Eli Manning: Career retrospective | Yardbarker

A New Orleans native, Eli Manning was the youngest of three kids. His brothers were Cooper and Peyton Manning. His dad was New Orleans Saints legend Archie Manning. 

Eli Manning spent his high school career at the Isidore Newman School. He excelled in football, throwing for 7,389 yards and 89 touchdowns. 

Fun fact: Odell Beckham Jr. attended the same high school as Eli. Drafted by the Giants in 2014, OBJ would become Eli’s favorite target, catching 390 passes for 5,476 yards and 44 touchdowns.

After building a stellar high school football resume, Manning weighed his college options. Ultimately, he committed to Ole Miss, his dad’s alma mater. Following in his father’s footsteps, Eli entered the university with the ultimate goal of becoming a campus legend.

Manning was at Ole Miss from 2000-03. In his freshman year, Manning only threw 33 passes as a backup. The following year was Manning’s chance to prove himself. He did so to the tune of 2,948 yards and 31 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. Ole Miss didn’t make a bowl game despite finishing with a 7-4 record.

Manning had a solid outing his junior year, leading Ole Miss to an Independence Bowl victory against Nebraska. These years were building up to his senior year.

Manning played lights-out his senior year, posting 3,600 yards and 29 touchdowns. Manning led Ole Miss to a 10-3 record. They beat Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl. Manning threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns for the win. 

Manning was the best quarterback in the country. In his senior year, Manning won the Maxwell Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and was named a Second-Team All-American. Manning finished third in Heisman Voting.

Manning entered the 2004 NFL Draft as the most sought-after player. Manning was a no-brainer for the first overall pick, given his family name and football talent.

The San Diego Chargers held the first pick in the draft. Eli and his father, Archie, made it clear that Eli would refuse to play for the Chargers. They cited the organization’s handling of Ryan Leaf’s career and San Diego’s small market as two of many reasons. 

Still, Manning was drafted first overall by the Chargers. The Ole Miss legend was traded in a deal to the New York Giants in exchange for quarterback Philip Rivers and a package of draft picks. 

The 2004 draft class was loaded with talented quarterbacks. Eli Manning, Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers won a combined four Super Bowls in the NFL.

Under new head coach Tom Coughlin, Manning split starts with Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner in his rookie year. Warner acted as a bridge quarterback while Manning learned the playbook and got accustomed to the speed of the NFL. 

In seven starts, Manning went 1-6 and passed for 1,043 yards to go along with six touchdowns and nine interceptions. He finished the year with a 55.4 quarterback rating.

Manning took the training wheels off in 2005, passing for 3,762 yards and 24 touchdowns while leading the Giants to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth. In the Wild Card, the Giants were shut out by the Panthers in Manning’s first playoff game. Regardless of the score, the future was bright. Manning was the full-time starter from this point on. In 2006, the Giants went 8-8, made the Wild Card, and lost to the Philadelphia Eagles on a last-second field goal.

Heading into the 2007 season, questions surrounded Manning’s ability to win the Big Game for the Big Apple. The New York media criticized him for his inconsistent play and a bad habit of throwing interceptions. These critics would be silenced in the 2007 season.

Under Manning’s leadership, the Giants went 10-6. Manning threw 3,336 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions for a 73.9 passer rating. 

Heading into the playoffs, the Giants were seen as major underdogs. They answered the critics by winning close games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys, respectively.

They beat the Green Bay Packers in the 2007 NFC Championship Game, the second coldest game ever at Lambeau Field with a -1 degree temperature. It was official; the Giants were going to the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl 42 was a David vs. Goliath story. The Giants versus the undefeated New England Patriots. 

The Giants were going to have to play a perfect game to beat the perfect team. They got to legendary quarterback Tom Brady all night, sacking him five times. A defensive stalemate all game, the Giants took the momentum after Manning’s pass was caught by receiver David Tyree, who held onto the ball using his helmet. It’s one of the greatest Super Bowl plays. Next, Manning and the Giants took the lead by throwing a wide-open touchdown to Plaxico Burress. 

The Giants were Super Bowl champions. The win was so improbable that it was as if a Hollywood director had written the game. Manning won Super Bowl MVP, throwing 255 yards and two touchdowns in the upset victory.

