NFL Power Rankings, Week 1: Expectations are low for Giants entering 2020 season

It is officially that time of year again: NFL Power Rankings. The New York Giants are aiming to get off on the right foot against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 at MetLife Stadium after finishing with an abysmal 4-12 record last season.

Aggregating seven rankings from around the Internet, the Giants come out to an average ranking of No. 27 in the 32-team NFL. Oddly enough, this is the exact same ranking that the Giants had entering the 2019 season.

Let’s check out what outlets around the league are saying about the Giants heading into the 2020 season:

USA Today: No. 31

Anyone else notice buzz around RB Wayne Gallman? It’s almost as if G-Men should consider moving Saquon Barkley before they squander him...

CBS Sports (Prisco): No. 27

New coach Joe Judge does have talent on offense in Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. But is the line good enough? What about the receivers? The defense has issues at corner.

ESPN: No. 26

This will determine whether the Giants will have a successful season and future. They have invested heavily in the second-year quarterback, and now is the time to find out whether he can develop into a top-end starter. In order to do that, he will have to cut down on the fumbles. The only way to find out whether he has fixed that problem is to see him in games when he isn’t wearing a red don’t-touch-him jersey.

NFL.com: No. 28

Is this the year Evan Engram blows up? There are few tight ends who can match Engram from a pure skills standpoint, but it’s fair to wonder if Engram’s body will ever allow him to develop into the superstar trapped within. Production has declined in each of his past two seasons as injuries piled up, but he enters 2020 healthy and ready for a major role in a Jason Garrett offense that loves to utilize the tight end. Engram has a high ceiling and low floor — it makes him a pretty neat representation of where we see the Giants’ offense as a whole entering this season.

Yahoo! Sports: No. 27

The Giants signing defensive back Logan Ryan for one year and $7.5 million was a solid signing this late in the offseason. The Giants needed some depth with DeAndre Baker’s situation still up in the air.

Bleacher Report: No. 23

Strictly from a results standpoint, the 2019 season wasn’t kind to the New York Giants. Led by rookie quarterback Daniel Jones for most of the season, the G-Men won only four games. Gagnon buys the Giants as a team that could be on an upward trajectory in 2020. “Unlike my colleagues,” he said, “I don’t think the Giants are a bottom-10 team. Saquon Barkley can bounce back, Daniel Jones has a high ceiling, and there’s enough talent elsewhere to stay afloat in the NFC East.”

The Washington Post: No. 29

New coach Joe Judge projected a no-nonsense persona during training camp. But as with all Belichick proteges, he faces the potential problem of that quickly becoming wearisome to his players if he doesn’t show he can win.