Take one bye week, add several newly healthy players and a dash of the winless Dolphins, and you get several ascensions in this week’s power rankings. While the Giants rested, the Redskins lost to the Panthers, and the Eagles were also on their bye, so the standings have not changed in the NFC East. The Cowboys won convincingly over the Rams, but then again, it was the Rams.
National Football Post placed the Giants at number six this week, so let’s see where else Big Blue ended up.
The Giants Across the Board
"After the Giants dispatch the Dolphins this week, they embark on a brutal second-half schedule. A 5-2 start is a must, given the rest of the schedule. If they make the playoff’s, they will have earned it."
The only site to keep the Giants in their spot for a second week, and below the top 10. Kind of a surprise considering how confident they are that the Giants will handle the Dolphins.
"They come off their bye week with the winless Dolphins coming to town. Isn’t that two byes?"
Starting to notice a trend here? The Giants can’t get overly confident, or else we will have a repeat of the Seattle game.
"Usually I put the division leads in the top 8 spots but I should make an exception for the Giants because as a fan I know they play better when expectations are down. On top of that, the schedule is about to get B-R-U-T-A-L."
Very true, the Giants play best with a chip on their shoulder. It’s fun to watch division rivals implode one by one, but all it does is turn the attention onto the Giants and start the playoff talk. Not always a good thing with this team.
"The Giants are getting healthier just in time to seize control of the division no one seems to want to win."
This really is a must-win for the Giants, not just for their record but for their confidence. That upcoming schedule in unyielding, and these guys need to stay healthy and motivated to grab and retain first place.
Some more relevant rankings via National Football Post:
Miami Dolphins: 30 (0-6, week 8 )
Tough loss for the Dolphins. Just when it looked like they were going to take their first win, they let it slip by. Their confidence must be pretty non-existent right now, and it’s not likely to get any better in the Meadowlands this weekend.
New England Patriots: 2 (5-1, week 9)
The beginning of their real schedule begins week 9. But first the Pats another tough team in the Steelers. This will probably provide good tape for the Giants to study, because they will need to exploit the weak Patriot defense, find a way to disrupt Brady and keep him from getting comfortable. Piece of cake, right?
San Francisco 49ers: 5 (5-1, week 10)
How long can Alex Smith and the 49ers ride this high? Hopefully not into week 10.
Philadelphia Eagles: 14 (2-4, week 11)
Eagles and Cowboys face off this Sunday night. As always, the Eagles are in a must-win situation, and the last thing anyone wants is a confident Eagles team. Not just because they might start playing better, but because it’s been so nice not to hear the bragging, smack talk and twitter wars the last few weeks.
Dallas Cowboys: 15 (3-3, week 14)
What a performance by rookie RB DeMarco Murray. But, it was against the Rams, so any judgment should be reserved until he plays well against a good team.
Washington Redskins: 19 (3-2, week 15)
Not a bad start for John Beck, but it doesn’t seem to matter who is under center right now. The defense needs to play longer than 30 minutes.