The Super Bowl celebration ended, and the Giants looked to repeat in 2008. The Giants went 12-4, and Manning made his first Pro Bowl after finishing the year with 3,238 yards and 21 touchdowns. After enjoying their first-round bye, the Giants were beaten by the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round. Manning threw two interceptions in the loss. Giants star receiver Plaxico Burress missed the playoffs after a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a nightclub ended his season.

The Giants missed the playoffs in 2009 in a competitive NFC East. The Giants rebounded by going 10-6 but missed the playoffs. In a win-and-in scenario against the Philadelphia Eagles late in the season, the Giants blew a 31-10 lead and lost to the Eagles, 38-31.

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin was on the hot seat heading into the 2011 season. Playing for his coach, Manning threw for 4,933 yards and 29 touchdowns, good enough for his second Pro Bowl. 

The Giants started the season with a 6-6 record. They finished strong by winning three of the last four games, including a Christmas Eve matchup against the New York Jets. Manning threw a 99-yard touchdown to Victor Cruz in the game, setting an NFL record. In the last game of the season, the Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys in a win-and-in scenario, cementing their playoff spot as a Wild Card team.

Manning was on a hot streak reminiscent of his first Super Bowl run four years prior. Their second big playoff run started with a 24-2 blowout over the Atlanta Falcons, whose only score was a safety. They shocked the 15-1 Packers at home in an upset victory. The Packers were favorites to win it all. 

The Giants played the San Francisco 49ers in the 2011 NFC Championship Game. Two heavyweight teams squared up for a slugfest in the rain. The game went down to the wire, as both teams were hungry for a Super Bowl berth. Manning was pressured by the 49ers’ pass rush all game long. He stood tall and took a lot of hard hits in the game. The game went to overtime, tied at 17-17. A late Lawrence Tynes field goal sent the Giants to the Super Bowl, winning 20-17. Manning had 316 yards and two touchdowns in the exciting victory.

Four years after winning his first Super Bowl, Manning did what he does best. He owned Tom Brady and the Patriots when it mattered most. At Lucas Oil Stadium, home of Peyton Manning’s Colts, Eli led his team over the Patriots, 21-17. Wide receiver Mario Manningham made a spectacular catch on the sideline to keep the game-winning drive alive, and running back Ahmad Bradshaw scored the game-winning touchdown.

Manning lived up to the hype by throwing 296 yards and a touchdown, winning Super Bowl MVP honors.

During the 2011 playoff run, Manning went 4-0, threw for an NFL playoff record 1,219 yards, nine touchdowns to just one interception, and posted a 103.3 passer rating. It was the best football Manning had played in his career.

In the second game of the 2012 season, Manning threw for a career-high 510 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 41-34 win. He threw a beautiful game-winner to Victor Cruz in the final minutes of an NFC East division matchup against Washington. The Giants marched to a 6-2 record halfway through the season.

The Giants collapsed to 9-7 and missed the playoffs. In Week 14, they beat the New Orleans Saints 52-27. The following week, they lost to the Atlanta Falcons 34-0. This two-week slate exemplifies their inconsistency late down the stretch when it mattered most. The Super Bowl hangover got to the Giants. 

However, Manning went to his third Pro Bowl and willed his team to victory on many occasions.

“Eli Face” is a meme that went viral in the early 2010s. Throughout an NFL game, Manning is known to make expressionless, funny faces. The cameras would capture him sitting on the sidelines or after a dirty hit making his trademark “Eli Face.” He made the goofy faces a lot, and at least one would go viral yearly. While we remember Eli most for beating the Patriots twice in the Super Bowl, the “Eli Face” meme is another memorable moment from his career.

The Giants got off to an 0-6 start to the 2013 season. The Giants were outgunned in almost every game. Turnovers plagued the Giants the entire year. At times, their offense looked lifeless. 

The Giants stumbled to a 7-9 finish. It was the first time the Giants had a losing record since 2004. It was only the second losing record of the Manning-Coughlin era.

Manning threw for 3,818 yards, 18 touchdowns, and a league-leading 27 interceptions.

Longtime Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride retired in January 2014. He was replaced with Ben McAdoo (more on him later).

As you probably know, Eli Manning’s older brother is Peyton Manning, a Hall of Fame quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. 

The brothers played against each other three times. Peyton went undefeated against Eli, winning two games as a Colt (2006, ’10) and the last one as a Bronco (’13). 

Eli and Peyton never played against each other in the playoffs. It would have to be in the Super Bowl because they both played in different conferences during their careers. A Manning Super Bowl sounds like must-watch TV. Unfortunately, it never happened.

