2019 NFL power rankings, Week 5: Browns impress, Falcons regress
. 2-2. Previous: . New York Giants. 24. team. 31
Recap: Last week’s stirring comeback over the Buccaneers, orchestrated by rookie quarterback Daniel Jones, meant that Pat Shurmur’s team could even its record with a win over the visiting Redskins. The Giants would be without second-year running back Saquon Barkley, out for a few weeks with a high ankle sprain.
New York would open up a 17-3 halftime edge and coasted to a second consecutive win. The Giants did commit four turnovers but were extremely balanced on offense, running 37 times for 164 yards sans Barkley. Jones was picked off twice but threw for 225 yards and one score and wasn’t sacked. And Big Blue’s defense totaled four interceptions.
Next Week: The Giants are at home for the second straight Sunday and the third time in four games to take on the talented Vikings. The teams last met in 2016 at Minneapolis and New York came up short, 24-10. As for the last time Big Blue played host to the Purple Gang, that would be a Monday night in ‘13 and a 23-7 Giants’ victory.
Playoff hopes: Back-to-back victories within the conference now has Shurmur’s team back at .500 after that dreadful 0-2 start. Perhaps the most encouraging thing to come out of Sunday was the play of the Giants’ defense, which kept Washington under wraps despite the fact that New York had its own problems hanging onto the ball.
52. . 2-2. Previous: . Jacksonville Jaguars. 23. team
Recap: With a little extra time to prepare and off their first victory of the season, quarterback Gardner Minshew and the Jaguars headed west to the Mile High City for the first time since 2013 to face the winless Broncos. And while Jalen Ramsey made the trip to Denver as well, he was inactive on Sunday.
That looked like it would be an issue as Denver opened up a 17-3 second-quarter lead via a pair of Joe Flacco touchdown passes. But Doug Marrone’s team stuck to its game plan and that meant Leonard Fournette, who ran for 225 yards. After taking a 23-17 lead, the Jaguars trailed by one point with 1:32 to play. But Minshew led the club on a game-winning field goal drive.
Next Week: It’s the 25th season for both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers, who both joined the NFL in 1995 and the two will meet at Charlotte on Sunday. The clubs have split their six previous meetings but the Jaguars have dropped two straight in this infrequent series, including a 16-10 loss in 2011 when they last hosted the Panthers.
Playoff hopes: That miserable 0-2 start this season has disappeared with resourceful victories over the Titans and Broncos. And there’s now a four-way tie in the AFC South as the Jaguars, Titans, Texans and Colts all share identical 2-2 records. Jacksonville’s running game was huge on Sunday and could carry this club a long way this season.
Next: Nos. 22 and 21