Niner Noise
FanSided

NFL power rankings: Post-preseason 32-team breakdown before Week 1

By Peter Panacy

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 24: Andrew Luck #12 of the Indianapolis Colts watches from the sidelines during the fourth quarter of the preseason game against the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 24, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 24: Andrew Luck #12 of the Indianapolis Colts watches from the sidelines during the fourth quarter of the preseason game against the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 24, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /
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CINCINNATI, OH – AUGUST 22: Daniel Jones #8 and Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants talk during the preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on August 22, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH – AUGUST 22: Daniel Jones #8 and Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants talk during the preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on August 22, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

New York Giants. 30. team. 31. . . Previous:

Maybe the New York Giants were justified grabbing quarterback Daniel Jones with their first pick in last April’s NFL Draft.

And Jones’ efforts early on, along with many a promising report, are worthy enough to give the G-Men a slight boost in our NFL power rankings ahead of the regular season.

But Jones isn’t exactly the perfect up-and-coming contributor yet. He demonstrated some ball-security issues during Week 3 of the preseason, and New York is far from suggesting the rookie will overtake the veteran, Eli Manning, early in 2019.

Manning likely starts to begin the year, of course, but the Giants will center their offense around second-year running back Saquon Barkley.

In the short term, this should be beneficial. Barkley is an impact player, capable of carrying his team’s entire hopes for a whole season. Over the long run, though, the Giants run the risk of burning Barkley out too quickly, and he might not have the same kind of impact when New York finally reaches a level of relevance.