The Giants were looking to bounce back from back-to-back losing seasons heading into 2015. Manning threw for 4,432 yards and a career-high 35 touchdowns as the Giants remained competitive in a struggling NFC East. They finished 6-10. 

Manning’s best game of the year came against Drew Brees and the Saints in November. The game was an absolute shootout that ended in the Saints’ favor, 52-49. Manning had 350 yards and seven touchdowns. Brees clocked out with 505 yards and a record-tying six touchdowns in one of the best quarterback duels in recent memory.

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin retired after the 2015 season. He was Manning’s head coach for 12 years. The Giants went to the playoffs five times and won two Super Bowls in the Manning-Coughlin era. Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo was promoted to head coach.

The Giants went 11-5 in McAdoo’s first year as head coach. Manning launched 4,027 passing yards and 26 touchdowns on the year. The dynamic duo of Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham Jr. at wide receiver proved lethal. Manning helped bring the Giants back to the playoffs, where they lost to the Packers 38-13 after the infamous Miami boat trip photo was taken.

Once the season was over, Manning won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award at the NFL Honors. It’s one of the most prestigious awards a player can win.

The Giants went 3-13 in 2017. In a late November matchup against the Oakland Raiders, Giants head coach Ben McAdoo benched Manning and started Geno Smith in his place. The move to bench Manning sparked outrage in New York. It ended Manning’s streak of 210 consecutive starts. Ben McAdoo was fired immediately after the game. Manning became the starter for the rest of the season as interim coach Steve Spagnuolo took over. Manning won in the team’s last game, improving the Giants to a 3-13 record.

In 2018, the Giants drafted running back Saquon Barkley second overall. The pairing of Odell Beckham Jr. and Barkley was electric, but the Giants failed to make any noise, going 5-11.

Manning still played at a high level as the team struggled. Yet, with every throw he made, you could tell he was entering the “last call” stage of his career. 

The Giants drafted Daniel Jones out of Duke University with the sixth overall pick in the draft. 

After losing the first two games as the starter, Manning was replaced with Jones. Manning came back into the starting lineup to fill in for an injured Jones in December. In his last game as a starter, Manning gave the home crowd one last dance against the Miami Dolphins. He threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns in a 36-20 win. Manning received a standing ovation for his performance. It was his final game. The Giants went 4-12 in 2019.

To trace the Manning Dynasty back to its origins, we’d have to go back to the 1970s, when Archie Manning was the starting quarterback for the Saints. He won two Pro Bowls there as a good player on a bad team.

He had three kids: Cooper, Peyton, and Eli. Cooper was a great wide receiver in high school. Unfortunately, he quit football in high school due to spinal stenosis. Peyton wore No. 18 in honor of his brother.

From 2005-15, Peyton and Eli Manning combined to win four Super Bowls. They passed for a combined 128,963 yards and 905 touchdowns across their careers.

Cooper’s son, Arch, committed to play college football with the Texas Longhorns. It looks like another Manning is going to be in the mix.

The biggest question of Eli Manning’s career just might be whether he’s a Hall of Famer or not. Instead of giving our take, Yardbarker is going to show you the stats for and against Eli.

Yes:

• Won two Super Bowls against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 

• 8-4 playoff record with 2,815 yards and 18 touchdowns to nine interceptions

• Played for a big market team as a member of the most famous family in football 

• Longevity is on his side. He started in 210 consecutive games, the third-longest streak of all time for a quarterback behind only Brett Favre (297) and Philip Rivers (224). 

• Memorable moments (David Tyree catch, Odell Beckham Jr. catch, quarterback duel against Drew Brees in 2015)

No:

• 117-117 win-loss record as a starter

• Led the league in interceptions three times (2007, ’10, ’13)

• Six playoff berths in 16 years

• Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers dominated his era. He was never considered a top-five quarterback. 

He’s eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2025.

Eli Manning’s jersey number was retired by the Giants in 2021. Over his 16 years with the G-Men, Manning made 234 starts and passed for 57,203 yards and 366 touchdowns for an 84.1 career passer rating. He holds every major passing record in Giants history. 

He was underrated for a good amount of his career, and fans and players are only now beginning to appreciate his accomplishments. He was a tough and resilient quarterback who wasn’t afraid to stand tall in the pocket and take a hit.

We might be debating his Hall of Fame status for some time. One thing we won’t have to debate is Manning’s legendary status in the Big Apple.