NFL Power Rankings 2017, Week 7: Giants move up a little in most rankings

The New York Giants got their first win of the season on Sunday against the Denver Broncos on Sunday night football, 23-10. New York is now 1-5. With the NFL Power Rankings coming out on various platforms this morning, let’s see where the Giants fall.

We went through 10 different site’s power rankings and the Giants came out at No. 29 when you aggregate the various lists. They are as high as No. 27 on SB Nation and as low at No. 30 on ESPN. Here is an aggregation of all of the rankings and the explanations.

SB Nation (No. 27)

Yahoo (No. 30)

There was no guarantee Jason Pierre-Paul would come back this well from that fireworks accident. He showed on Sunday night that he’s still one of the best defensive ends in the NFL. (And the story of how he did the sack dance he practiced last week with a boy battling cancer is fantastic.)

SI.com (No. 29)

Last Week’s Rank: 29

Points in MMQB Power Poll: 64

Highest-Place Vote: 24th

Lowest-Place Vote: 30th (2)

Last Week’s Result: Win at Denver, 23-10

Week 7 Opponent: vs. Seattle

NFL.com (No. 29)

Never underestimate athletic pride, man. Was there a more lopsided matchup than the Sunday nighter? The Giants trotted guys out there like Roger Lewis Jr. and Tavarres King against the top-flight secondary in football, a.k.a. "The No Fly Zone." Fine, so Big Blue just simply ran right at that defense with another guy you might not know: Orleans Darkwa, who hammered his way for 117 yards. Darkwa's clock-eating also provided the Giants' defense enough oxygen to nearly shut out Denver.

Bleacher Report/Simms (No. 30)

Last Week's Ranking: 30

This was the formula we expected from the Giants all year long. In the win over the Broncos, New York was efficient on offense, committed to running the ball and dominant on defense.

When the defense plays as well as it did in Week 6, it keeps the Giants in games or, like last year, takes over games entirely. Jason Pierre-Paul was fantastic and whooped butt all night. Janoris Jenkins had a pick-six and forced a fumble. As a whole, the defense prevented the Broncos from ever having a chance in the game.

On offense, the Giants benefited from committing to the run. Eli Manning was smart with the football, and he made a few plays while on the run—which he has been doing more of lately. This helped counter Denver's vaunted pass rush. Evan Engram looks like a legit weapon, which the Giants sorely need with so many injuries in the receiving corps.

This was one of the better offensive performances we've seen from the Giants in 2017, but it's the defensive effort that stands out. New York needs its defense to dominate games if the team is going to get on a winning streak.

USA Today (No. 29)

With three takeaways and four sacks, credit defense for stepping up at time when Eli Manning seems to have a hand tied behind his back.

NJ.com (No. 29)

The most improbable win of the Ben McAdoo era went down on Sunday night in Denver.

Washington Post (No. 28)

So, of course, with Odell Beckham Jr. done for the season and the Giants practically out of WRs, that’s when the offense springs to life and the team gets into the win column. Could it all have been as simple as Coach Ben McAdoo handing his offensive play-calling duties to coordinator Mike Sullivan?

ESPN (No. 30)

2017 record: 1-5

Week 6 ranking: No. 31

Injuries have ravaged the Giants, but they've at least ended their winless season. The other bit of good news is that from now until Thanksgiving, they'll have to leave home just once. Sure, their opponents will be the Seahawks, Rams and Chiefs. But at least they're at MetLife Stadium.

CBS Sports (No. 30)

They are 0-5, and their best player, Odell Beckham Jr. is lost for the year with a leg injury. Now they go to Denver to play a good defense. Changes are coming after the season, right?