NFL Power Rankings, Week 4: Rise of the Giants

A quarterback change, and a victory, have changed a lot of things for the New York Giants. One of those is that they are no longer hovering around Miami Dolphins level in NFL Week 4 Power Rankings.

ESPN — No. 26 (up from No. 31)

What we got wrong: That the Giants wouldn’t make the move from Eli Manning to Daniel Jones until they were out of playoff contention.

Instead, they pulled the trigger early after two weeks. It was a bold move that didn’t seem likely after they brought Manning back at a $23.2 million cap charge this season. Now the Giants have more than $60M either in dead cap space or on the bench, but they have a rookie quarterback who looks to be the real deal based off the spring, summer and one start.

Sporting News — No. 23 (up from No. 31)

How about Daniel Jones? He showed what youthful exuberance and athleticism can bring to an offense, and he did much of his impressive comeback work without Saquon Barkley. Although that injury loss and a horrible defense will keep Jones from winning much more as a rookie, he immediately justified the high draft pick.

USA Today — No. 23 (up from No. 31)

Largely getting lost in all this Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley injury hoopla is fact Big Blue has NFL’s worst defense north of South Beach.

Chicago Tribune — No. 23 (up from No. 29)

Daniel Jones is the toast of the town in New York, for a week anyway, as he sparked the Giants by throwing two touchdown passes and running for two more as he rallied his team from a 28-10 halftime deficit to win at Tampa Bay. Jones wasn’t perfect. He lost two fumbles — that was an issue in the preseason — but he provided the kind of spark the team was not getting from Eli Manning. Jones will need to continue to deliver, as RB Saquon Barkley will miss at least a month with an ankle injury.

Yahoo! Sports — No. 23 (up from No. 30)

It won’t be easy without Saquon Barkley, but they’re suddenly very entertaining with rookie quarterback Daniel Jones. He should have been starting since Day 1. I doubt the Giants will be in playoff contention, but it’s much tougher for them after punting the first two games to protect Eli Manning’s feelings and legacy.

New York Post — No. 23 (up from No. 31)

Daniel Jones’ first NFL start in place of Eli Manning couldn’t have been more encouraging, showing off his advertised mobility with two touchdowns runs, including a late 7-yard scamper — to go along with two earlier TD tosses — to complete an impressive second-half comeback. A Swiss-cheese defense in the first half (28 point) tightened up after intermission, holding the Bucs to a field goal. Jones could use more of the same support this week at MetLife against winless Washington without Saquon Barkley (ankle).