NFL News & Analysis

Lowest-graded player at every position in NFL Week 4

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - AUGUST 27: Odell Beckham #13 of the New York Giants warms up prior to a preseason game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on August 27, 2016 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants defeated the Jets 21-20. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)

Another week of football has passed, and we’re already a quarter of the way through the 2016 regular season. So much has happened in a four-week span; we’ve had great performances by many players, but we’ve also witnessed some not-so-great outings.

As we do every week, let's take a look at the performances to forget from Week 4, with everyone on this list aiming to bounce back soon.

Week 4 offense

Quarterback: Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans, 38.9 overall grade

It was a tough day for Mariota, who finished 13-of-31 for 202 yards and a pick versus the Texans. Most alarming, though, was that the bulk of his poor play came when he wasn't under pressure, completing just 10-of-21 passes for 136 yards and the pick when the heat wasn't on. Mariota was blitzed just seven times, but was 0-for-6 on those passes.

Running back: Charles Sims, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 37.8

Sunday's outing against the Broncos resulted in a day to forget for Sims, as he carried the ball 15 times, but walked away with just 28 yards rushing to show for it. He didn’t get a ton of help from his line, but he also failed to force even one missed tackle on any of his rushes.

Wide receiver: Robby Anderson, New York Jets, 41.7

Anderson was extremely ineffective for the Jets on Sunday, and failed to make any kind of impact. Despite being targeted six times, he caught just two of those passes for a measly 12 yards, with only three of those yards coming after the catch. He also dropped a pass.

Wide receiver: Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants, 42.5

Beckham was effectively shut down Monday night by Xavier Rhodes and the Vikings' defense. Despite eight targets, he hauled in just three catches for 23 yards. He also dropped a pass and earned a costly unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty.

Slot receiver: Adam Humphries, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 47.2

Humphries did most of his damage from the slot on Sunday. The term “damage,” though, is used very loosely in this case, as the Tampa Bay receiver recorded just one catch for 4 yards on the afternoon.

Tight end: Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions, 36.3

Eric Ebron wasn’t terrible as a receiver on Sunday, catching four of six passes for 42 yards with a drop. But that’s not good, either, and he was much worse as a blocker. Ebron surrendered a couple of tackles in the run game, took a holding penalty, and also had a false-start and illegal-motion penalty.

Left tackle: Greg Robinson, Los Angeles Rams, 32.0

Robinson wasn’t great when pass blocking, allowing a sack and two hurries. He struggled even more in the run game, earning a 27.1 run-blocking grade thanks to four tackles surrendered and multiple other plays in which he allowed his man to affect the play.

Left guard: Billy Turner, Miami Dolphins, 39.5

Most of Turner’s struggles came in the passing game. Despite not seeing many snaps, he still managed to surrender a sack, a hit, and three hurries. There were also a handful of other plays where he was beaten, but no pressure recorded.

Center: Mitch Morse, Kansas City Chiefs, 45.0

While Morse only allowed two hurries in the passing game, he gave up four critical tackles in the run game and also had a false-start penalty.

Right guard: Austin Blythe, Indianapolis Colts, 32.7

Wembley was not kind to Blythe. While he didn’t allow a sack in London, he did surrender a hit and seven hurries when pass blocking. In the run game, it was a trio of stops given up, as well as some other poor plays.

Right tackle: Trenton Brown, San Francisco 49ers, 40.6

Trenton Brown had a very similar game to Greg Robinson at the other tackle position. He wasn’t great in the passing game, but wasn’t terrible, either, giving up just a sack and a hurry. Brown had difficulty when run blocking, however, and was unable to make a play on his man multiple times.

Week 4 defense

Edge defender: Brian Robison, Minnesota Vikings, 35.6

Brian Robison failed to make an impact at any level for the Vikings' defense on Monday night. He gathered just two quarterback hurries, one of which he was unblocked, and didn’t make a single run stop—or even a tackle—in the game.

Interior defender: Arik Armstead, San Francisco 49ers, 35.5

The 49ers' defense surrendered 187 rushing yards to the Cowboys, largely due to Arik Armstead’s inability to clog up the middle. He was moved easily and frequently by the Dallas offensive line, allowing huge holes to open up. Armstead had one chance at a tackle all game, and missed it.

Interior defender: DaVonte Lambert, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 36.0

DaVonte Lambert wasn't very noticeable in the Buccaneers loss to the Broncos, which isn't good considering he played 49 snaps. Lambert failed to record a single pressure rushing the passer, and in the run game, he missed as many tackles as he made (one).

Edge defender: John Simon, Houston Texans, 37.6

Simon had three QB hurries on the day, but one of them was a clean-up and the other two were late in the play. He missed a tackle on a Mariota scramble, and was generally ineffective against the run, as well.

Linebacker: Demario Davis, Cleveland Browns, 32.6

Davis had trouble in both the run game and the pass game for the Browns' defense. He made just one run stop, while missing a tackle, as well. In coverage, he allowed all four targets he saw to be completed for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Linebacker: Brian Cushing, Houston Texans, 32.7

Cushing delivered a spectacularly-poor performance against the run, being sealed off on nearly every single play at the second level. His 21.5 run-defense grade was the second-lowest among all defenders in Week 4.

Cornerback: Bené Benwikere, Carolina Panthers, 26.5

Josh Norman, Bené Benwikere is not. Benwikere was absolutely toasted by Julio Jones on Sunday to the tune of seven receptions on eight targets for 193 yards and a touchdown. He also surrendered a 35-yard touchdown to Aldrick Robinson.

Cornerback: Antonio Cromartie, Indianapolis Colts, 29.9

On the surface, the numbers don’t look that bad, with Cromartie giving up four catches on five targets for 34 yards and a touchdown. But that doesn’t include the pass interference and two defensive holding penalties he made on top of those numbers.

Slot corner: Quandre Diggs, Detroit Lions, 39.5

Diggs didn’t force a single incompletion versus the Bears, surrendering six catches on six targets for 109 yards while playing almost exclusively in the slot.

Safety: Chris Conte, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 35.4

Chris Conte was poor in coverage versus Denver, as he was the primary cover man for a touchdown in which he missed a tackle. He also took a pass-interference penalty, a defensive-holding penalty, and a horse-collar tackle penalty. Not a great day for Conte.

Safety: Calvin Pryor, New York Jets, 40.5

Pryor also struggled in coverage, as he surrendered four catches on five targets for 52 yards when he was the primary cover man. As an over-the-top safety, he was also late on his help on a handful of plays, including a touchdown.

Week 4 special teams

Punter: Lac Edwards, New York Jets

Edwards punted five times on Sunday and averaged a mere 39.4 yards per punt.

Kicker: Nick Novak, Houston Texans

Novak missed a 48-yard field goal and struggled with kickoffs. None of his six kickoffs went for touchbacks, and he had one go out of bounds.

Kick returner: Cyrus Jones, New England Patriots

It was a tough day from the start for Jones, who inexplicably tried to return the first two kickoffs he saw from deep in the end zone; he was tackled well short of the 25-yard line both times. He also muffed a punt on the day.

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