New York Giants News: Will Eli Manning Play The Entire 2018 Season?

With the New York Giants in the midst of their second consecutive lost season, some in the sports world have wondered if longtime quarterback Eli Manning is done for in the Big Apple. There has even been speculation that the Giants could bench the two-time Super Bowl MVP before the end of the season, as they build towards the future.

Unfortunately for fans who feel Manning is holding the team back, the Giants have given no indication that they will bench him this year. Head coach Pat Shurmur was somewhat noncommittal about Manning ahead of the team’s recent bye week, but he ended up starting their game against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.

Maybe things would have changed if Manning had played poorly, but instead, he threw three touchdowns and had no interceptions in a last-second victory. It was only the Giants’ second win of the season.

Manning and the rest of the Giants’ offense, which is statistically near the bottom of the league, have an opportunity to get another win on Sunday. They will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have the worst scoring defense in the NFL.

There are two other major factors working against the Giants benching Manning. First, the Giants do not appear to have a franchise quarterback waiting in the wings behind him. Backup Alex Tanney is a journeyman who has thrown 14 passes since entering the league in 2012.

Meanwhile, third-stringer Kyle Lauletta is a rookie drafted in the 4th round who was arrested for driving violations last month. Lauletta was a healthy inactive during the 49ers game.

Second, the Giants tried benching Manning during the team’s 3-13 campaign last year and it went over poorly. Manning’s reaction to the benching was highly emotional and backup Geno Smith did not do enough in his lone start to convince Giants fans it was the right move.