The New York Giants returned from their bye week and picked up where they left off in the win column, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 19-11 on Sunday. It was their first victory at Lincoln Financial Field in 13 years and improved their record to 5-2-1 overall.

The long-awaited result kicked off a huge week for Big Blue, which not only unofficially knocked its rivals out of NFC East contention but also delivered a massive performance from Dennard Wilson’s tireless pass rush.

As a result, SI senior writer Conor Orr gave New York its third elevation in as many weeks, lifting Harbaugh’s group to one spot shy of the league’s 10 best teams in his latest MMQB NFL power rankings poll ahead of a short Week 10.

“The Giants soar up the Power Rankings not just because of a gritty win over the Eagles, but because John Harbaugh seems prepared to move heaven and earth to trade for someone—anyone—at the deadline,” Orr said. “And he will call your manager.”

The Real Test Still Awaits Big Blue

Orr, of course, was referring to Harbaugh’s gutsy move to call Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk about their now-former defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. The Giants didn’t make any trades at the deadline, with Harbaugh telling reporters that any such move would have needed to fit in terms of player and cost.

That said, because they didn’t make any trades on deadline day (they did trade for quarterback J.J. McCarthy well before the deadline), New York is ready to buckle up and forge ahead with what it has. That starts with Thursday night’s home game against Washington. A win would be the Giants’ first over the Commanders since 2023 and would ensure they bury another division opponent.

After that, the real test of the Giants’ mettle begins. They’ll face opponents with winning records in four of their next five games, starting with a Week 11 home date against Jacksonville that has already been flexed to national TV.

After a game against old friend Daniel Jones and the flailing Colts, the Giants have San Francisco, Seattle, Cleveland and Detroit on deck.

How the Giants fare in those games against opponents they would likely face in the postseason will reveal a lot about whether they deserve continued promotion in the weekly power rankings or begin a descent back toward the bottom.