Eli Manning is without a doubt the greatest QB in NY Giants history. He holds almost every single important passing record, while winning two out of the four Super Bowls the organization has been able to record.
However, in the greater realm of the entire NFL, there are still some questions about whether Manning is a Hall of Famer or not. Despite these questions, there are very few doubts in our mind that Manning is not only a Hall of Famer, but a first-ballot one at that.
Manning has far too many historical moments, records and head-turning stats to not be considered a first-ballot Hall of Famer. In all honesty, the arguments for him to not be one are quite… interesting, to say the least. With that, here are three reasons why Manning should be welcome to Canton with open arms in 2025 when he’s eligible.
3. Top 10 in most NFL passing records
Take away Manning’s Pro-Bowls, Super Bowl wins/Super Bowl MVPs and you’re left with a QB who is still Top 10 in almost every passing category. In the all-time NFL rankings, Manning is ninth in passing yards, 10th in passing TDs, and ninth in passes completed. This alone gives you an argument to put him in the HOF.
While overtime, Manning will likely fall down the all-time rankings, it is still worth noting that when he retired, Manning was Top 10 in most of the important passing stats. For those of you who like to say, “well he threw too many interceptions,” here are some Hall of Fame QBs with more INTs thrown than Manning:
YA Tittle, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas, Fran Tarkenton, George Blanda and Brett Favre. We’re not saying that Manning is necessarily better than any of these QBs. However, when bringing up interceptions thrown you must look at some of the other players in the HOF who tossed more than him.
Manning has superior stats to QBs who were better than him due to a difference in era. To still be Top 10 in all of these stats is extremely impressive given how poor his teams were at times throughout his career. This is one example of why Manning should be HOF-bound.
2. Two Super Bowl Wins/MVPs and plenty of legendary moments
Not only does Eli Manning have two Super Bowl wins, but he also has two Super Bowl MVPs and plenty of legendary moments to go alongside this. Said moments are ones that Giants fans will cherish forever.
The NY Giants were massive underdogs in both of their Super Bowl wins against the New England Patriots. In both years they won the Super Bowl, the Giants were the Wild Card team, making it even more special that they were able to win the Super Bowl twice. Don’t forget that they beat an undefeated Patriots team in 2007.
In these games, Manning was responsible for some of the greatest plays in NFL history. Whether it be the impossible throw to Mario Manningham, or his ridiculous ability to break away from the defense on the David Tyree helmet catch play, Manning put the team on his back during both Super Bowls to help win the game.
These wins, combined with Manning’s stats, should be enough to enshrine his name into the Hall of Fame. Especially when you look at much worse QBs, with less Super Bowl wins, who are in the Hall. This includes Joe Namath, who is worse than Manning. However, his lone Super Bowl win was somehow enough to propel him into the Hall of Fame.
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.