When the Giants play the Cowboys again in December, I will be reluctant to start Eli Manning. I understand that New York was playing without Odell Beckham Jr., but the Cowboys seem to have a good feel for how to defend against Manning.
The offensive line, of course, is an issue. He got sacked 3 times in the Sunday night meeting. That’s rare for him. They also don’t have a running game.
But the Cowboys have Rod Marinelli as their defensive coordinator, and he seems to have a really good feel for how to draw up a good plan for Manning.
In the Sunday night meeting, the Giants scored only 3 points and Manning threw for only 220 yards – with the vast majority coming after the outcome was no longer in doubt.
In each of the last five games in this series, Manning has thrown for no more than 220 yards. I don’t have the time to look it up right now, but I would guess that there aren’t many active quarterbacks who have failed to pass for more than 220 yards in five straight starts against any opponent.
| ELI MANNING VERSUS COWBOYS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Site | Pct | Yards | TD | Int |
| 2015 | Dall. | 55.6% | 189 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | N.J. | 54.2% | 170 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | Dall. | 67.9% | 207 | 3 | 1 |
| 2016 | N.J. | 60.7% | 193 | 1 | 1 |
| 2017 | Dall. | 76.3% | 220 | 0 | 1 |
—Ian Allan