NFL Week 3 Grades: Browns have perfected the late game meltdown; Cards get an 'F'

Just when you thought the Browns' season couldn't get any sadder, they somehow managed to up the sadness factor by roughly 1000 percent.

One week after blowing a 20-0 lead to the Ravens, the Browns somehow painfully managed to outdo themselves in a 30-24 overtime loss to the Dolphins.

If the Browns were going to lose on Sunday, most people thought it would be because Cody Kessler threw seven interceptions. After all, the rookie quarterback was making the first start of his career.

That didn't happen though. There was no meltdown from Kessler, who actually played well in Miami. The rookie quarterback went 21 of 33 for 244 yards and didn't turn the ball over at all during the game.

What Kessler did do though, was give the Browns a chance to win. With the Browns trailing 24-13 in the fourth quarter, Kessler engineered an 11-point comeback with two impressive drives in the fourth quarter that both went over 70 yards.

Of course, all of this ended up being for naught because this is the Browns and something always has to go wrong. For the Browns, the thing that went wrong this week was their decision to sign Cody Parkey as their kicker.

After normal starter Patrick Murray went down with an injury, the Browns had to bring someone in on Saturday, so they went with Parkey -- something that they're probably regretting right now.

Parkey went 3 for 6 against the Dolphins, which includes missing the potential game-winner on the final play of regulation.

Of course, since this is the Browns we're talking, Browns fans already knew the miss was coming.

Browns players felt it, too. Just look at Gary Barnidge's reaction after Parkey's miss.

The only good news that the Browns got on Sunday is that they actually made it through a game without a quarterback getting hurt. Kessler was only starting in Miami because Robert Griffin and Josh McCown went down in Weeks 1 and 2.

Also, we should probably mention Terrelle Pryor. The Browns receiver/quarterback/running back tallied 35 passing yards, 21 rushing yards and 144 receiving yards. Maybe he should've been the kicker, too.

Minnesota 22-10 over Carolina

Vikings: A

The Vikings seem to lose a new offensive player every week, and somehow, they keep on winning. With Adrian Peterson, Matt Kalil and Sharrif Floyd all out, the Vikings went into Carolina and pulled out a double-digit win. For the Vikings to pull off the upset, all they needed was for Sam Bradford not to make any mistakes so their defense could do the rest, and that's exactly what happened. The Vikings defense pounded Cam Newton for four quarters, racking up eight sacks -- a total that includes three by Everson Griffen. The Vikings also got a special teams touchdown in the game (Marcus Sherels' 54-yard punt return). To be honest, if the Vikings offense were to miss the team bus to next week's game, I might still pick the Vikings to win.

Panthers: D+

If we've learned one thing in Cam Newton's career, it's that the Panthers offense doesn't work when he's running for his life. Newton was sacked eight times against the Vikings, marking the fourth time in his career that he's been sacked seven or more times in a game, and yup, the Panthers are 0-4 -- with all four losses coming by 12 or more points. Newton also threw three interceptions. Basically, the Panthers offense should probably burn this film. The "plus" part of the D+ goes to the Panthers defense, which only gave up 211 total yards.

Green Bay 34-27 over Detroit

Lions: B-

If we learned one thing about the Lions on Sunday, it's that they didn't waste a single cent when they gave Marvin Jones a five-year, $40 million deal in March. Jones torched the Packers for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Jones was the first Lions receiver to top the 200-yard mark since Calvin Johnson went for 329 yards in October 2013, the second-highest total in NFL history. The Lions definitely could've used Ameer Abdullah. Without their starting running back, who's likely out for the season, the Lions run game responded by rushing for all of 50 yards on 23 carries.

Packers: B

Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes in the first half and then went on cruise control, which can be a good thing, except it wasn't in this game because the Packers' version of cruise control was broken. Rodgers went 3 of 6 for 31 yards in the second half. The good news for the Packers is that Jordy Nelson finally looks 100 percent healthy. Not only did Nelson catch two touchdown passes, but he also racked up 106 yards on five catches. It was Nelson's first multi-touchdown game since December 2014.

Baltimore 19-17 over Jacksonville

Ravens: B+

Joe Flacco must've given an elite pregame speech before this game because the Ravens got elite performances from several players, including Justin Tucker, Terrell Suggs and 37-year-old Steve Smith. The Jags couldn't stop Old Man Smith, who caught eight passes for 87 yards. As for Suggs, he racked up two sacks in the game. The most elite performer for Baltimore though was Justin Tucker, who nailed four field goals, including a 54-yarder with 62 seconds left that won the game. Oh, and Flacco wasn't bad either. At one point in the game, Flacco completed 21 straight passes, setting a franchise record.

Jaguars: C-

If there's a fourth quarter interception to be thrown, Blake Bortles will figure out a way to throw it. Of Bortles' 41 career interceptions, 16 of those have come in the fourth quarter -- including two against the Ravens on Sunday. In Bortles' defense, it's not like he's getting much help from the Jags' run game. Even with Chris Ivory back in the lineup, Jacksonville only totaled 48 yards on the ground. In the three games this season, the Jaguars have yet to hit the 70-yard mark on the ground as a team. The Jags are now 0-3 for the third time in four years, which means maybe Gus Bradley's rebuilding job isn't working.

