Arizona Cardinals (1-3)
Only a miracle, last-minute touchdown pass at Philadelphia has kept the Cardinals from being winless. There is some young, emerging talent here, like wide receiver MarTay Jenkins and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, but still not enough pieces in place. Injuries, poor offensive line play and lack of a running game have contributed to usual malaise. Coach Dave McGinnis is an enthusiastic guy, and a solid coach, but there's still little here to get very excited about.
Grade: C-minus.

Atlanta Falcons (2-3)
The Falcons looked like wildcard contenders winning two of first three games, then dropped two straight winnable contests at home, and can't seem to close out games in fourth quarter. Loss of running back Jamal Anderson is a killer and the secondary, especially cornerback Ray Buchanan, is allowing too many big plays. First-year defensive coordinator Don Blackmon, like most of his predecessors, is starting to catch heat. As usual, the fans are staying away in droves, which doesn't help.
Grade: D.

Carolina Panthers (1-4)
Opening game upset at Minnesota caused a stir, but Panthers have lost four straight since then, and this looks like another long year. Owner Jerry Richardson could have tough decision on future of coach George Seifert at the end of the season. A bright spot has been the play of quarterback Chris Weinke, better than anticipated, and this year's draft has produced nice results so far. But any young quarterback needs help from the running game, and the Panthers' is non-existent.
Grade: D-plus.

All-NFC team

OFFENSE WR Terrell Owens, 49ers LT William Roaf, Saints LG Ray Brown, 49ers C Matt Birk, Vikings RG Cosey Coleman, Buccaneers RT Mark Tauscher, Packers TE Byron Chamberlain, Vikings WR Torry Holt, Rams QB Brett Favre, Packers RB Marshall Faulk, Rams FB William Henderson, Packers DEFENSE LE Michael Strahan, Giants DT La'Roi Glover, Saints DT Chris Hovan, Vikings RE Joe Johnson, Saints WLB Derrick Brooks, Buccaneers MLB Keith Brooking, Falcons SLB Rosevelt Colvin, Bears CB Aeneas Williams, Rams FS Shaun Williams, Giants SS Sammy Knight, Saints CB Bobby Taylor, Eagles SPECIAL TEAMS K Jose Cortez, 49ers P Rodney Williams, Giants PR Steve Smith, Panthers KOR Michael Lewis, Saints

Chicago Bears (3-1)
The hot seat on which coach Dick Jauron began the year is beginning to cool a bit as the Bears have been one of the early season's most pleasant surprises. The defense has led the way, knocking the ball loose, and scoring touchdowns on takeaways. Led by standout middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, the linebacker corps is strong, and so are the safeties. The strength of the offense, relatively speaking, is in the young wideouts and unspectacular but steady performance of QB Jim Miller.
Grade: A.

Dallas Cowboys (1-4)
What's the next grasping-at-straws maneuver, signing Todd Marinovich? Give the Cowboys credit for at least playing hard every week and, in truth, the only wholesale meltdown was in an ugly Sunday night defeat at Philadelphia. The defense in particular has hustled every time out and, on offense, RB Troy Hambrick might turn into a nice complement to Emmitt Smith. Still, the quarterback play is shaky and the offense really is ill-conceived with no true possession-type receivers.
Grade: D.

Detroit Lions (0-4)
Given its background, ownership here is familiar with the term "lemon," and that is precisely what it has sold Lions fans this season. This team is an enigma of sorts because, especially in the defensive front seven, there are some veterans who can still play. Injuries have devastated the secondary and hurt the offensive line, but the reality is that the new regime of team president Matt Millen and coach Marty Mornhinweg seems to be in way over its head and already has lost some veterans.
Grade: F.

Green Bay Packers (4-1)
The team's quick start, and the exemplary play of a defense whose sum is far better than its individual parts, has the Packers looking like the team to beat in the NFC Central. A strong 2000 finish has carried over nicely into this year and the revival of quarterback Brett Favre, still the man you want running your two-minute drill with the game on the line, makes the Packers dangerous every time out. The defense suddenly is one of the quickest in the NFL and versatile RB Ahman Green is a keeper.
Grade: A.

