What They Say…Week 5 Power Rankings
By author
Another road win means more ascension in the Power Rankings. And rightfully so. The term “ugly win” has been thrown out a lot about this game against the Cardinals, but the Giants did enough to come out on top, plain and simple.
There is a bit of discrepancy among the experts about just how high the Giants should be ranked at the start of week 5. Some believe that a come from behind victory shows the true grit of this team and should be rewarded thusly. Others point to the problem areas as weaknesses that better teams will exploit, therefore small moves upward were made. Both are right; the Giants are a true enigma. And without further ado, here we go!
The Giants Across the Board
National Football Post – 8 (14)
"Eli Manning is playing at a Pro Bowl level and has thrown six TD passes in the last two weeks."
How nice that our Manning is reigning supreme this year without the constant comparisons to his brother. That will never go away completely of course, but somewhere that has to put him at ease. With the injuries to his team, he is shouldering the responsibility and is doing a great job.
Fox Sports – 14 (15)
"Huge win on the road, even if it was against the Cardinals and on a questionable officiating call. Eli Manning shouldered the load while the running game struggled. Two home games and a bye week should allow this team to get healthy."
Not too many writers are questioning the Cruz no fumble call anymore, but I guess these guys are still wondering about it. Either way, they are right that the Giants are at a good point in their schedule, where they can get healthy and prepare for the more challenging stretches ahead.
NFL Mocks – 14 (15)
"The New York Giants sit at 3-1 and I’m not sure how. Based on how I read the rule about giving yourself up, the referees made the right call on the Victor Cruz play, But with that being said they have to play smarter. Even though the Giants reputation of being a smart, careful, disciplined football team they make a lot of knuckle-head plays. The Giants defense looks pretty bad every week in certain areas. Beanie Wells ran all over them and they couldn’t stop Larry Fitzgerald. They have to play better if they want to keep winning. The only game they actually played well was probably the game vs the Eagles."
No question that the defense was off this week. I really think not having Justin Tuck in the lineup hurt. Yes, the Eagles game was their best performance, but this game comes in second, and there is still plenty of momentum in the Giants’ favor.
CBS Sports – 10 (14)
"That was impressive coming back from 10 down on the road at Arizona. Earning back-to-back road victories is a difficult chore in this league."
Very true. The Cardinals aren’t at their best as they break in a new quarterback, but they have some big playmakers that are dangerous. If the Kolb experiment pans out well for them, they will be competitive for a long time, so the Giants should feel proud of this win.
Pro Football Talk – 9 (12)
"Even though the call was right, we’ve got a feeling that Victor Cruz won’t ever leave a ball on the ground again. Anywhere."
I know I wouldn’t!
Below are a few more relevant rankings provided by National Football Post with my comments.
Seattle Seahawks: 28 (1-3, week 5)
Another loss, this time against Atlanta, but it was much closer than it should have been. Tarvaris Jackson seems to be coming into his own with this team, and the Giants D better take him seriously. I expect his confidence is growing.
Buffalo Bills: 10 (3-1, week 6)
After a big win against the Patriots the Bills fall victim to a trap game and lose to the Jaguars. Now they face a desperate, must-win Eagles team before coming to New Jersey. Are the Bills frauds? We should know soon.
Miami Dolphins: 30 (0-4, week 8 )
The Chargers at home are tough to beat, and the Dolphins did not disappoint. Sparano’s ride on the hot seat continues.
New England Patriots: 3 (3-1)
The Patriots rebounded nicely in Oakland. This is a good team, but the defense will probably hurt them down the stretch if they can’t find a way to improve.
Philadelphia Eagles: 20 (1-3, week 11)
This team is in trouble, and they know it. Frustration is setting in, and that will only add to the problem. Nice of Vick to not place the blame on outside factors this week.
Dallas Cowboys: 19 (2-2, week 14)
One never knows which Cowboys team will take the field from week to week. Romo tends to get all the blame thrown at him, and much of it is deserved, but like the Eagles, they are better on paper than in real life.
Washington Redskins: 14 (3-1, week 15)
Other that Ryan Torain, no one had great numbers this week. Fortunately for them it was against the Rams, who I really thought were going to be decent this year. A confident NFC East rival is never a good thing, but luckily they are the only ones right now.