28. New York Giants
Last week: 22nd
The first week of Jameis Winston taking over for the injured Jaxson Dart ended with a Giants victory.
And for now, that’s really the only thing that matters.
The Giants are now 2-1 on the young season, and their lone loss has come at the hands of Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. The panic meter was off the charts when Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury, and justifiably so. But there are still games to be played, so the Giants can’t be counted out just yet.
Still, it’s hard to see this team having a very high ceiling with a backup quarterback like Winston at the helm. He’s not exactly known for consistently making good decisions with the football, and teams are going to dare the Giants to throw the ball as this season goes along.
The Giants want to be able to lean on Cam Skattebo and that running game, but Winston is going to have to start making some plays if that’s going to be their consistent identity offensively.
27. Arizona Cardinals
Last week: 26th
There are no moral victories in the NFL, but the Arizona Cardinals played the 49ers better than the two other teams that have faced them this season (Rams, Dolphins).
There was even a point in the game when it felt like the momentum pendulum might be swinging in the Cardinals’ favor, but the 49ers shut it down as quickly as that window of opportunity appeared.
Still, it’s tough to win when you can’t get to the quarterback. The Cardinals have just one sack in their last two games, and didn’t get to Brock Purdy a single time on Sunday.
Jeremiah Love racked up 109 yards from scrimmage (and 1 TD), and Michael Wilson had an absolutely insane 17 targets in the loss. We also finally saw some positive glimpses from Marvin Harrison Jr. in this game (3 receptions for 40 yards).
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