Eli Manning Leads G-Men to Victory, in What Could be Last Start

GIANTS 36 - DOLPHINS 20 

There was something special about this game when on Friday the Giants announced that Eli Manning would make the start for the second consecutive week.

The Giants losers of nine straight games, a team in complete and utter turmoil, whose head coach should and likely will be fired in two weeks, finally won a game for the first time since September.

If you want the math, it has been 76 days since Big Blue last won a football game. In that time, the Yankees swept the Twins before falling to the Astros in the ALCS; the Mets won a game; the Jets won five games; and the Knicks won six games -- and fired a coach.

Yeah, it was a long drought. But Sunday's 36-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins wasn't so much about snapping the skid as it was about quarterback Eli Manning.

In what could be his final start in a Giants uniform -- pending Daniel Jones' ankle, of course, Manning guided the Giants to victory for 117th time. He is at .500 in his career as a Giants quarterback -- which doesn't exactly do justice to how much he has meant to a franchise he brought two Super Bowl titles to.

It wasn't a perfect outing by Manning, he did throw three interceptions, but the offense clicked for the first time in months with him under center. With Manning in the game, the Giants move along like a well oiled machine, something that was not happening with Jones under center.

It makes you wonder had head coach Pat Shurmur and General Manager David Gettleman not lay all the blame for the teams woes at Manning's feet,  and never benched him, who knows where this season would have gone. That in itself is reason enough to fire Shurmur and Gettleman at the end of the season. They blew it.

 On the day, Manning went 20-of-28 for 283 yards and two touchdowns.  His first score came on a beautiful 51-yard strike to Golden Tate, who initially bobbled the ball at the 30, before securing it and dashing past Dolphins defenders for the end zone, tying the game at seven.

At the start of the third quarter, the veteran quarterback was at it again, finding his new favorite target Darius Slayton for 26-yards on the first play of the drive, before hitting Cody Latimer for 21-yards to the Dolphins' 16-yard line. Two plays later, Manning found Slayton again from five yards out to give the G-Men their first lead at 14-10.

New York would never trail again.

Manning guided Big Blue on three more scoring drives; two of them culminated in touchdowns for running back Saquon Barkley as the Giants blew it open at 30-13. Barkley had his best day since September, frying the Fish for 112 yards on the ground, his first 100-yard game since week 2 against Buffalo.

Ironically all three of Barkley's 100-yard efforts this season came when Manning was under center. Another hint that Shurmur and Gettleman got it wrong when it came to benching the future Hall of Famer.

About the only thing Shurmur got right in this horrible season was allowing Manning to get a standing ovation from the fans when he was substituted on the field with Alex Tanney. Manning waved to the fans and hugged by teammates as he came back toward the sideline.

Is it the final time? If the Giants are smart, it won't be. They should allow Manning to play these final two games. There is nothing for Daniel Jones to gain by starting against Washington and Philadelphia, other than aggravating that ankle injury.

This should be Manning's month; his chance to say thank you to the fans who stood by him through all the highs and lows.

The question will inevitably be whether Manning will retire at end of the season or play elsewhere. Clearly he won't be in a Giants uniform in 2020. However the past two weeks have shown the 38-year old still has something in the tank. Will he accept being a bridge quarterback elsewhere? Probably not. Would he go to Jacksonville to reunite with Tom Coughlin? How about Indianapolis to play on his brother's old team?
Who knows.

Maybe after all these years, all the great moments and the low moments, maybe Manning, knowing he has family and a home here in New York, does indeed call it a career after all. If this was his final start -- he leaves the way he came in in 2004: a winner.