Big Blue is still considered among league’s worst teams.
Just when we thought the New York Giants were building momentum…
Not only did the Giants lose to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, but it also showed that their moving up the weekly power rankings might have been premature.
The media may have gotten ahead of themselves.
This week, the Giants have moved down in most rankings, placing as high as No. 26 and as low as No. 29. The consensus remains the same: not many people expect much from this team and expect changes to come this offseason.
Find out what the media had to say with their respective weekly power rankings.
CBS Sports– No. 26
They just don’t do enough on offense and now Malik Nabers is hurt. This team is heading for changes after the season.
Bleacher Report– No. 28
After yet another rocky start to the season, the New York Giants finally seemed to have established some positive momentum with a Week 3 win in Cleveland.
That momentum lasted all of four days.
The Giants actually out-gained the Cowboys on Thursday night, and quarterback Daniel Jones wasn’t terrible—29-of-40 for 281 yards. But the Giants could establish absolutely nothing on the ground, and while New York had some success moving the ball, the team couldn’t seal the deal and find the end zone.
After the loss, Jones acknowledged to reporters that the Giants are frustrated about a second one-possession loss already this season.
“We don’t feel good about losing,” said Jones. “We didn’t do enough to win. We’re frustrated. We’re not discouraged. I think we’re still confident in our team and what we can do well, but we don’t feel good about this.”
Davenport thinks that this is just who the Giants are.
“There are some positives for the Giants after four games this season,” he said. “Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers has absolutely been as advertised, and the edge-rusher duo of Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux has been impressive. But the Giants can’t get a consistent push up front, which is forcing the team to be a one-dimensional offense. Jones hasn’t been terrible, but he’s not good enough to carry a franchise. It’s going to be another long year in New York—quite possibly followed by a reset under center in 2025.”
ESPN– No. 28
Biggest issue on defense: Cornerbacks in run support
It’s easy to look at the Giants’ run defense — where they are allowing 4.7 yards per rush (24th in NFL) — and blame the defensive line. But a lot of the damage is coming on the outside. Teams are averaging over 5.6 yards per rush running wide right. They’re averaging over 6.0 yards running outside the left tackle. The Giants’ cornerbacks, particularly Deonte Banks and Cor’Dale Flott, need to help better on the edges if this team is going to fix the problem. — Jordan Raanan
Yahoo! Sports– No. 29
Can you run a wide receiver into the ground? The Giants might find out. Malik Nabers has an incredible 52 targets through four games, and an NFL-leading 35 catches. He also suffered a concussion in Week 4. Nabers is all the Giants have on offense so that usage should continue, for better or worse.
New York Times– No. 29
Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers is in concussion protocol, and it’s unclear what the Giants offense will look like without him. Nabers leads the NFL with 35 catches and has seen 38.2 percent of New York’s passing targets. Only two players since 2000 — Brandon Marshall and Steve Smith — had a higher team target percentage in a season, according to TruMedia. New York needs Nabers if it has any chance against its upcoming slate — Seattle, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington.
