Rivers in the flow, Eli just flounders
SAN DIEGO — So many things have gone wrong for the Giants this season, and the whole tapestry began to unravel long before Game 1. But of all the disasters they’ve experienced, the one thing they could never overcome is the one thing they never expected would be a problem.
Eli Manning is having an awful season. Maybe the worst of his 10-year career.
And this Giants team wasn’t good enough to overcome that kind of handicap. With Manning out of sync, the Giants were out of sync. As he struggled, so did they.
Now they have a much longer-than-expected offseason to figure out why.
Manning said on Sunday that he’ll save the self-analysis for later, but he had another typically middling performance on what became the Giants’ Elimination Sunday, when they were officially bounced from the playoff race with a 37-14 loss to the Chargers. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 259 yards and threw t wo more interceptions.
That gave him an NFL-worst 20 interceptions on the season with three games to go – a startling number for a player who once proudly insisted “I’m not a 25-interception quarterback” after he threw 25 interceptions in 2010. He’s in the midst of what likely will be his worst statistical season since 2004. But he was a rookie then, not a 10-year veteran and two-time Super Bowl MVP. This incredibly disappointing Giants season isn’t all his fault, of course, but he could’ve made it so much better.
“It’s been tough,” Manning said after his eighth loss of the season. “You try to compete, try to make some things happen. I haven’t analyzed the whole season. Just try to go game-by-game and make adjustments and get better. After the season we’ll look at it and try to figure that part out.”
They’ve been trying to figure it out since Manning threw a mind-numbing 15 interceptions in the first six games. He had plenty of legitimate excuses at his disposal, too. His offensive line has ranged from barely adequate to total disaster. The running game wasn’t consistent until Andre Brown showed up. And Hakeem Nicks has played like he’s been someone else – or somewhere else – all season. The defense was also awful at the beginning of the season, and struggled on Sunday, too.
But compare that to what happened on the other side of the field with Philip Rivers, the Chargers’ quarterback and the other key part of the Manning Trade. Both teams entered the game a disappointing 5-7 and with relatively low-rated rushing attacks. But the Giants had a higher-rated defense, and most would agree their receivers have more talent, too. Yet Rivers is having a much better season and on Sunday he completed 21-of-28 for 249 yards and three touchdowns, outclassing Manning on the field in nearly every way.
Not that Manning didn’t have his opportunities. There was a deep pass down the sidelines to a wide-open Louis Murphy that died in the air and got broken up. There was a third-down pass to an open Nicks that was thrown a bit too far behind him. And there was 43-yard Hail Mary pass to Nicks on the final play before halftime – a potential momentum-changer that was caught just short of the end zone.
In years past, throws like that reached the end zone. Good things would happen for Manning because he’d make them happen.
What happened to the quarterback who rose above the circumstances around him, thrived on pressure and played his best with his back against the wall? “We all expect our offense to go out there and put up 40 points every game,” said defensive end Justin Tuck. “They have that capability. It hasn’t worked out for us, but we won’t lose hope, we won’t lose faith in the fact that we have a potent offense led by one of the best quarterbacks in the T league.” hat’s not a title Manning holds right now, something that surely delighted the still-angry mob at Qualcomm Stadium that gleefully booed every time Manning’s name was announced or whenever he touched the ball.
As the game went on, though, the booing wasn’t necessary. Manning, with missed connections and interceptions, gave the crowd plenty of reasons to cheer.
“He had a couple of opportunities,” Tom Coughlin said. “He just didn’t get it done.”
No he didn’t, and that’s the story of the Giants’ season – a season that began with championship expectations because they knew they had a championship quarterback on their side. Except Manning has never looked like that this season for more than a moment or two at a time.
Manning used to be great. He used to be elite. And next season it’s possible he will once again be both. But for this season, greatness has eluded him. And for the noweliminated Giants, he hasn’t been nearly good enough.