grades for the four teams that were off in Week 5
Detroit Lions (3-1)
After their stubbing their paws at home in Week 2 vs. the Buccaneers, Dan Campbell’s club has bounced back with consecutive wins over the feisty Cardinals and explosive Seahawks. Quarterback Jared Goff is completing 71.0 percent of his passes, and was 18-of-18 for 292 yards and two scores in a win over Seattle in Week 4. That’s the last time we saw Campbell’s team, which still has some work to do on defense. Still, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (6.5) has more than half of Detroit’s 11 sacks this year.
The bottom line is that the Lions’ defense must come up with more big plays. The NFC North is off to a torrid start. While Campbell’s club was off last week, the Vikings, Bears and Packers all came up with wins.
Grade: B+
Los Angeles Chargers (2-2)
The jury is still very much out on Jim Harbaugh’s second stint as an NFL head coach, and understandably so. The team has dropped its last two games after knocking off the Raiders (22-10) and Panthers (26-3) by a combined 48-13 count. Quarterback Justin Herbert hasn’t been 100 percent, and it showed in the losses to the Steelers and Chiefs. However, there are plenty of positives for a team that finished 5-11 a year ago.
How’s this for perspective? The Bolts have given up a total of 50 points in four games, an NFL-best 12.5 points per outing. Harken back to Week 15 of 2023, when the team was blitzed at Las Vegas, 63-21. The Chargers’ ground game has been effective, and this would be a different offense with a healthy Herbert.
Grade: B-
Philadelphia Eagles (2-2)
Four games into this season and a club that has reached the playoffs each of the previous three years in somewhat of a mystery. Nick Sirianni’s team has alternated wins and losses to date. The Eagles survived a shootout with the Packers in Brazil, and cooled off a Saints’ team that scored a combined 91 points in their first two games. However, the Birds let one get away from them on a Monday night at home vs. the Falcons. When Sirianni’s team last took the field, they were embarrassed in a big way by the Buccaneers.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts has turned over the ball seven times. Last week, the other three clubs in the NFC East all won. The Eagles battle the Giants in Week 7, Philadelphia’s first divisional game of the season.
Grade: C
Tennessee Titans (1-3)
Brian Callahan’s debut season as an NFL head coach has had some promising moments, despite the team’s record. The Titans owned first-half leads in their first two games, and dropped consecutive 24-17 decisions to the Bears and Jets, respectively. The Titans were rolled at home by the talented Packers, however the team rebounded with a Monday night win at Miami entering the off-week. A big issue has been the play of Will Levis, who has already committed nine turnovers—including a pair of pick-sixes.
However, the club has also allowed the fewest yards per game in the NFL. The Titans are the only team in the AFC South which hasn’t played a divisional game. They host the 2-3 Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.