Giants Hold Steady in New MMQB Power Rankings

Despie the Week 2 loss, there were some positives to come in the game.

power rankings.jpg / Patricia Traina | New York Giants on SI

The New York Giants' 2024 season is far from steady thanks to their 0-2 start, which included a 28-6 blowout loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 and a heartbreaking 21-18 loss to the Washington Commanders last week, but at least they’re holding steady in the weekly MMQB power rankings.

The Giants, who were 29th last week, came in at 29th this week, but as Conor Orr, the list’s ranking compiler notes, for people looking for the silver lining, there was a little more good to come out of Week 2’s loss than there was in Week 1. 

“I think the injury to the kicker is such a freak occurrence, even if he came into the game on the injury report. I also think [quarterback] Daniel Jones played well enough to stave off a conversation about a quarterback change for a week. 

“I also think Malik Nabers handled a high volume of targets really well. If the Giants have a kicker, they’re 1–1, and we’re talking about the No. 20–22 team in this week’s power rankings without batting an eye.”

Giants head coach Brian Daboll has insisted that there was no way of knowing that kicker Graham Gano would pull a hamstring chasing down kickoff returner Austin Ekeler on the opening kickoff, and he’s correct. 

However, with Gano having landed on the injury report the day before with a groin strain–he did not receive a designation–it still would have behooved the Giants to have a backup kicker on the roster, especially since they had an opening.

We’ll point to Week 1, when punt returner Gunner Olszewski was on the injury report, listed as limited all week long with a groin issue but who did not receive a game designation. Olszewski aggravated his injury during pregame warmups and was ruled out before kickoff.

The point is that if a specialist is compromised in any way, it’s shortsighted not to have a backup plan–it happened last week with Olszewski, it happened last year with Gano (knee) against the Jets, and it happened again.  

Daboll, who is usually meticulous in his planning, didn’t see it that way, and it cost the Giants a game they should have and could have won.

Starting this week, the Giants face a tough six-game stretch, beginning with the Cleveland Browns, one of the league’s top pass-rushing defenses. As Orr noted, this game “becomes absolute must-win territory” as the Giants look to salvage a season that hasn’t gone according to plan.

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