Grades for all 32 teams a month into 2026 NFL season: Raiders, Chiefs, 49ers and Jags tops in league. Meanwhile, an F- for the Chargers?

Four teams aced the first portion of the season while three others received F grades.

October 7, 2026 at 10:06 AM· 3,678 words

With the calendar flipped to October, and as weather cools and the days get shorter, it's a sure sign we need to take a big-picture look at the NFL landscape.

We've reached the end of the first quarter of the 2026 season (four games into a 17-game season, so close enough), and that means it's time to assign grades to all 32 teams.

These grades factor in a combination of game results, preseason expectations, a deeper dive into stats, injuries and projections going forward. Here's how the Yahoo Sports NFL staff assessed every team, with Frank Schwab grading the AFC teams and Eric Edholm evaluating the NFC.

The Bills were close to getting an A. All they had to do was beat the Patriots at home, and they would have been 4-0 with a three-game lead in the division. They had a 26-21 lead at the two-minute warning. They lost and while it's harsh to dock them a full grade for losing a close game to a team that went 14-3 last season, it was a lost opportunity. And suddenly a defense that is 27th in yardage allowed looks shaky. That needs to be fixed.

Losing on the road to the Seahawks and Jaguars isn't too bad. That's what happens when the schedule gets tougher. The way the Patriots have looked in those games is what sets the grade back. Drake Maye had three poor games before playing well in a huge spot at the Bills in Week 4. That helped. The offense as a whole still has to find consistency. A 2-2 start isn't the end of the world, but it's hard to give the Patriots better than an average grade.

When your only win is against the Titans, it's hard to get too excited. The Jets have shown progress. They were in games late against the Packers and Lions. They even have an interception, which they failed to do all of last season. This isn't the same horrendous team from a season ago. It's not good one either. The lopsided loss to the Bears, who were on their third starting quarterback of the season, was not a good sign. There have been more positive signs than last season, but that's not saying too much.

The Dolphins have been outscored 101-46 in four games. They have lost by double digits in three of them. They're the second team in 22 years to fail to score 14 points in any of their first four games (the other one was the 2019 Dolphins). Malik Willis hasn't played well, though it's hard to blame him considering the situation around him. De'Von Achane, the one star on the roster, is out for the season. So why not an F? This team wasn't expected to be good, and at least some rookies, like linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and receivers Chris Bell and Caleb Douglas, have had some moments. The biggest goal now is getting that first win to avoid 0-17 questions.

A blown lead in the second half against the Saints ruined a perfect 4-0 start. And the Ravens bogged down in the second half against a terrible Titans team in Week 4, squeaking out a win with Lamar Jackson sitting after halftime with an ankle injury. It would be nice to see Jackson and wideout Zay Flowers both healthy for more than a half at a time because the short glimpses of that have been great. When Flowers and Jackson played the first halves against the Colts and Titans before injuries, the combined score was 55-20. It still seems tenuous because the Ravens' stars can't stay healthy.

Through two weeks the Bengals were undefeated and their defense looked very good. Then that unit was smashed by the Steelers in Week 3. Cincinnati followed that up with a home loss to Jacksonville. The defense has been above average on the whole, which provides a path for the Bengals to be an AFC North contender and maybe more. Now that the Bengals have their annual mediocre start out of the way, we can see if they can elevate to a higher level.

There are reasons to be skeptical. A team can't live off close wins in the final minutes, and in all three Browns wins they've grabbed the lead in the final four minutes. Cleveland's offense is still up and down, and the idea that Deshaun Watson is playing very well is overblown. Still, what more could Cleveland have wanted than a 3-1 record? New head coach Todd Monken has done a good job, and many young players are playing well and offering a bright future. The Browns are unlikely to maintain a winning record for much longer unless the offense finds more consistency, but it has been a great start to the season.

A win against the Bengals was pretty good. The rest has been shaky. Pittsburgh struggled to put away an Atlanta team with Cooper Rush at quarterback, lost 20-3 to New England and let Deshaun Watson have his best game for Cleveland in a prime-time road loss. The Steelers' defense looks old and while 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers is playing well for his age, it's still not a dynamic offense. There's very little upside to the Steelers, and that's been the case for a few years.

