NFL power rankings: Giants stay at No. 28 after heartbreaking loss

It is officially that time of the week: NFL Power Rankings. The New York Giants dropped to 0-2 after a heartbreaking, last-second 30-29 loss to the Washington Football Team. A controversial offside penalty on the game-winning field goal granted Washington’s Dustin Hopkins another chance at the kick, which he converted.

If there is a silver lining, it’s that NFL media didn’t go as hard on the Giants as one may have expected. The Giants stayed at the same position in five of ten power rankings listed below, and even improved in rank in two of the 10 rankings listed. Yahoo! Sports bumped the Giants up by four spots (31 to 27), perhaps signaling that some media view the Giants as better as their 0-2 start may indicate. Still, a 27th ranking clearly gives little solace for frustrated Giants fans.

Aggregating several rankings from around the Internet, the Giants come out to an average ranking of No. 28 (last week: No. 28) in the 32-team NFL.

Let’s check out what outlets around the league are saying about the Giants after week 2:

NFL.com: No. 27 (was 27)

There are bad losses and there are Bad Losses. The Giants suffered one of the worst Week 2 defeats imaginable, a 30-29 setback to Washington that will be remembered by Big Blue fans for brutal mistakes and miscues at the most inopportune times. A C.J. Board hold that wiped away a 58-yard TD run by Daniel Jones. A Darius Slayton end-zone drop with no Washington defender within 20 yards. Finally, the pièce de résistance in this stew of misery: Dexter Lawrence’s offsides penalty that gave Dustin Hopkins a second crack at the game-winning field goal. Hopkins didn’t miss. The Giants didn’t sleep.

NBC Sports: No. 28 (was 28)

Daniel Jones and Kenny Golladay are fighting on the sidelines, Kadarius Toney is a relative no-show, Saquon Barkley looks like a below-replacement level running back and Joe Judge’s honeymoon is over. The Giants are a bad football team. Full stop.

CBS Sports: No. 27 (was 27)

Daniel Jones played well in the loss to Washington, but they have to start winning games. Despite opening 0-2, they are still just a game back in the division.

ESPN: No. 28 (was 28)

Don’t sleep. Jones is in the top 20 in the NFL with 122 yards rushing. That’s more than Austin Ekeler, Jonathan Taylor and Ezekiel Elliott. Jones also should be tied for the league lead with three rushing touchdowns, if not for a questionable holding call on a long run Thursday night. Not to mention, Jones has produced quality fantasy numbers against two of the toughest defenses (Denver and Washington) he will face this season. It makes him a quality starting option going forward with some better matchups on the horizon. Atlanta and its putrid defense is on deck with 10 days’ rest. — Jordan Raanan

Sporting News: No. 29 (was 30)

The Giants look better with Daniel Jones but there are a ton of other issues not related to the third-year quarterback and the new-look passing game. Joe Judge, Jason Garrett and Patrick Graham are struggling with the overall identity.

Pro Football Network: No. 28 (was 24)

The Giants are 0-2, just as we all expected, given their first two games were against franchises more talented than their own. The Broncos dominated New York, but the Giants turned around and played a well-fought, entertaining game against Washington.

Daniel Jones had a big day against a good defense, but Kenny Golladay doesn’t seem comfortable yet. We saw offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and Golladay having a spirited conversation on the sideline during the game. Then, after the game, rookie receiver Kadarius Toney called the media “clowns.”

Yahoo! Sports: No. 27 (was 31)

Daniel Jones played well, and if not for an offsides penalty on a missed field goal, the Giants would have gotten a nice win at Washington. Not all is lost, though 0-2 isn’t a great place to be.

New York Post: No. 28 (was 28)

You can look at the latest loss – 30-29 to Washington on a final-play do-over field goal – one of two ways: The Giants are getting closer to winning, or they are inventing new ways to lose. Either way, the Giants are 18-48 since the start of 2017. The Jets share the same NFL-worst record in that span. The Bengals are the next-most futile (20-46).

Sports Illustrated: No. 29

The Giants are a bit of a mess right now. Not just 0–2, but sloppy, undisciplined and fighting amongst themselves. When the big-ticket free agent wide receiver has to come out and clarify that he wasn’t yelling at the quarterback, he was yelling at the offensive coordinator, you’re not where you want to be after Week 2.

DraftKings: No. 25 (no write-up)