3 reasons why Eli Manning is a first-ballot Hall of Famer

1. Win/loss record is NOT a QB stat

In almost every single debate we have seen regarding Eli Manning’s status as a Hall of Famer, it is brought up that he has a neutral win/loss record at 117-117. This is a stat we do not like for several reasons.

For starters, this stat does not take in the context of the very poor team Manning had around him following the 2011 Super Bowl win. After this, GM Jerry Reese decided to let several key members of the Super Bowl squad go and for some reason began to tear things down.

This left Manning with little-to-no help offensively for years. While yes, he had elite receivers such as Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham Jr., Manning had little-to-no help on the offensive line, in the backfield or with tight ends.

Manning did have some help with the offensive line in the form of Weston Richburg, Justin Pugh, and even Chris Snee for a couple of seasons. However, both Richburgh and Pugh were let go after the 2017 campaign, and Snee retired in 2013.

Outside of these handful of players, the Giants offensive line was very poor for the most part, making it very difficult for Manning to have any time to throw the ball – especially with his limited mobility. Don’t get us wrong, Manning was certainly not his former self during the later years of his career. However, the horrific team around him served him no help during this stretch.

With context, a win/loss record can be a good stat to use for judging a player’s career. However, when NFL experts just blurt out Manning’s win/loss record as an argument to keep him out, it begins to ruin the stat.

In his prime, Manning was an elite talent with plenty of help around him to get the job done in the big moments. However, poor management destroyed the second half of his career. To look at his win/loss record without context is not a good way to judge Manning’s playing days and it most definitely shouldn’t be a reason to keep him out of the Hall of Fame.