Much was made this year about the struggles of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Fans on social media and members of the press cried that it was time for the QB to hang them up or finish up his career elsewhere. Considering the Giants finished with a 5-11 mark, one would assume that horrific Eli Manning stats would support the public outcry. So why don’t they?
[divider]MORE: Pro Bowlers Avg. Age by Position
Pro Bowlers Avg. Years in NFL by Position[divider]
Let’s dive into some of the quarterback’s stats over his 15-year career supporting an argument that he still has some gas left in the tank.
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Passing Yards
Manning’s 4,299 yards passing in 2018 is the fourth-best mark of his career.
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Completion Percentage
He broke his career-best complete percentage record by nearly 3 percent.
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Interceptions
The 11 interceptions are his third-lowest ever, and the career-low of nine came during a rookie campaign in which he only appeared in nine contests.
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What Does it all Mean?
With these stats and others proving that Manning’s season wasn’t nearly as bad as it was made out to be, how do we account for the squad’s disappointing season?
A few contradictory statistics jump out. His 21 TD passes tied for the fourth-lowest of his career, and his QBR was an unimpressive 51.2.
However, there are critical team statistics Eli couldn’t do much about. The Giants’ defense gave up 5,971 yards — second-to-last behind Tampa Bay. Considering the D was tied at no. 27 in points allowed at 24.3, maybe getting rid of Manning isn’t the solution to the team’s woes.
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