NFL Report Card after Week 12: Which teams are at the top of the class?

Each week, we grade each NFL team's performance, and we try to use how their season has been going to provide context for our grades. An 'A' for a 2-9 team may not look the same as an 'A' for a team hunting for the number one seed in their conference. Let's take a look at how every team got on in week 12.

The Chargers played the Ravens close for much of their Monday Night Football matchup, but ultimately this game showed the difference between a team ready to compete for a Super Bowl and one still building for the future. The Chargers are a good team, they're just not elite.

Per CBS Sports, the Ravens held the Chargers to just 83 yards in the second half, a big change from some of their recent performances. If the defense can continue to play at a good enough level, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry can take over games for the offense which is basically what happened on MNF.

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In one of the most aesthetically pleasing games we've seen for some time, the Browns produced another upset victory in their division. Myles Garrett played out of his mind, racking up three sacks before half-time. Elsewhere, Nick Chubb was efficient, if not explosive, which proved enough in the end.

It would be harsh to be too down on the Steelers after their loss to the Browns, but that's the sort of game we would like to see them win. In a bad-weather, physical, dogfight of a game, the Steelers should be coming out on top, and they didn't against the Browns.

The Texans will win the AFC South regardless of their performance on Sunday, as the division is mostly very bad. Houston has a lot to correct after Sunday as their defense produced eight sacks, per CBS Sports, and a pick-six, and they still lost to the lowly Titans.

Will Levis went from the sublime to the ridiculous on Sunday, throwing some beautiful passes to Chig Okonkwo and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, while also hitting Texans DB Jimmie Ward right in the hands for an ugly pick-six. Still, there are encouraging signs for the Titans in recent weeks, with Levis probably earning the starting spot in 2025.

As John Breech writes for CBS Sports, “new Bears offensive coordinator Thomas Brown is looking like a wizard,” after completely transforming Chicago's offense in just two weeks. Caleb Williams is looking like the real deal again, which should give Bears fans optimism. Ultimately, they lost a more talented team in a close one, it happens.

The much-vaunted Vikings' defense did not have a good game on Sunday, allowing Chicago to pass all over them. Minnesota's offense was firing on all cylinders, however, which was enough to get the win.

In one of the craziest games of the year, the Commanders lost any realistic hope of winning the NFC East in a slop-fest against Dallas. Despite an 86-yard TD from Jayden Daniels to Terry McLaurin late, Austin Seibert missed the PAT and Washington allowed the Cowboys to return an onside kick for a TD.

It was sloppy, it was ugly at times, it was a game that for three quarters even the players were bored of. And then, KaVontae Turpin happened, returning a kick for a TD in outrageous circumstances. Offensively, Dallas was moving the ball all day, they just couldn't punch it in until the fourth quarter.

When the Dolphins’ offense is hot, it’s nearly impossible to stop, as we saw on Sunday as they turned their game against the Pats into a track meet. Jaylen Waddle had his best game of the season as Tua Tagovailoa continued his hot streak in November. Miami is still a couple of games out from a wild card place but wins like that will keep them fighting until week 18.

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The Patriots were completely outmatched on Sunday on both sides of the ball. Drake Maye continues to be a bright spot in an otherwise bleak year in New England. This could take some time to turn around, as there just isn’t a lot of talent on the Pats’ roster.

The Panthers were unlucky to lose against the reigning champs on Sunday, despite being behind 27-16 at one point late in the game. Bryce Young seemed to be maturing in front of our eyes, making accurate throws despite facing consistent pressure. It’s no shame to lose to KC, especially when you play like that.

It’s a little worrying that the Chiefs had to battle so hard against the Panthers, even if they did get the win. We can’t decide if performances like this show this is a team that knows how to win with ruthless efficiency, or one that is getting the bounce of the ball at the right time and things could fall apart against better opposition. They’re 10-1, but so were the Eagles last year…

The Giants currently have a slight edge in the ‘Worst Run Team in New York’ battle, but that’s only because the Jets were on a bye. Having released Daniel Jones, the Giants turned to Tommy DeVito, who we know is nothing more than a replacement-level backup, and shock horror, things didn’t turn out great.

The Bucs beat up on possibly the worst team in football with barely any fuss. Tampa Bay scored four TDs on the ground en route to a comfortable win. The Bucs have an uphill battle to make the playoffs, but a confidence-building demolition of the Giants will help.

A case of slow close, yet so far for the Colts, who seemed to be hanging in a battle with the Lions for most of the first half. Drops and penalties negated numerous big gains for Indy’s offense despite Anthony Richardson once again showing he is more than capable of playing against the best teams in football, the stats only show part of the story.

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On a day when their offense wasn't quite clicking at the usual level (it was still better than most teams in the NFL), Detroit lent on their excellent defense to grind down the Colts. John Breech puts it well for CBS Sports, “The Lions didn't play a perfect game, but that tells you how good they are: They're beating teams by more than two touchdowns even when they don't play perfect football.”

The Broncos are turning into a good team, with an offense that gets better every week as Bo Nix gets more and more comfortable in the NFL and one of the best defenses in football. This game was closer than Denver would have liked at times, but ultimately they pulled away towards the end.

This was a better performance than we have seen at times from the Raiders, which shows where they are as a team currently. At this point, it must be more productive to give the offense to Desmond Ridder for the rest of the season and see what he can do, than let Gardner Minshew continue to be mediocre.

In a low-scoring game, it was Mike Macdonald's defense that came out on top, sacking Kyler Murray five times and producing a pick-six to wrap up the game as a contest. The win puts Seattle on top of the NFC West with the inside track to the playoffs.

The Cardinals crashed back down to earth against the Seahawks in week 12 after a run of impressive performances. They couldn't get anything going in the run game, allowing Seattle's pass rush to feast all game long. Arizona isn't out of the playoff race yet, but this loss makes things more difficult.

The 49ers were wounded and without Brock Purdy on Sunday, giving the Packers an opportunity to avenge last season's playoff loss. And that's exactly what they did, beating the Niners by 28 points in a blowout that solidifies them as a legit contender in the NFC once again.

Some teams commit a lot of resources to their backup quarterback position, the 49ers have Brandon Allen. Offensively, there's not too much to say as their impotent run game put more and more pressure on a guy with a career completion rate of 56.8%, per ESPN. Defensively, there are real concerns.

We're not convinced the Rams could've done much to stop the Eagles even if they had played a perfect game on Sunday Night Football. The line of scrimmage was dominated by Philly all night, effectively ending any hope of a Rams victory.

Per CBS Sports, Saquon Barkley's 255 rushing yards is the ninth-highest total in NFL history, his 302 yards from scrimmage will also break the all-time top 10. The Eagles mostly shut down the Rams' offense when the game was still competitive, and with this offensive line and Saquon, there's not much you can do defensively. Oh yeah, AJ Brown had 109 yards and a TD too. This is a roster built to win a Super Bowl.

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