Stats Say Eli Manning Having Good Season On Bad Team
It may surprise you to hear that in a 3-9 season, Eli Manning is putting up impressive numbers. With 3,080 passing yards, he ranks 11th in the NFL. He has thrown for the 10th most touchdowns and his completion percentage is the highest it has ever been in his career. The New York Giants may be pretty bad but the team’s woes are hard to pin on Eli from a statistical approach. Do the stats lie, or is Manning playing well on a bad team?
Manning is one of the bright spots on a team that has very few things to brag about. The offensive line is horrifyingly bad. Victor Cruz was lost for the season due to injury. The Giants’ defense gives up a lot of points, so the Giants have to throw the ball a lot. The Giants rushing attack ranks 22nd, which is not all that impressive.
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There just is not much for Manning to work with. This is a season where the 10-year Giants quarterback has built in excuses yet he is still performing.
There are two sides to every argument. You could point to his 12 interceptions and 7 fumbles as an example of poor performance.
The problem is he has been sacked multiple times in almost every game this season-the fumbles are a problem but the pass protection is to blame.
The least interceptions Manning has thrown in a full season as a starter is 10 (2008). Last season, he threw a staggering 27 interceptions. Manning was sacked 39 times last season; with 4 games left to play he has been sacked 26 times this season already. The offensive line is just as bad it seems like the McAdoo West Coast offense is paying some dividends.
The Giants are an outlier in a way. Among the teams that have 3 wins or less the Giants are the only one that has a bonafide franchise quarterback. In the NFL, quarterback play is the great separator.
Typically, teams with a good quarterback play hover around the top of the standings, while teams without good quarterback play drag to the bottom.
You could easily argue that Eli Manning is the best quarterback in the NFC East. He is the only one that has Super Bowl rings, that is for sure. The Giants have managed to lose despite having decent play under center.
While Manning has stepped up to the plate this season, he needs much more support. In many ways this is one of his most statistically impressive seasons. The Giants are wasting strong quarterback play with a team that in many ways beats itself.