# The Harbaugh effect just showed up in the rankings > One primetime win over Dallas pushed the Giants to No. 18, and even the guy ranking them didn't see it coming. - Title: The Harbaugh effect just showed up in the rankings | Shortify - Summary: One primetime win over Dallas pushed the Giants to No. 18, and even the guy ranking them didn't see it coming. A single win doesn't fix a decade, but the… - Keywords: nfl, giants, power rankings, john harbaugh, week 2, sports, Harbaugh, effect, just, showed, rankings, New York Giants On SI - Source: New York Giants On SI — https://si.com/nfl/giants/onsi/-giants-power-rankings-week-2-harbaugh-cowboys-win-01m2jvrtq2aw - Published: 2026-09-15T18:34:02+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: nfl, giants, power rankings, john harbaugh, week 2, sports ## The question hanging over the Giants For months the only thing anyone asked about New York was whether hiring John Harbaugh would actually pull the franchise out of a long stretch of bad football. ## Six tries since Coughlin The Giants had swung and missed six times looking for a true successor to Tom Coughlin. Harbaugh's debut suggests the seventh swing connected. ## They shocked Dallas New York beat the Cowboys 28-20 in an emotional primetime game at East Rutherford, opening the 2026 season 1-0. ## No. 18 and climbing SI's Connor Orr slotted the Giants at No. 18 in his Week 2 power rankings, a spot he admits he never pictured for them before Sunday night. > a league position that even he admits he never saw coming until Sunday night ## Years of spinning wheels Orr's short write-up doubles as a reminder of how long the organization has been shuffling puzzle pieces without building a contender. ## Harbaugh changed the building From the day he left Baltimore and walked into the New York facility, the difference in how the place operates was obvious to people around the team. ## A harder training camp The culture shifted. Players were pushed through a more demanding camp and told to treat preseason reps as real preparation for the season. ## It showed up Sunday In a packed MetLife Stadium, the prep turned into results. The Giants played focused football from the opening snap. ## Run game and clock control New York owned time of possession with a bruising ground attack and a clean passing game that kept drives alive. ## The defense finally held A Dallas offense that had been hanging numbers on the Giants in recent meetings got stuffed. ## Not the same old Giants It wasn't a flawless 60 minutes, but the result sent a message to Orr and the rest of the league about what this team now is. > these aren't the same old Giants anymore ## An identity worth keeping Show up ready every week, stay disciplined in your role, and drain the life out of the other team's game plan with physical play. ## Out of the basement The Giants had been stuck alongside the Saints, Cardinals, Jets, Raiders and Titans, teams that all ranked below them this week and don't match their talent. ## One game of seventeen The jump is earned, but reaching the top half of the league takes many more Week 1 performances, not one. > It'll take a lot more effort, like that of Week 1 ## Next up, the angry Rams New York's first road trip is SoFi Stadium against a Los Angeles team coming off a flat loss to the 49ers in Australia. ## Rams defense is banged up Myles Garrett will miss four games after knee surgery, and Aaron Donald, back from retirement for a title run, was inactive in Week 1. ## Stafford's trio can still score Matt Stafford throwing to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams is one of the league's best groups, and a loss in LA would only nudge the Giants down a few spots. ## Key takeaway A single win doesn't fix a decade, but the Giants finally look like a team built to show up every week.