Getty Eli Manning
The New York Giants are currently riding an eight-game losing streak, the longest such streak in all of football. Their coach, Pat Shurmur, and the seat that he sits on increases in temperature by the day, as the media constantly tries to find a better man for the job.
To make matters worse, their future face of the franchise and current starting quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a high-ankle sprain in the team’s 31-13 stomping at the hands of the Green Bay Packers a week ago.
With Jones still dealing with the repercussions of said injury, all signs have pointed towards the reinsertion of franchise great Eli Manning into the starting lineup. And now, with two days until game day, the Giants have finally made it official.
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Eli Manning Named Week 14 Starting QB
Quarterback Eli Manning has been named the starting quarterback for the New York Giants in Week 14, when they travel to Philadelphia to face off with the division-rival Eagles on Monday night.
Manning has not taken a snap in an NFL game since Week 2 of this season, against the Buffalo Bills. This is coming off the heels of Eli starting 223 of his potential 224 games over his previous 14 years as a member of the Giants.
Manning will also have the benefit of Golden Tate at his disposal this week, as the wideout has passed the concussion protocol and is cleared to play vs. the Eagles.
Speaking of the Eagles, Philadelphia’s defense, mainly their secondary, has been atrocious for the majority of this season. The team has allowed the eighth-most passing yards to opposing offenses over the last three weeks of play. Most notably, they were torched at the hands of Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Miami Dolphins just one week ago to the tune of 365 passing yards and three passing touchdowns.
Can Eli Hold onto the Starting Gig Throughout 2019?
Manning has been pegged as the fall guy for the majority of the Giants’ struggles over recent seasons. While there’s no denying he’s digressed some from a skillset point of view, to this day he’s still capable of putting the team in a position to win games in this league. Whether that team is the Giants, is another story.
Manning is just one season removed from completing 66% of his passes, his best completion percentage of his now 16 NFL year career.
With that said, Eli has enjoyed a long, luxurious career in New York, but his time at the helm of the Giants offense has come to an end. Daniel Jones is the team’s starting quarterback when healthy.
Yet, if Eli does perform admirably vs. Philadelphia, it may give the Giants more freedom to ease Jones back into the lineup, making sure he has adequate rest and has healed fully. There’s no reason to throw Jones back into the lineup if not 100%, he’s already gotten his feet wet in his rookie season, and the Giants know they’ll be moving forward with him in 2019.
This may very well be Eli Manning’s final start for the New York Giants, if not the NFL. However, if all goes well, Manning has a chance to go out on top, leaving a much better taste in fans’ mouths compared to the last time we saw him take the field.
Eli Manning, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Monday Night Football, it almost seems meant to be.
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