Buffalo 33-18 over Arizona

Cardinals: F

Every NFL season, there's at least one completely inexplicable loss by a West Coast team that travels to the Eastern time zone for an early game, and I think we just saw that game on Sunday. Actually, instead of making excuses for Arizona, let's blame this one on Carson Palmer, who might've played the worst game of his Cardinals career (26 of 50, 261 yards, four interceptions, zero touchdowns). The Cards' five total turnovers marked the first time in the Bruce Arians era that Arizona has turned the ball over five times in a game.

Bills: A

Every time you think Rex Ryan's a week away from getting fired, he goes out and wins a game that buys him six more weeks. LeSean McCoy (110 yards, two touchdowns) and Tyrod Taylor (76 yards, one touchdown) clearly didn't want to see Ryan fired because they sparked the Bills offense with 186 combined rushing yards and three combined rushing touchdowns. The Bills rushed for a 208 yards against Arizona, marking the fourth time in the past 12 games that the Bills have rushed for 205 or more yards.

Oakland 17-10 over Tennessee

Raiders: B+

The most surprising part of the Raiders' win is that their defense didn't give up 500 yards of total offense on Sunday. After being torched during the first two weeks of the season, the Raiders only gave up 393 yards to Tennessee. Oakland's defense picked a good time to come through.

Titans: C

The only grade that matters here is the "F" that Titans fans are going to give the officiating crew. Andre Johnson got called for an offensive pass interference call on a touchdown catch that would've tied the game with 27 seconds left. Two plays later, they didn't get an interference call on a fourth-down play where it appeared that Harry Douglas got shoved in the end zone by a Raiders defender. Although the Titans can blame the refs, they should probably just blame themselves: Tennessee went 2 of 12 on third down conversions and turned the ball over three times.

Miami 30-24 in OT over Cleveland

Browns: B-

Hue Jackson is probably never going to attempt a field goal ever again after what happened to his team in Miami. Also, don't be surprised if Terrelle Pryor plays every single position on the field next week because apparently, he's good at everything.

Dolphins: B-

This game had everything that Dolphins fans have come to expect out of Ryan Tannehill: There were several inexplicably bad passes, including one pick-six, but there were also some impressive throws, including three touchdowns.

This game was so ugly for Miami that coach Adam Gase didn't really want to talk about it afterward. Instead, Gase channeled his inner-Belichick by answering several questions with "We're on to Cincinnati."

Washington 29-27 over N.Y. Giants

Redskins: B

Although Kirk Cousins threw for 296 yards against the Giants, he might not have even been the best quarterback on the field for Washington. On a wild play in the third quarter, Redskins punter Tress Way threw a perfect 31-yard pass on a fake punt that kept a Redskins drive alive and led to a field goal.

Way should probably split the game ball with kicker Dustin Hopkins, who hit five field goals in the win.

Giants: C+

Turning the ball over is always bad. Turning the ball over in your opponent's territory is even worse. Two of New York's three turnovers in this game came in Redskins territory, which killed two drives that would've likely ended with points. One turnover came on an Eli Manning interception in the end zone, while the other came on a Shane Vereen fumble. The one thing that wasn't surprising about this game is that it probably gave half the Giants' fan base a heart attack. Well, at least the ones that didn't have one during the first two weeks. The Giants' three games this season have all been decided by three or fewer points.

Denver 29-17 over Cincinnati

Broncos: A

Trevor Siemian did something against the Bengals on Sunday that no Broncos quarterback did in all of 2015: Throw four touchdown passes. After three weeks of 2016, it kind of looks like the Broncos have upgraded at quarterback over last season, which is horrible news for the rest of the AFC. Siemian threw for 312 yards, which is even more impressive when you consider that it was his first career road start.

Bengals: C

If Marvin Lewis is ever coaching against Gary Kubiak, don't pick Lewis' team to win. The two coaches have gone against each other seven times in their career and Kubiak is 7-0. The Bengals' defensive game plan of shutting down the Broncos' run game and forcing Siemian to beat them kind of backfired in their face.

Seattle 37-18 over San Francisco

49ers: D-

After watching the 49ers get dismantled by the Seahawks, it feels like Chip Kelly only has two options going forward: replace his entire defense, or replace Blaine Gabbert. Since replacing the entire defense probably isn't feasible, maybe it's time to give Colin Kaepernick a shot at quarterback. The 49ers have followed up their Week 1 win with two 19-point losses in a row.

Seahawks: A

No one in Seattle cares about the Seahawks' grade this week because all anyone cares about is Russell Wilson's knee. Wilson took an ugly hit in the second half and had to leave the game. However, before he left, he threw for 243 yards and a touchdown. The good news for the Seahawks is that they might've finally found someone to replace Marshawn Lynch. Running back Christine Michael ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns against the Niners.