The Jaguars have looked like one of the best teams in the NFL for seven of the eight quarters they have played. Letting the Broncos come back and win in Week 2 cost them an A+ start to the season. The Jaguars are strong on offense and defense, which shouldn't be a surprise because they were a complete team last season as well. Trevor Lawrence has a 111.2 passer rating. He has never been above 100 over a full season. The AFC South isn't providing much competition. Jacksonville could have the division clinched by early December.

Any hope that the Colts would replicate their offensive magic from the first half of last season with Daniel Jones back in the lineup has dwindled. Jones, coming off an Achilles injury, has been below average. Things might look better if the Colts' first two games weren't against the Ravens and Chiefs. And the Colts did take the Chiefs, who are now 4-0, to overtime at Arrowhead. Indy's defense has gotten better the past couple weeks after a rough start. The Colts' offense still has Jonathan Taylor. At 2-2, the Colts can improve and have a successful season.

The only positive is that the Texans are maybe better than they seem but unlucky in close games. Three of their losses came by no more than five points. They led in the final two minutes of all three of those losses. But 0-4 is 0-4. Nobody is giving out a consolation prize for coming close over and over. The Texans can't finish, which is an indictment of a defense that was supposed to be elite but has been closer to average. The Texans might not be bad but they're in a deep hole and that's a massive disappointment.

The Titans signed over $333 million in free-agent deals in the offseason, the most in the NFL, according to Spotrac . They hired a brand new coaching staff led by Robert Saleh. They had three top-60 draft picks, including two in the first round. And what has changed? The Titans would be the worst team in the NFL if it weren't for the Dolphins. You have to squint hard to see any progress from second-year quarterback Cam Ward. Their last three losses have all been by one score, so maybe they're closing in on a win and a breakthrough after that. But it has been an ugly start to what was supposed to be an improved era.

Let's not forget the Chiefs went 6-11, including 6-8 in Patrick Mahomes' starts, and Mahomes was coming off an ACL suffered last December. Starting the season 4-0 was far from guaranteed. But Kenneth Walker III has been perhaps the most impactful player in the NFL through four games, Mahomes looks healthy and the Chiefs seem to have gotten their dynasty back on track. Maybe injuries on offense catch up to them and it starts to go south, but that's a problem for down the road. Right now the start for the Chiefs couldn't be much better.

It's hard to bash a team that has wins over the Rams and Jaguars too much. But any honest Broncos fan would admit there are serious concerns. Denver needed second-half rallies to beat LA and Jacksonville, which might speak to its home-field altitude advantage in September more than how well the Broncos are playing. Their offense has mostly been awful with coordinator Davis Webb calling plays. The run and pass games have lagged behind. New star receiver Jaylen Waddle has been a non-factor in three of four games, which is hard to believe. Denver's defense hasn't been terrible, but it's also difficult to shake the image of players missing tackle after tackle in the opener at Kansas City. Two quality wins aside, there's a lot of improvement that needs to be made.

Sure, a win over the Chiefs would have been nice. But that shouldn't dampen a great start from a Raiders team that had sunk to the bottom of the NFL last season. Klint Kubiak looks like a very good hire as head coach. His offensive scheme has led to immediate results. Free-agent additions have already paid off, especially with a defense that has improved tremendously. For a franchise that has been wretched for decades, the first four games of this season have been a revelation. The Raiders don't look like they're going away anytime soon.

We'd give the Chargers a lower grade if possible. How are they this bad? How does Justin Herbert look like one of the NFL's worst quarterbacks? Losing defensive coordinator Jesse Minter was always going to have an impact, but new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel was supposed to offset that. Instead, Jim Harbaugh is already being asked about firing McDaniel. It's not the wildest idea after McDaniel's offense has looked consistently out of sync and nowhere near accommodating his players' strengths. The Chargers started the season by losing two home games as a big favorite in each one, then somehow lost a game at Buffalo in which they were +4 in turnover margin and fell behind 27-6 to Seattle. A team that was 11-6 last season looks barely a step above an expansion team. Only Miami has a worse DVOA; even the Titans rank ahead of the Chargers there. It's unfathomable.

Sunday's dramatic victory at the Texans probably raised this from a C, or a C-. That and the Joey Porter Jr. trade . The landscape is there for Dallas to make a move in the East. Two division foes are missing their starting quarterbacks, and the other one is slumping. Dak Prescott is off to a strong start again, and the offense is starting to get hot. The problem has been the defense, which has yet to mature. Can Porter help unlock the group? With this offense, the Cowboys need only one or two more stops per game.

