Eli Manning threw two touchdowns in a 36-20 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 15. The 38-year old quarterback also tossed three interceptions in what could be his final home start with the Giants.
Manning’s uneven play last Sunday mirrors the roller-coaster ride of his career. Few signal callers have matched the Giants franchise quarterback’s highs or lows.
Manning is one of 12 passers to start at least 200 games. He ranks seventh all-time in passing touchdowns (366) and passing yards (57,023).
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But he is tied 45th in career passer rating (84.1) and led the league in interceptions three times, including an awful 27-interception performance in 2013.
His playoff career was no different. During two Super Bowl runs Manning threw for 2,073 yards, 15 touchdowns and two interceptions. In four other postseason appearances the Giants were 0-4 as Manning had three touchdowns against seven picks.
After 16 seasons, Manning’s career can best be described as average. According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, Eli’s adjusted net yards per attempt index of 101 – 100 is average for the era.
If Manning does not start another game, he will finish with 117 wins and 117 losses.
Manning’s middling performance on the field was reflected at the ticket window. In the regular season, the Giants were 117-109-7 (51.8%) against the spread (ATS) when Eli started according to Bet Labs.
Of course, given the swings of Manning’s career there were clear times to bet and avoid the Giants.
Eli Manning Betting History
Giants bettors backing Manning as a big favorite (16-20 ATS) or at home (55-63-4 ATS) lost money. But Eli won it back for them as a big underdog and late in the season.
In starts as an underdog of a touchdown or more, Manning went 23-9-1 (71.9%) ATS. He was also 51-33-1 (60.7%) ATS in December or later in the season, including the playoffs.
Daniel Jones practiced in full on Wednesday. Barring a setback, Jones is expected to return from an ankle injury and start on Sunday against the Redskins.
We may have seen Manning’s last start as a Giant, but there is a chance Jones is unable to play on Sunday. The G-Men are 2.5-point underdogs in Washington.
As a road underdog in December, this would be the optimal time to bet on Eli.
