NFL power rankings, Week 9: Giants remain at No. 29 following close loss to Bucs

The New York Giants fought hard against Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football, but fell just short, 25-23.

Aggregating seven rankings from around the Internet, the Giants come out to an average ranking of No. 29 in the 32-team NFL entering Week 9, their same ranking as last week.

With a 1-7 record, the Giants are in fourth place in the NFC East but the division is still largely up for grabs. They take on the 2-5 Washington Football Team on Sunday.

Let’s check out what outlets around the league are saying about the Giants heading into Week 9 of the season:

USA Today: No. 28

The average margin of victory in their last four contests has been 1.75 points ... unfortunately for New York, it’s only prevailed once in that stretch.

CBS Sports (Prisco): No. 30

They are making progress, which is a good sign. They just have to stop the Daniel Jones turnovers.

The Washington Post: No. 29

The Giants made a spirited bid to upset the Bucs before falling short on the failed two-point conversion in the final seconds. QB Daniel Jones made some big plays in crunch time but his turnovers remained a major issue.

Sports Illustrated: No. 27

The Giants delivered their best performance of the season against one of the top teams in their conference. But QB Daniel Jones still hasn’t shaken the turnover bug, throwing two INTs on plays where he could have easily thrown the ball away.

ESPN: No. 31

There is not a lot to work with here, but Nick Gates has become progressively better as the season has gone on. Remember, he never played center in a game prior to this season. Now, it looks as though the Giants might have found their starter at the position, not only for this season but for years to come. For an organization that has struggled so badly to put together a competent offensive line, you take what you can get.

Bleacher Report: No. 31

There are no moral victories in the National Football League. Yes, the New York Giants gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers all they could handle Monday night. They led the game 14-3 in the first half and staged a late comeback that came up just short.

But that’s what the Giants have been doing all season long: coming up just short. The Giants have played well enough to hang with good teams. But with the exception of a one-point win in Week 6 over a Washington Football Team that’s hardly a powerhouse, the Giants haven’t played well enough to beat, well, anyone.

And after he committed two more turnovers against Tampa, the Giants face a tough decision in the offseason about whether young quarterback Daniel Jones is the franchise’s future under center.

Sporting News: No. 30

The Giants are done with Daniel Jones in Year 2. Their defense has shown some fight but it’s not good enough to overcome one-dimensional offensive ineffectiveness.