Eli Manning made his 208th consecutive start on Sunday, tying him with Peyton for the second most among quarterbacks in NFL history.
The season from hell for the New York Giants continued on Sunday when they became the first win for the San Francisco 49ers, a team that had lost their previous nine games and 23 of 24 overall.
Ben McAdoo’s second season has turned into a complete nightmare for Big Blue. Entering this season the New York Giants had expectations of fighting for the NFC title.
Despite their failings, quarterback Eli Manning keeps rolling along with his incredible streak of consecutive starts. Against the 49ers Manning made his 208th consecutive start, tying him with his brother, Peyton Manning, for the second most among quarterbacks in NFL history.
Now that Eli has tied his brother, where does he go from here? Brett Favre holds the record for most consecutive starts by a quarterback with 297. If Eli wants to go after that record, he needs to play for another six seasons. So the question needs to be asked: Just how much longer are the Giants going to ride with Eli in the driver’s seat?
There is no denying the Hall of Fame career that Eli has put together. No one could have predicted that he would lose his two main wide receivers for most of the regular season. However, his numbers are still not that bad for someone working with a makeshift group. While his passing yards per attempt (6.3) is his lowest since 2007, his 1.8 interception percentage is the lowest of his career.
Eli is currently just four TD passes shy of his 13th consecutive season with at least 18 TD passes. Only Drew Brees (14), Peyton (16) and Favre (18) have more in NFL history. He is also just 907 yards shy of recording his 13th straight season with 3,000 passing yards. Once again only Brees (13), Peyton (16) and Favre (18) have more.
Will the Giants decide to move forward without Eli after this season? Obviously, their draft position will be one of the highest in the NFL. If they keep on their current pace, the Giants will have the first selection in the 2018 NFL Draft. Would they use that pick to draft a franchise quarterback?
While Eli always gets the blame when the Giants lose and very rarely the credit when they win, one can’t deny that the problem this season for the Giants has not been him. Big Blue’s defense has been abysmal.
Entering Sunday, the Giants’ opposing QBR was 57.1, which ranked 28th in the NFL. Last season the Giants finished first in opposing QBR at 48.5. They ranked 29th in the NFL in points allowed and 30th in the NFL in total yards. Not too many quarterbacks could do much with those defensive numbers.
No matter what the Giants decide for the future at quarterback, Eli’s streak of consecutive starts deserves to be celebrated. In a season where not much else can be, Giants fans are anxious to know what the future holds for the greatest quarterback in franchise history.