Eli Manning Exposed: Jaguars Dominate Beleaguered QB

Guys, what I’m about to say may not be news to many of you. Eli Manning is not elite.

The latest 25-24 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars proved that Eli Manning simply is not playing anywhere near the best in the business. His clutch play that garnered much (deserved) attention during his Super Bowl seasons has all but disappeared in 2013-2014. He seems lost in the pocket, lost on the run, and he still turns the ball over.

The turnovers are what killed the New York Giants against the Jaguars on Sunday.

Manning isn’t throwing picks like he’s passing out candy, as he was last year. His 12 interceptions show he is taking care with the football, whereas last year it looked like he had forgotten how to get balls to his receivers. His 22 touchdowns (already greater than last season’s 18) are also an improvement.

But 22 TDs and 12 interceptions don’t tell the whole story.

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Even his stat line for Sunday’s game against Jacksonville isn’t bad. Manning completed 24 of 34 passes (70%) for 247 yards and a touchdown. If Blake Bortles had stat lines like that, we Jags fans would be thrilled! Yet, lost amid those decent numbers, two fumbles lurk.

They weren’t just fumbles that gave the Jaguars the ball. These were fumbles that gave the Jaguars points and ended the game. These were fumbles that turned the previous clutch Eli Manning into a below average quarterback.

The first, occurring early in the third quarter from the Giants’ own 12, was a gift to the Jags. The ball bounced and skipped backward, ending in the end zone and the Jaguars dove onto the ball, tacking on six points to spark a run of more. This turned the tide for the game.Up 21-3, it shouldn’t have been a big deal. Yet this felt like something that was expected, as if it was almost guaranteed that the Jaguars get at least one turnover from the quarterback in the game.

This one just happened to provide points, too.

The second big fumble for Manning came when the game was on the line, the Giants down by one, with just 28 seconds left. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a tough, near unwinnable situation. If anybody can do it, though, it’s the elite quarterbacks in the league. It’s the previously-clutch Eli Mannings of the league that can move the ball using some major offensive weapons to get in field goal range or take advantage of a young defense for a touchdown.

Instead, the Giants were greeted to another strip sack of their quarterback. The previously elusive Manning not only went down, but gave away the last opportunity his team had to redeem themselves after leading 21-0. It secured the game for the Jags and crushed morale for the Giants.

Those two fumbles exposed Eli Manning to no longer be the player the Giants had in the past. His previous Super Bowls are great accomplishments. His accolades for being a good man and a clutch quarterback remain. Yet, Manning may be in the biggest rut of his career. It isn’t that he’s tossing interception after interception, it’s that he’s nearly lost his identity. He’s gone from the clutch player the Giants need to a near liability (an actual liability in the Jaguars game).

Manning is on pace to take the most sacks in his career (currently at 26). His offensive line is decimated with injuries. The running game is struggling (22nd in yards) despite a strong commitment to it (10th in attempts). More and more pressure is being placed on Manning and he’s just not able to shoulder the load right now.

That all became apparent when he and the Giants collapsed to the one-win Jaguars on Sunday. He was exposed.