The New York Giants return from their bye week with a 6-2 record and two very winnable games on tap. However, they also return from their bye more injured than they went in with safety Xavier McKinney landing on NFI and defensive tackle Nick Williams being placed on IR.
Why is it that the Giants simply can not have nice things?
As we enter Week 10, here’s a look at where the Giants place in a multitude of power rankings.
Nate Davis, USA TODAY: 13 (-1)
When your defensive co-captain and starting safety (Xavier McKinney) injures his hand in an ATV accident and is gone at least a month, you’ve officially lost to the bye week.
Bo Wulf, The Athletic: 13 (-2)
Trade recall: First-round pick Justin Fields for first-round pick Kadarius Toney, fifth-round pick Jamar Johnson, first-round pick Evan Neal and fourth-round pick Daniel Bellinger (trade with Bears, April 2021)
Maybe this depends on your evaluation of Neal, but it would definitely be better for the NFL public if Fields played for a coaching staff that took a little less time to build things around his skill set. The Giants’ wide receivers might not be too much better than the Bears’, but Fields sharing a backfield with Saquon Barkley is tantalizing, and we’d all probably have a better evaluation of him as a passer at this point. Second place goes to the Giants’ minor trade-up for Aaron Robinson in 2021 that cost them a better cornerback, Paulson Adebo.
Austin Gayle, The Ringer: 12 (+/- 0)
Losing to Seattle ahead of their Week 9 bye stings, but the Giants are still 6-2 with one of the easiest remaining schedules in the NFL. They’ll also have the edge in rest when they host the hapless Texans in Week 10 as a 6.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel, and another home game where they again should be favored against the Lions the subsequent week. Save for an unprecedented collapse or significant injuries, the Giants will be a playoff team—something we never thought we’d say when we slotted them at no. 27 in our preseason rankings.
Barry Werner, List Wire: 9 (+4)
The Giants had a bye and get the Texans and Lions as their next opponents. If Big Blue can remain focused and take both of these games, it would head into Thanksgiving in Dallas at 8-2. But if you take either team lightly, things could go awry.
Mark Lane, Touchdown Wire: 12 (-3)
Throw in the injury to Xavier McKinney and there is reason to believe the Giants may be in for a bumpy ride through the power rankings over the next month. Coming out of the bye with the Houston Texans at home is a great way to keep the momentum.
Dalton Miller, Pro Football Network: Tier 4 (-1)
Dalton Miller, Pro Football Network:
There hasn’t been a more surprising result through nine weeks than the New York Giants. At 6-2, they control their own playoff destiny in the NFC.
Even the most hardcore fans couldn’t have predicted such an ascension from Daniel Jones, even with Brian Daboll taking over as the first competent football coach of his NFL career. Many credit Daboll with Josh Allen’s progression, and with how sharp Jones seems to be progressing, it’s hard to argue.
New York’s defense has been lackluster from an efficiency perspective, but they seem to come up big when absolutely necessary, which has aided their hot start.
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: 7 (+/- 0)
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News:
The Giants got a bye to recuperate after losing at the Seahawks. They need to find a way to generate more offense around Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. They also need to clean up their run defense.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports: 14 (-3)
The Giants had a bye and then get the Texans at home, so they’re likely going to be 7-2. Then they get the Lions at home. So it’s very possible they’re 8-2 for a Thanksgiving game at the Cowboys.
Josh Schrock, NBC Sports: 9 (+/- 0)
Given the state of the NFC, the Giants can probably go 3-6 the rest of the way and still make the playoffs.