Philadelphia 34-3 over Pittsburgh

Steelers: F

This wasn't the worst loss in Steelers history, but it kind of felt like it at times. The 31-point loss was the Steelers' biggest margin of defeat since a 31-point loss to the Bengals in Week 2 of 1989. The Steelers' 29 yards rushing was tied for the team's fourth lowest total since 1983. Earlier this week, Ben Roethlisberger said he thought about quitting football after his first loss in Philly in 2008, he's probably not feeling much better about the sport after this loss. Luckily for Big Ben, he might not have to play there ever again. The Steelers aren't scheduled to play in Philadelphia again until 2024.

Eagles: A+

The shocking thing about the Eagles is that the most surprising thing about their team might not be how well Carson Wentz is playing. The most surprising thing in Philly might actually be the play of the Eagles defense. After ranking 30th in the NFL in 2015, Jim Schwartz has put together a unit that has only given up 27 points the entire season. The Eagles defense has been so good that Philly might be winning even if Wentz wasn't good. Fortunately for the Eagles, that's not the case though, and Wentz has turned into the steal of the 2016 NFL Draft. The Eagles quarterback shredded the Steelers for 301 yards and two touchdowns.

Kansas City 24-3 over N.Y. Jets

Jets: F

It's almost fitting that Ryan Fitzpatrick's name starts with an "F" because he's the reason the Jets are getting such a low grade here. Fitzmagic imploded against the Chiefs, throwing six interceptions. If that sounds impressively bad, that's because it is. Fitzpatrick became the first quarterback since 2007 to throw six picks in a game. Things got so bad that "Fitzpatrick" and "interception" starting trending on Twitter in Kansas City at one point.

Anyway, if the Jets learned one thing from the loss, it's that next year they probably shouldn't cave-in to Fitzpatrick's money demands.

Chiefs: A

The Chiefs didn't even need their offense on Sunday. The Kansas City defense alone outscored the Jets 14-3 in this game. Those two scores came on a 27-yard fumble return by Demetrius Harris and a fourth quarter pick-six by Derrick Johnson. The Chiefs forced eight turnovers against New York, which maybe they should try and do every game, because they're undefeated in franchise history (6-0) when they force eight or more turnovers.

Indianapolis 26-22 over San Diego

Chargers: B-

The fact that Philip Rivers kept the Chargers in this game is a minor miracle considering what he was working with on offense. After Antonio Gates was ruled out for Sunday's game, that means Rivers had to play the game without any of his five leading receivers from 2015 (Gates, Keenan Allen, Danny Woodhead, Malcom Floyd, Stevie Johnson). Although only three of those guys are still on the roster, that's still devastating for any quarterback. Despite the odds against him, Rivers almost singlehandedly won this game with a 330-yard performance. Rivers got zero help from the Chargers' running game, which only totaled 37 yards on the ground.

Colts: B

Apparently, Andrew Luck doesn't do 0-3. This season marked the third year in a row that the Colts started 0-2, and for the third year in a row, they avoided an 0-3 start with a clutch Week 3 win. Most of the clutchness came from T.Y. Hilton, who racked up 174 yards, a total that includes catching the game-winning 63-yard touchdown with just 77 seconds left in the game.

Los Angeles 37-32 over Tampa Bay

Rams: A

After going the first two weeks of the season without scoring a touchdown, the Rams ended their scoring drought in a big way against Tampa with five touchdowns. Everyone got in on the scoring action, too: a running back scored (Todd Gurley scored twice), a pair of wide receivers scored (Tavon Austin, Brian Quick) and the Rams defense even scored (Ethan Westbrooks). The scoring explosion wasn't the only odd thing to happen with the Rams on Sunday; the other odd thing happened in the standings: The Rams are in first place after starting 2-1 for the first time since 2006.

Buccaneers: B-

The Buccaneers are going to be asking themselves a lot of questions after this loss, and the biggest one is probably going to be, "Why did we spend a second-round pick on a kicker?" Rookie Roberto Aguayo missed an extra point and a 41-yard field goal in this game, both of which would've really come in handy for Tampa Bay if he had been able to make them. The other question the Bucs will probably be asking themselves after the loss is, "How did we give up 37 points to a team that had scored zero offensive touchdowns through two weeks?"

Dallas 31-17 over Chicago

Bears: C-

The Bears have slowly turned into one of the biggest disasters in the NFL this year, and things only got worse in Dallas. You know your season isn't going well when your asking Brian Hoyer to throw 49 passes in a game. If we've learned one thing in Hoyer's career, it's that Hoyer's team probably isn't going to win if you're asking him to throw that many passes.

Cowboys: A+

It's probably too early to talk about whether or not Tony Romo should get his job back, but maybe Tony Romo shouldn't get his job back. Not only has Dak Prescott been amazing in this three starts, but he gives the Cowboys offense a dynamic they don't have with Romo: Prescott can run. You know what, let's not talk about Romo, let's just enjoy what the Cowboys' rookies are doing because it's borderline ridiculous. Prescott (36 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD; 248 passing yards, 1 passing TD) and Ezekiel Elliott (140 rushing yards) accounted for 424 of the Cowboys' 447 offensive yards in the game.