The first place Giants (5-4) started the second half of their season the right way, with a 32-18 road win in Tampa Bay (3-5). Eli Manning threw for two more touchdowns, and the return of Jason Pierre-Paul sparked a Giants defense that held the Bucs' offense to just one touchdown. After two straight weeks on the road, the Giants return to MetLife Stadium this Sunday for a matchup with the undefeated Patriots (8-0).
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Elsewhere in the NFC East, the Eagles (4-4) handed the Cowboys (2-6) their sixth consecutive loss, 33-27 in overtime. The Eagles host the Dolphins (3-5) this week, while the Cowboys visit the Bucs. Washington (3-5) fell to the Patriots in Foxboro this past Sunday. They square off with the Saints (4-5) in Week 10.
With Week 9 of the NFL regular season in the books, Giants.com takes a look at power rankings coming in from outlets across the country:
NYG: 13
Movement: Up 2
NFC East: No. 12 Eagles, No. 13 Giants, No. 20 Washington, No. 22 Cowboys
NFL Top 5: Patriots, Bengals, Panthers, Broncos, Packers
Comments: Big Blue stays ahead of the pack in the NFC East race. While simple logic states the Eagles' win in Big D was not a wonderful development, careful reasoning says it was. If the Cowboys had won, they would have been 1.5 games back, with Tony Romo returning in a couple of weeks. Sam Bradford played well for the Eagles on Sunday night, but both teams being healthy, Dallas is the better ballclub. Big Blue, with Jason Pierre-Paul back and another meeting with Philly on the schedule (in New Jersey), is on track to win the division.
NYG: 10
Movement: Up 4
NFC East: No. 10 Giants, No. 12 Eagles, No. 23 Washington, No. 29 Cowboys
NFL Top 5: Patriots, Bengals, Panthers, Broncos, Vikings
Comments: Jason Pierre-Paul wasn't great in his season debut. But he looked capable of helping, at least, and he should get better as he settles back in.
NYG: 16
Movement: Up 1
NFC East: No. 15 Eagles, No. 16 Giants, No. 21 Washington, No. 22 Cowboys
NFL Top 5: Patriots, Bengals, Panthers, Broncos, Cardinals
Comments: Tampa Bay dropped back 36 times. The Giants didn't have one sack. The sooner Jason Pierre-Paul knocks off that rust and makes an impact, the better. They can't win the NFC East with zero pass rush. Can they?
NYG: 16
Movement: None
NFC East: No. 14 Eagles, No. 16 Giants, No. 22 Washington, No. 27 Cowboys
NFL Top 5: Patriots, Bengals, Panthers, Broncos, Packers
Comments: Glass half full - DE Jason Pierre-Paul played 73% of defensive snaps in his 2015 debut. Glass half empty - two tackles.
NYG: 15
Movement: Up 2
NFC East: No. 14 Eagles, No. 15 Giants, No. 20 Cowboys, No. 21 Washington
NFL Top 5: Patriots, Bengals, Panthers, Cardinals, Packers
Comments: To ensure a win over the Patriots, they should paint Super Bowl logos on the field.
[**
FOX SPORTS** ](http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/power-rankings)
NYG: 11
Movement: Up 4
NFC East: No. 11 Giants, No. 15 Eagles, No. 24 Washington, No. 26 Cowboys
NFL Top 5: Patriots, Panthers, Bengals, Cardinals, Broncos
Comments: On a pitch count, Jason Pierre-Paul looked good against the Bucs. The Giants need the old JPP back now that defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins and linebacker Jon Beason are on injured reserve.
NYG: 15
Movement: Down 1
NFC East: No. 15 Giants, No. 16 Eagles, No. 23 Cowboys, No. 26 Washington
NFL Top 5: Patriots, Bengals, Panthers, Broncos, Packers
Comments: The Giants lead the NFL in takeaways (21), turnover margin (plus-12) and defensive touchdowns (four), and now they have their best pass-rusher back. Can they shock the Patriots in Week 10?
Giants.com hands outs their game balls after the Giants top the Bucs
LB Jasper BrinkleyStarting at middle linebacker in place of Jon Beason (injured reserve), Brinkley led the Giants with seven tackles (five solo) and recorded both a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on separate turnovers for the Giants.
DE Jason Pierre-PaulPlaying for the first time since suffering serious hand injuries in a July 4 fireworks accident, the two-time Pro Bowler returned to record two solo tackles and a pair of quarterback hits while seeing extensive action.
QB Eli ManningWith the win, Eli Manning broke Phil Simms' record of most regular-season victories (95) in franchise history for a starting quarterback.
WR Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham led the Giants with nine receptions for 105 yards in the winning effort. It was his second-straight game with at least 100 receiving yards and fourth of the season.
Kicker Josh BrownBrown made all four of his field goal attempts, including a 44-yarder that put the Giants ahead by eight points with 23 seconds remaining in the game.
