Eli Manning has been the one constant in a season filled with inconsistencies for the New York Giants. The offensive line has had it’s good days and bad days. The defense has games where it can’t even stop a nose bleed. Manning just does his thing. Week in and week out Manning gives the team a chance to win.
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In a game where the defense allowed seven touchdown passes, the Giants only lost by three points. Manning threw six touchdown passes of his own. The Giants offense has been inconsistent but that’s not a Manning problem. The run game comes and goes and the offensive line can be overwhelmed. Manning has played efficiently and masterfully this season.
Manning has thrown the 300 times this season and he has completed 198 of those passes. Manning is well on his way to a season with over 4,000 yards; at the midway point he has thrown for 2,126 yards. Manning has thrown 17 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. He is playing a very cerebral style of football that behooves the Giants greatly.
The most impressive part of his game is how efficient he has been. Manning has completed 66 percent of his passes this season. This hasn’t always been the strong suit of Manning’s as his career average is 59.3 percent. Manning is playing better than he ever has before from a statistical perspective and his numbers should reflect that at the season’s end.
The stats aren’t lying to us either, you can see the improvements in Manning’s already very good play. Manning has a quicker release, he is diagnosing defenses very well and most importantly he is placing the football where both his receivers and the football are out of harms way.
The Giants have a lot of problems right now. They have a running game that ranks 27th in yards per game. They have the most gashed defense in the NFL, a defense that gives up an average of 427.5 yards per contest. The Giants have given up 36 passes that have gone over 20 yards and they only have 9 sacks this season. That is the fewest sacks in the league.
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The Giants have problems mounting up. They are 4-4 for a reason. That being said they still have a chance to get to the postseason. The NFC East is a clumped up race with every team having at least 4 losses. With 8 games to go the Giants could very easily end up in the playoffs as a division winner or even a wild card. Overall the Giants are an average team but Manning gives them a chance to overachieve.
Manning has unequivocally put the Giants on his back. He is the unquestioned leader of this team and he means everything to this football team. The Giants are trying to learn how to be a winner again, and Manning is the man who must lead them back to success.