Cowboys: 5 Reasons To Worry About Giants
Aug 22, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) looks to pass during the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Eli Manning
Say what you will about Giants quarterback Eli Manning – I certainly have my own nickname for the luckiest NFL quarterback not named Tom Brady – but the guy does have two Super Bowl rings.
Manning’s role on those championship teams from Super Bowl XLII (2008) and Super Bowl XLVI (2012) might not have been as big as other quarterbacks from different championship teams over the years.
But it was certainly bigger than that of the bus-driving seat that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Trent Dilfer occupied in winning Super Bowl XXXV (2001) against, ironically, the New York Giants.
The reality is that Manning is more than capable of playing big in bigger games, and that doesn’t necessarily mean the very last game of the year.
It was Manning who beat the Cowboys for his first career victory back in the 2004 regular-season finale. He was exactly 1-6 as a rookie starter. He beat Dallas in the 2007 NFC playoffs when his Wild Card Giants held the top-seeded Cowboys to ‘one and done’ in now vanished Texas Stadium. Yes, there was that opening game on Week 2 in 2009 when Manning kindly signed his name in the locker room at Cowboys Stadium.
Only the football gods know exactly why Manning has two Super Bowl rings while his far-advanced brother, Peyton, has just one.
The Giants haven’t beaten Dallas since October of 2012, but Manning’s specialty is winning in north Texas.
Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News penned this piece a year ago leading up to Dallas’ first meeting with New York in Arlington. Adjust the numbers to include last year’s season sweep by Dallas and you can still see that Manning has the upper hand against the Cowboys in Texas – weird.
I’ll only say this about next Sunday night’s game: The Cowboys might be better, but the Giants are definitely due, and so is Manning.
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