Minnesota Vikings (2-3)
A perfect preseason probably camouflaged the cumulative effect of losses due to retirement, defection and even death. The passing of offensive tackle Korey Stringer means the Vikings have lost four Pro Bowl-caliber offensive linemen in two years, and the highest drafted starter is a fifth-rounder. Retirement of running back Robert Smith robs offense of balance and defense has always been a cut-and-paste scenario for Denny Green. That wide receiver Randy Moss is the league's biggest "me" guy has never been more apparent.
Grade: D-plus.

New Orleans Saints (3-1)
All the skeptics who believe chemistry doesn't count in the NFL need only watch the Saints, a team that reflects the passion of coach Jim Haslett, and one that plays hard every week. Outside of a pedestrian secondary, except for SS Sammy Knight, there are no glaring holes. Quarterback Aaron Brooks was inconsistent the first few games and Saints struggled to deal with lofty expectations. But the mojo is rising again in The Big Easy and running back Ricky Williams can carry this team a long way.
Grade: B.

New York Giants (3-2)
Perhaps because they lack top-end speed on offense, people watch the Giants and yawn, but this is definitely a playoff-caliber team. The defense is superb and coordinator John Fox, who forged a pretty nice video resume with Sunday's performance against the Rams, hasn't been afraid to use rookie CBs Will Allen and William Peterson to allow Jason Sehorn to play in the slot. The offense moves the ball in spasms, and needs running backs Tiki Barber and Ron Dayne to get healthy.
Grade: B.

Philadelphia Eagles (2-2)
The chic preseason pick to win the NFC East, and possibly challenge for a Super Bowl berth, this team may still be a year away. Oh, the Eagles almost certainly will be a playoff team, because the division is so filled with bottom-feeders. But other than the emergence of Todd Pinkston in his second year, the wideout corps still doesn't come up with enough plays to bail out quarterback Donovan McNabb. They have discovered a capable reserve running back in rookie Correll Buckhalter, a big plus.
Grade: C.

St. Louis Rams (5-0)
We're not buying into the hype about a perfect season yet because even a great team stumbles occasionally, as last Sunday reinforced. But it's going to be tough for any defense to slow the explosive St. Louis attack, even if the Rams are minus Marshall Faulk for a few weeks. Defensive coordinator Lovie Smith has done a superb job with a unit that features eight new starters and the Rams suddenly aren't so one-dimensional. They have only three games outdoors and are incredible in domes.
Grade: A.

San Francisco 49ers (4-1)
Left for dead just two years ago, and still shackled by leftover salary cap woes, the 49ers have pulled themselves off the scrap heap faster than even they expected. We dare you to find a coaching staff doing a better job than Steve Mariucci's bunch at this point of the season. This isn't a special team, at least not yet, but the offense moves the ball every week and the young defense is only going to get better. A real testimony to the notion you can still rebuild through the draft.
Grade: A.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2)
Even the players here, who have publicly taken to referring to the Bucs as an "average" team, seem to realize what underachievers they are. This is a bunch that can talk the talk, but that's about it. At some point coach Tony Dungy, one of the classiest guys in the league, is going to be held accountable for not getting this team into a Super Bowl and he could be in some trouble at year's end. As much flak as the offense catches, the defense isn't playing, either, with its usual verve.
Grade: D-plus.

Washington Redskins (0-5)
This is a prime example of what happens when a retread coach comes out of retirement for the money and not because he missed the game. Owner Dan Snyder wanted a big-name coach to take the heat off himself. Well, he got the high-profile coach but the heat is on a once-proud franchise being mismanaged right into the ground. There is no sense of order and Marty Schottenheimer, who didn't want all the aging veterans in the first place, lost their attention the first day of camp.
Grade: F.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.