6 NFL Teams Eli Manning Can’t Beat Despite Putting Up Great Numbers
By Neal Lynch
#1. San Diego Chargers
Eli’s Record: 0-3
Eli’s Win Percentage: 0%
Eli’s Passer Rating: 96.7
The team that drafted Eli first overall in the 2004 NFL Draft and had the Ole Miss product refuse to play for them has gotten the upper hand on that deal, at least, in head-to-head meetings. While Eli has led the Giants to two Super Bowl wins with the possibility of two more on the horizon (*knock on wood*), the Chargers have been perennial bridesmaids, but never the brides. With Philip Rivers at the helm, San Diego hasn’t reached the Big Game.
In three games against San Diego, Eli has completed 69 passes on 106 attempts for 826 yards, five touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
1. Week 13 – 12/8/13 @ SDG L, 14-37
20 32 259 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions (72.3 rating)
2. Week 9 – 11/8/09 @ Home, L 20-21
25 of 33 for 215 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions (112.6 rating)
3. Week 3 – 9/25/05 @ SDG, L 23-45
24 of 41 for 352 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions (102.9 rating)
In the 2013 game, the Chargers scored on seven of 10 drives with the last drive being a set of kneel-downs while the Giants coughed up three punts, a fumble, and a pick in the first five drives. That put the Giants in a hole 24-0 at half and they couldn’t climb out.
The 2005 game saw the Giants get down early 21-3 only to bounce back 21-20 before half. The Giants were called for 12 penalties and the D gave up 268 yards on the ground. San Diego scored on four of their five drives in the second half with the first score coming on a trick play as LaDainian Tomlinson tossed a touchdown to Keenan McCardell.
Related Story: The Best Giants Rookies Of All-Time
The most heartbreaking meeting came in November 2009 when the Giants were up 20-14 with 2 minutes to play and Philip Rivers drove the Chargers 80 yards in 8 plays for the game-winning touchdown. The Giants owned time of possession, had more total yards, way more rushing yards, less turnovers, and better third down conversions. Tomlinson only had 22 yards on 12 carries, but the Giants were plagued by penalties and sacks allowed.
The Giants got the ball on the San Diego four yard line after a Terrell Thomas interception with 3:14 to play in the fourth, but settled for a field goal after a Chris Snee holding penalty to go up 20-14. Had they scored a touchdown, the score is 24-14 and the Giants win.
If the Giants won that game and the insane game against the Eagles at home, they would’ve gone 10-6 and secured the wild card over Philly, who would’ve ended up with the worst division record. After starting the season 5-0, the 2009 Giants have to be considered one of the biggest letdowns in franchise history finishing 3-8 and missing the playoffs.
As the saying goes “Numbers never lie”, however, numbers can be deceiving when you only look at the boxscore. In some of the games against these teams, Eli hasn’t protected the ball when he gets sacked, however, a good portion of the blame should be attributed to the makeshift offensive lines. When the Giants have a healthy offensive line, Eli’s confidence grows and he can make the tough throws. When he doesn’t have protection or the receivers to throw to, he tries to force the ball and mistakes happen.
That said, Eli has put up the best numbers of his career the past two seasons, thanks largely to the rise of Odell Beckham Jr. Now, with Victor Cruz back, and Sterling Shepard in the mix, Eli has more weapons at his disposal. Add in the fact the O-Line has a year together as a unit under its belt and Eli’s numbers could be through the roof. But, as we saw, that doesn’t always equal wins.
Next: Top 10 Best Free Agent Signings In Giants History
Yet, the Giants defense should be a top 10 unit with the additions of Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins, and Damon Harrison, plus the return of Jason Pierre-Paul, incoming draftees Eli Apple and Darian Thompson, and the emergence of Landon Collins, Devon Kennard, and Johnathan Hankins. When your defense is working just as hard and is just as productive as your offense, that’s when wins pile up.