Where New York Giants Landed on the TEGNA Power Rankings

Week 1 of the NFL season is just around the corner, and the Giants landed probably about where you'd expect on the inaugural TEGNA power rankings.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Sep 4, 2021 5:55 PM EDT

With regular-season games on the horizon, that means various sports entities are unveiling their weekly power rankings.

In case you’re someone who puts any stock in these polls, the TEGNA network, of which the LockedOn NFL podcasts are now part, unveiled its inaugural weekly NFL power rankings earlier this week.

The Giants earned votes as high as No. 17 and as low as No. 29 but finished No. 24 in the poll, three spots above the Philadelphia Eagles.

While the TEGNA rankings didn’t offer any explanation behind their rankings, until the Giants offensive line puts to rest all and any concerns that still exist about the unit, the Giants can expect to hover in the bottom third of the rankings.

The offensive line has been a problem for four seasons, but this past off-season, the organization expressed a lot more confidence that the unit was fixed. That was before an injury to projected starting left guard Shane Lemieux and before the retirement of reserve guard Zach Fulton.

That was also before reserve center Jonotthan Harris failed to make the 53-man roster and before left tackle Andrew Thomas had a forgettable preseason showing against the New England Patriots a week ago when he struggled with his footwork.

The Giants spent over $100 million in new contracts to up their offensive playmakers, adding receiver Kenny Golladay and tight end Kyle Rudolph in free agency and drafting receiver Kadarius Toney in the first round following a trade down with Chicago.

But unless the offensive line does its part, none of that will matter if the running backs and the quarterback can’t function with enough time to do so.

How did the rest of the NFC East fare? The Washington Football Team placed No. 16—way too high for a team that still has question marks at quarterback and on offense.

The Cowboys were not too far behind last year’s defending division winner, finishing at No. 19 despite question marks about their defensive secondary and if quarterback Dak Prescott truly is back from last season’s ankle injury.

Which teams will be on the rise and which will fall? Stay tuned.