They're first in the NFC East, which is something they've rarely been able to say recently, and John Harbaugh has them winning games they need. That's the good news. The bad is the Jaxson Dart injury caps this grade until we see evidence that the Giants' replacement-QB floor is anywhere close to where Dart was. Losing Brian Burns is also crushing, even if New York's defense keeps making plays.

Amid high expectations, the Eagles have come out flat — two shaky wins against lesser clubs followed by two disappointing losses to two better conference foes. Losing by 20 to the Case Keenum-led Bears was humiliating and blowing a late 10-point lead at home to the Rams was downright demoralizing. They've also been gutted by injuries, with DeVonta Smith, Lane Johnson and Zack Baun all missing Sunday, and Saquon Barkley, Quinyon Mitchell and Jonathan Greenard were all injured during the Rams loss. Jalen Hurts and his offense are again struggling, and it's not an overnight fix.

The Commanders can claim one of the better results of the 2026 season, handing the defending champion Seahawks their only loss so far. A close defeat to the Eagles is fine, but two 17-point losses — and two notable QB injuries — reveal a tough picture again in Washington. Jayden Daniels isn't expected to go on injured reserve, but the recurrence rate of his left elbow injury has to be very concerning, especially with backup Marcus Mariota getting hurt in London. Washington is 0-2 in the division and has the third-worst point differential in the league. This is the reality. If Daniels can return and the Commanders can beat the Giants, the grade would flip dramatically.

They have won two straight without Caleb Williams, which is a significant development. Williams' Grade 2 hamstring strain is likely to keep him sidelined a bit longer, but Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent have held down the fort well in two home games, even with Bagent having three picks wiped out by penalty against the Jets . Ben Johnson's offensive innovation has been on display, boasting a strong running game with Williams out. The home loss to the unbeaten Vikings stings but the Bears have played strong defense after allowing 37 points to Carolina in Week 1. It has been an imperfect start, but a mostly encouraging one.

This Lions' offense can match firepower with just about anyone. But the state of Detroit's defense is far less encouraging, allowing a league-worst 3.0 points per drive . They've been outscored on the season and are fortunate to be 2-2. They easily could have lost at home to the Saints in Week 1 and needed late plays to hold off the Jets in Detroit. This isn't a winning formula; it's a get-by-and-survive one. The Lions have an early bye after heading to Arizona this weekend, and they clearly must find solutions on the defensive side to be taken seriously as contenders. They can still win the North, but the intimidation factor with facing this team has dissipated. Opponents know they can score against them early and often.

The product has looked to be about a D+, especially when you consider the team's injuries. On the other hand, the Packers are still 2-2 with three of their next four games at Lambeau Field. They're hanging around in the division. There's hope with Micah Parsons' imminent return, but the injury/suspension situation on offense doesn't bode well, with right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele and receiver Jayden Reed out for the season, and RB Josh Jacobs remaining on the commissioner's exempt list. The Edgerrin Cooper injury in Week 4 also is a big blow . The Packers could use a convincing victory against a quality foe, with a great opportunity against the Bears on Sunday. Jordan Love is being paid like a top-tier quarterback, so somehow he and head coach Matt LaFleur must pick up the pace — and likely do so without a dependable run game.

There's not much to gripe about this undefeated record, but the Vikings clearly have some limitations. They put away the Bears, Bucs and Dolphins the past three games, yet with difficulty. The problem is an offense that has averaged 15.7 ppg the past three weeks, with Kyler Murray not yet finding his rhythm after missing nearly two full games with a concussion. Injuries to star wideout Justin Jefferson, and offensive linemen Christian Darrisaw and Donovan Jackson have also put a damper on things. Murray and Jefferson have played only 18 snaps together so far. Minnesota's defense has been hellacious to start the season, but the offense must pick up the pace. An A grade is achievable, but they're not there yet.

It's hard not to wonder what this team might have looked like had Michael Penix Jr. been healthy for Week 1. After two absolute stinkers offensively, the Falcons have looked extremely dangerous the past two games, raising the floor and the ceiling of the entire operation. They blowtorched the Saints on Monday in what was supposed to be the Saints' emotional evening. Atlanta's defense has also played pretty well on the whole, especially against the run. This team's arc has completely changed, and while the grade factors in the record, it also reflects the major upward swing, suggesting this team could be a sneaky problem.

