Call it the curse of the New York Yankees.

There has to be some explanation for why the two New York-area NFL teams can't win games after such impressive starts.

Rex Ryan should tone down the rhetoric until the Jets can win again. (Getty Images)

When the Yankees opened the baseball playoffs, the Giants and Jets were both riding high in the NFL. The Yankees won the World Series, and seemingly took all the victories in the Manhattan area with them.

The Giants have lost four straight but couldn't make it five since they were idle this week, but the Jets held up their end of the losing bargain.

The Jets lost 24-22 to the Jacksonville Jaguars on a last-second field goal Sunday, their second consecutive loss and fifth in the past six games.

Their 3-0 start to the season, when coach Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez were the toasts of the league, seems like forever ago.

Losing to the Jaguars at home drops the Jets to 4-5 as they head to New England next week to play the Patriots.

Let's face it, Big Apple football is rotten to the core.

Can it be fixed?

Neither the Jets nor the Giants have that look that says they can turn things around, but you never know. What if the Jets go into New England and win next week? They did beat the Patriots earlier this season.

That was when they were riding high. Now the Jets are scrambling.

Suddenly, Sanchez isn't so golden. And Ryan's candid quips are now probably seen as too much bravado, making him the loudmouth coach rather than a breath of fresh air. His decision to give his team the bye week off from practices is now one that will be scrutinized instead of praised.

That's what losing can do. It can quickly change perceptions.

It can also earn your team a stinker grade in our CBSSports.com Weekly Grades. It's not an F, but we'll give them a C-.

Maybe the two New York teams weren't as good as we thought. Maybe their starts were football mirages.

Something has happened.

Did Derek Jeter and his gang use up all the sports good will in the city?

Blame the Yankees.

There has to be some explanation for the Jets and Giants going a combined 1-9 in the past ten games after opening 8-0.

I know what is. A-Rod is to blame.

He must have let the players on the Giants and Jets borrow his vanity mirrors, and all that posing has cost them.

Go ahead and blame the Yankees.

It has to be because of them.

Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009
San Francisco 49ers 10, Chicago Bears 6		Prev. Grade	GPA
C	49ers: Give this one to the defense. It had five interceptions and kept the Bears out of the end zone. The offense didn't do much, aside from a few Frank Gore runs. They have to pass it better.	C-	2.27
C-	Bears: Jay Cutler was terrible. Five picks? Awful. The end-zone interception at the end was a really bad play. The defense saw a pretty good game go to waste.	F	1.97
Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009
Washington Redskins 27, Denver Broncos 17		Prev. Grade	GPA
B+	Redskins: Ladell Betts ran the ball for 114 yards and Jason Campbell made some timely throws. The pass defense gave up two big scores early, but once Kyle Orton went out at halftime it was much easier to stop. The touchdown off the fake field goal was big.	D	1.41
C-	Broncos: Kyle Orton hit Brandon Marshall for two big touchdown passes, and it looked like it might be a blowout but the Redskins settled down. The Denver defense sure didn't look as good as it had earlier this season.	C-	3.04
Tennessee Titans 41, Buffalo Bills 17		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Titans: Chris Johnson had another big day running it and the defense tightened in the second half. Vince Young was solid in getting his record to 3-0 as a starter. There's no doubt they are playing better.	B	1.93
C-	Bills: They hung around for a half, but didn't do anything in the second half on offense. The run defense was a problem again. The Dick Jauron watch is on again.	F	1.82
St. Louis Rams 23, New Orleans Saints 28		Prev. Grade	GPA
C	Rams: They really played well and had chances at the end. Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson both had good games. They did lollygag a little on the last drive. All in all, it was a good day -- even if they didn't win.	B	1.61
C	Saints: This was a natural letdown, and it showed. But they did what good teams do, which is find a way. Courtney Roby's kickoff return for a score to open the second half was huge. Drew Brees wasn't as good as he has been and the defense wasn't good.	B	3.26
Cincinnati Bengals 18, Pittsburgh Steelers 12		Prev. Grade	GPA
A	Bengals: This one goes to the defense. They dominated the Steelers offense. The front got after Ben Roethlisberger and the secondary covered well. The big play was the kickoff return for a touchdown by Bernard Scott.	A	3.11
B-	Steelers: They couldn't get anything going on offense and a pretty good defensive effort went to waste. The kickoff coverage has been a problem all season long. The offensive line was whipped.	A	3.04
Jacksonville Jaguars 24, NY Jets 22		Prev. Grade	GPA
B+	Jaguars: Maurice Jones-Drew had another good day with 123 rushing yards and opened the scoring with a 33-yard run. David Garrard made some big throws in the game-winning drive. The defense had two big picks, but one went to waste on a fumble by Jones-Drew. It was a nice effort.	B-	2.12
C-	Jets: Mark Sanchez isn't playing as well as he was early in the year. And what has happened to that defense? They couldn't stop the Jaguars for much of the day. Garrard made it look easy on the last drive.	C-	2.57
Minnesota Vikings 27, Detroit Lions 10		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Vikings: Brett Favre had a big day with 344 yards passing and Adrian Peterson did his usual thing. Sidney Rice had the biggest day with seven catches for 201 yards. The defense wasn't as sharp as it has been.	B	2.96
C-	Lions: The defense had a woeful day. They couldn't stop the Vikings, even if they did stiffen inside the 20. Matthew Stafford was steady, not throwing any picks, but he needs help.	C-	1.87
Miami Dolphins 25, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23		Prev. Grade	GPA
B-	Dolphins: As usual, the Dolphins ran the ball well with Ronnie Brown, before his injury, and Ricky Williams. Chad Henne's bad interception nearly cost them in the end. He did make amends for it with his throws on the drive to the game-winning field goal.	C-	2.22
C	Buccaneers: Josh Freeman was decent in his first road start. He didn't cost them this game. The defense, a sore spot all season, was pushed around in the run game. At least they're more competitive now.	A	1.52
Carolina Panthers 28, Atlanta Falcons 19		Prev. Grade	GPA
B+	Panthers: The Panthers ran it on the Atlanta defense and their defense limited the Falcons passing game. They picked off Matt Ryan twice. They played their style of game, which they had to do.	B-	2.04
C-	Falcons: They aren't playing well enough on either side of the ball. Ryan is really struggling. The defense was hit hard by the run. Losing Michael Turner hurt, but Jason Snelling played OK.	B	2.64
Kansas City Chiefs 16, Oakland Raiders 10		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Chiefs: The Chiefs defense had a nice day. They shut down the Raiders offense after the first quarter. Jamaal Charles had a nice game with over 100 yards rushing and Matt Cassel was efficient.	C-	1.60
D	Raiders: JaMarcus Russell is officially a disaster. They can't move the ball with him playing quarterback. They looked good early, but wilted. The defense has to get sick of having no help from the offense.	D	1.00
San Diego Chargers 31, Philadelphia Eagles 23		Prev. Grade	GPA
B+	Chargers: They jumped to the big lead and then had to fight off the Eagles. The offense played well. The defense, especially the pass defense, did not. Philip Rivers was sharp.	B+	2.66
C-	Eagles: What happened to the defense? They couldn't get stops. Donovan McNabb played well, but he was in scramble mode all day. Jason Avant had a huge day. They just seemed flat from the start.	B	2.81
Green Bay Packers 17, Dallas Cowboys 7		Prev. Grade	GPA
A	Packers: What a big day by the Packers defense. The Cowboys didn't get a third-down conversion until the fourth quarter. Charles Woodson really came up big. The offense didn't do a lot, but it didn't need to.	F	2.60
C	Cowboys: Horrible, horrible offensive showing. You can't win many games playing that way. Hard to believe that was the same offense that came in on fire. The defense actually played well.	A	3.04
Arizona Cardinals 31, Seattle Seahawks 20		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Cardinals: They slumbered through the early part of the game, but got it going in the second half. Kurt Warner was good in the second half, and the defense really played well after halftime. Why the slow start?	B+	2.44
C	Seahawks: Their defense wilted in the second half. Warner lit them up. Matt Hasselbeck played well, but the Seahawks couldn't keep up in the second half. They have defensive issues.	C	1.89
Indianapolis Colts 35, New England Patriots 34		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Colts: They were outplayed most of the night, but found a way with an 18-point rally. Peyton Manning threw four touchdown passes to lead the comeback. The defense had issues. But they made a key fourth-down stop to give them a chance in the end.	B	3.07
B-	Patriots: Their coach wasted 58 minutes of good football with one bad decision. How did Bill Belichick do it? Why? Tom Brady and Randy Moss played well. The defense did not.	B	3.04
Monday, Nov. 16, 2009
Baltimore Ravens 16, Cleveland Browns 0		Prev. Grade	GPA
B	Ravens: They didn't do a lot on offense, but they didn't need it. The defense dominated a bad Cleveland offense. The interception return for a touchdown by Dawan Landry was all they needed.	C-	2.78
D	Browns: How low can they go? The offense looks terrible. They can't even complete a pass past 5 yards. They don't even try. The line stinks. The receivers can't get open and the quarterbacks aren't playing well. The defense actually played pretty well.	F	0.93