NFL power rankings, Week 17: Giants hold steady at No. 12

The New York Giants have risen and fallen all season throughout these weekly power rankings. For the first time all year, the Giants have maintained a ranking from one week to another. After a heartbreaking loss on a 61-yard field goal, the Giants got some help with the other NFC teams in the playoff hunt also losing. With the Lions, Seahawks, and Commanders all losing by double digits, the Giants were able to keep their hold on their playoff spot and their spot in the power rankings.

This week, we have aggregated nine power rankings across the Internet.

NFL.com (14)

Getting beat on a 61-yard field goal at the gun is a helpless way to go out, but Brian Daboll’s team could have triumphed at U.S. Bank Stadium with better execution in the final quarter. A dropped interception, a pick from Daniel Jones and a blocked punt all came back to haunt the Giants in a 27-24 loss to the Vikings. Jones was excellent overall, completing 30 of 42 passes for 334 yards, while Saquon Barkley added another entry to his Comeback Player of the Year dossier, bursting through a stacked box on fourth-and-2 to score the touchdown that set up the dramatic 2-point conversion to tie the game late. The Giants can still clinch a playoff berth with a win over the lowly Colts on Sunday.

USA Today (12)

Aside from protecting the ball (league-low 15 turnovers) and RB Saquon Barkley’s heroics, just not much New York does exceptionally well. Be that as it may, one more win allows the G-Men to lumber into the playoffs.

Sporting News (11)

The Giants have had a lot of positives this season, including Daniel Jones showing some of the qualities of a franchise QB while being supported by a healthy Saquon Barkley and a better offense. The goal next year for Brian Daboll is getting the right receiving pop and improved run stoppers.

ESPN (10)

Defining moment: A 2-point conversion to win in Week 1.

This play set the tone for the season. First-year head coach Brian Daboll went for two points and the win (on a Saquon Barkley run) in the final minutes of the opener at Tennessee. For a team that has struggled to win close games in recent seasons, this was the sign that these Giants were different. They parlayed that emotional victory into a 6-1 start to the season, with all six wins being in one-score games.

The Athletic (15)

Two of the tenants of the Giants’ surprise season came back to bite them in the loss to Minnesota, as they turned the ball over twice (they entered the week with the fewest giveaways in the league) and let the Vikings convert two key third-and-longs on what turned out to be the game-winning drive (New York ranks third in the league in third-down defense). On the plus side, Daniel Jonestopped 300 yards passing for just the second time this year, thanks in part to a new-look downfield game plan that gave Jones his deepest air yards per attempt (8.57) of the season, per TruMedia. A return trip to Minneapolis is possible three weeks from now.

CBS Sports (11)

That was a tough loss to the Vikings, but they showed well — especially the offense. They need to win one more to get into the playoffs.

YAHOO! Sports (12)

The Giants lost and saw their chances to make the playoffs get better. Their playoff odds actually increased by 0.5 percent to 90.1 percent, according to Football Outsiders. The losses to everyone else in the wild-card race helped a lot.

NBC Sports Chicago (13)

Daniel Jones has to be nearly perfect for the Giants to win games. That has been a rare occurrence during the second half of the season.

Pro Football Talk (13)

They’re good enough to always keep things interesting.