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Giants on the Rise Again in MMQB's NFL Power Ranking Poll

And there is still room for this team to go even higher in future weeks!
Patricia Traina|
Giants on the Rise Again in MMQB's NFL Power Ranking Poll
Giants on the Rise Again in MMQB's NFL Power Ranking Poll

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New York Giants

After cracking into the top 10 of the MMQB weekly NFL power rankings at No. 7 last week, the New York Giants are up one more spot to No. 6 in this week's poll. That puts them ahead of the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals, the Tom Brady-led Buccaneers, the defending Super Bowl champion Rams, and the equally surprising New York Jets (who made it into the top 10 this week.

Notes MMQB's Conor Orr of this week's ranking:

I can’t remember a complete cultural deep cleaning like the one Brian Daboll performed in the damp recesses of the Giants’ facility. This is absolutely stunning. The same group of players who were conditioned to believe they were broken is now forming the parts of a team that, according to FiveThirtyEight, has a more than 80% chance of reaching the postseason.

That's quite a turnaround for a team that some predicted wouldn't win more than four games this season, the first of the rebuild under general manager Joe Schoena and head coach Brian Daboll.

If we look at the Giants as a house, most of the materials were, in retrospect, there all along. The problem was that the prior builders had no clear plan for how to put everything together and were left with a mess on their hands.

Despite not having the ideal budget (salary cap space), this regime had a plan and adjusted. The coaching staff has gotten the most out of every player on the roster and, thus far, has managed to navigate through some inconvenient injuries.

But the challenges keep piling up for the Giants, who must figure out how to replace the production of tight end Daniel Bellinger, their TE1 in the passing game, and who will be without two starting offensive linemen (Ben Bredeson and rookie Evan Neal) for a few weeks.

The upcoming by after this weekend's trip to Seattle will help some in that it should put some of the other injured players (Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Elerson Smith, Shane Lemieux, and Matt Peart--we're looking at you) closer to a return.

As for the purely-for-entertainment power ranking polls, the Giants can, with another win this weekend, rise even huigher to pass the likes of the Cowboys (No. 5) and the Vikings (No. 4).

Anything can happen, which is why teams line up to play the game. But make no mistake: Daboll has this team pointed in the right direction.

How nice is it that the Giants are still playing relevant football games as we approach the end of October?

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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