Carolina is sitting atop the division at its bye week, but the Panthers' profile is lopsided; things would have looked different had they not blown a lead against the Browns. The offense has been the story, with Bryce Young leading the NFL in passing yards and Tetairoa McMillan playing like an elite receiver, especially against the Lions with Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette out. The Panthers' defense has rallied since the 59-point bloodletting against the Bears, but there's a question of whether that unit can take care of business against some of the other better offenses around the NFL. We'll keep our eyes on injuries to rookie right tackle Monroe Freeling (knee) and linebacker Jaelan Phillips (hamstring), but Carolina has legit division-title hopes again with the NFC South still profiling as a weaker crop.

The narrow loss at Detroit and the stunning win in Baltimore had this team thinking big things, especially in a typically volatile NFC South. But the wheels have come off in two home games, where the Saints blew a fourth-quarter lead against the Raiders and completely no-showed Monday night against the Falcons. New Orleans' run defense was poor entering the Atlanta game, and the Falcons shredded through them with ease. QB Tyler Shough also has hit a small wall in his second season, even if he's hardly the biggest issue. Injuries, like running back Travis Etienne Jr.'s hamstring ailment, have taken a bite out of the Saints, and though they're only a game behind the 2-2 Falcons and Panthers, it feels like New Orleans needs a change in mojo after the past few games.

An F grade might not have been out of bounds, but there have been mitigating factors to the winless start. All four losses have been one-score games, and Baker Mayfield's thumb injury has been a tough blow the Bucs will have to weather. Mayfield wasn't playing great prior to his injury, and the Bucs have been giving up an average of four sacks per game. The defense has been decent enough, even with injuries. And though this doesn't look like one of the worst teams in the league, the record is what it is. Head coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson are catching heat, and there might not be any truly easy games prior to the Week 10 bye.

Mike LaFleur's Week 1 win over the Chargers felt like the Cardinals might be due for a reevaluation. But three straight losses have shown us just how far Arizona needs to come. The offense has flip-flopped between competent and bad every other week. The defense has not been able to pick up the slack either, although you can hardly blame the Giants loss on that unit. In that game, Jacoby Brissett threw two picks before Arizona's final drive. Yet LaFleur called four straight passes inside the 4-yard line, with the final play resulting in a game-sealing pick 6. Why did the Cardinals draft running back Jeremiyah Love third overall? Maybe things improve with a QB change, but the defensive limitations are likely too big to overcome.

For a team some were brave enough to bestow 17-0 predictions on , the Rams have looked pretty darned ordinary. They were staring 1-3 in the face prior to the tremendous fourth-quarter comeback in Philadelphia. Aaron Donald missed that one, Puka Nacua missed time and Myles Garrett remains out, so there's a health factor baked in here. The Rams have also been more December-January teams in Sean McVay's history, getting off to some slow starts in multiple playoff years. But Matthew Stafford's turnovers are hurting them, especially in the loss to the Broncos when the Rams blew a 16-0 lead. Stafford's two picks nearly sank them against the Eagles. LA's defense has mostly been strong since the Australia game, but the offense and special teams are holding the team back, in spite of some beefy yardage totals.

They're the only unbeaten team in the thorny NFC West, and as usual, the Niners had to endure a lengthy list of injuries. Despite that, their offense has been terrific, and their defense has been mostly sharp, outside of the shootout against the Cardinals. Still, it's hard to gripe about what we've seen, especially from Brock Purdy's tremendous start. He hasn't been sacked once in four games and is on pace for his best statistical season by a mile. The trip to Seattle will be the Niners' biggest gut check to date, but this team appears legitimate. Grade: A

The Sam Darnold injury ended up being a blessing, far less serious than it could have been, and Drew Lock held down the fort effectively. The loss at Washington in Darnold's return is probably the only thing keeping this grade from being in the A range, even if the Seahawks let teams hang around a bit too often. Even after dominating the Chargers for three quarters, they kept the backdoor open and let Justin Herbert make it interesting. The Seahawks remain one of the biggest threats, but the backfield health is a potential sore spot, and the late-game sloppiness needs to be tidied up.

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