Ranking Eli Manning’s 10 best comebacks
Eli Manning has had a litany of comebacks in his career. Here are the 10 best.
While people may continue to knock Eli Manning for his penchant for turning the ball over and meme-worthy faces, there’s no denying the fact that the youngest Manning brother has a knack for late-game heroics.
According to Pro Football Reference, “Easy” Eli has had 30 fourth-quarter comebacks. That total is good for seventh all-time. And with Manning still around and kicking, one would assume he’s only going to continue to climb up that ladder.
Seriously, 30 comebacks is insane. Eli has more fourth-quarter comebacks than Blake Bortles has wins.
So with that being said, here are the 10 best comebacks from the career of Eli Manning.
Honorable Mentions
Coming Back From the 2013 Season
Manning led the NFL in interceptions during the 2013 season by throwing 27–27 !!! — interceptions. How did he comeback from his forgettable year? By having one of the best statistical seasons of his career in 2014, of course.
Final-Second TD Against ‘Niners
In terms of sheer beauty, the Eli Manning game-winning pass to Larry Donnell against the ‘Niners in 2015 is in the top-10 of Manning’s career.
Manning-to-Cruz
It’s easy to forget how nuts this game was. However, the comeback is more about Victor Cruz breaking free, and less about Manning being heroic.
What About the NFC Title Games?
There are two large omissions from this list that I’m sure people will be critical of. The comebacks I ceased to include are the 2007 NFC Championship, and the 2011 NFC Championship. My reasoning for including them is because the game-winning drive was set up by other factors.
Corey Webster nabbed an errant Brett Favre throw, setting the Giants up in prime position to score. In 2011, Kyle Williams’ knee collided with the ball, giving Eli and the Giants opportune field position.
#10 Eli Wins in Foxboro
Magnitude level: 5
Despite beating Tom Brady in Super Bowl 42 — more on that later — Eli failed to upend #12 in their first regular-season meeting in 2007. Eli got a chance to rectify that mistake in 2011, and he didn’t squander his opportunity for redemption.
Manning overcame throwing a horrendous red-zone interception to lead the Giants to victory in Foxboro. A Brady touchdown strike to Rob Gronkowski gave the Patriots the lead with 1:36 left in the fourth quarter. Eli got the ball at his own 20-yard line. Manning only completed three passes on the drive, two of which went to his tight end Jake Ballard.
Of course, the most memorable play from this game was the David Tyree-esque helmet grab by Jake Ballard. Manning then found Ballard again, this time in the end-zone for the game-winning touchdown.
Fun fact: Prior to Eli upsetting the Patriots in ’11, New England hadn’t lost a home game with Tom Brady at quarterback since 2006. Two-thousand-and-fucking-six
#9 Eli’s First W
Magnitude level: 8
After earning the starting role in week 11 of his rookie season, Eli Manning was without a win entering week 17. Eli earned his first win in dramatic fashion, as he put together his first-ever fourth-quarter comeback.
There isn’t much to say about this one, as Eli didn’t do a whole lot on the final drive.
This would be higher on the list if Manning did more on the final drive. It was much more of prime Tiki Barber being his elusive self than it was Eli Manning etching out a signature win. Regardless, notching his first W in dramatic fashion is significant in and of itself.
Fun fact: This was the first time in Eli’s career that he threw for three touchdowns in a game
#8 Eli Opens Up Cowboys Stadium
Magnitude level: 3
While Sept. 20, 2009 will always be the day Cowboys Stadium (now AT&T Stadium) opened, it will also be a day of infamy for Cowboys fans. All of the hoopla surrounding the $1.3 billion building nicknamed “Jerruh World” was subsided when Eli Manning spoiled a Cowboys victory with a fourth-quarter comeback.
Manning was dynamite all game, completing 28 of his 35 pass attempts for 330 yards. This divisional clash also marked the emergence of Mario Manningham, who finished the game with 10 receptions and 150 receiving yards.
Eli was cool, calm and collected during the final moments of this game. After absorbing a penalty, the Giants offense began the drive at their own 15-yard line. Eli calmly marched the Giants downfield, putting Lawrence Tynes in field-goal range to nail the game-winning kick.
Fun fact: Eli Manning was 4–0 in Cowboys Stadium until 2013. Since the stadium changed its name to AT&T Stadium, Manning is 1–3, with his lone win coming in week 1 of last season
#7 Eli Overcomes Turnovers, Beats Bucs
Magnitude level: 5
Ah, the good old-fashioned overcoming-three-interceptions game. After coming out flat in the season-opener against the Cowboys, Manning and the Giants needed a win to avoid becoming the first 0–2 defending Super Bowl Champion team since the 1999 Denver Broncos.
Entering the fourth quarter, New York was down 11. After a Tynes field goal and a deep touchdown strike to Victor Cruz, the Giants were in striking distance. Tied at 27, the Giants took the lead when Manning found tight end Martellus Bennett for the lead-taking touchdown. The lead was short-lived, as Tampa Bay tied the game with 1:58 left.
Starting at his own 20, Manning completed passes to Ramses Barden — who, of course, wore #13 before a certain blonde-haired dynamo — and Hakeem Nicks, getting the Giants to the Tampa Bay 11. Manning’s aerial accuracy led to two Andre Brown runs, the second of which gave the Giants the lead for good.
Eli finished the game with 510 passing yards, which remains his career-high to this day.
Fun fact: Eli’s win against Tampa Bay was the fourth time he had thrown three interceptions, and still won. The other times were in 2005 against the Eagles, and in 2010 against the Panthers and Cowboys
#6 Stopping the Stampede
Magnitude level: 6
This is easily the most underrated Eli Manning comeback of all-time.
Eli began the drive at the New York 17-yard line against the Denver defense. During the drive, Manning was as mobile as he had ever been, using his legs to elude pressure.
This comeback would’ve been completed earlier, as Eli dropped an absolutely beautiful ball into the hands of Tim Carter, who ultimately dropped the pass. On a crucial third-and-10, Manning stepped up to avoid the incoming pressure and delivered a pass to Jeremy Shockey, setting the Giants up with a first-and-goal.
And seven years after Kent Graham — who coincidentally also wore #10 — led a game-winning drive against the Denver Broncos, Eli was set to do the exact same thing. With 10 seconds left in regulation, Manning dropped about 10 yards back before finding Amani Toomer in the end zone to give the Giants the W.
The constant shots of an absolutely shook Michael Strahan on the sidelines only made this comeback better. While this wasn’t Eli’s first comeback, it was certainly his first signature game.
Fun fact: That win against Denver is the only time Eli has beaten the Broncos. He is 1–2 against Denver
#5 Clipped Wings
Magnitude level: 5
I have to be honest and say this was originally a lot lower on the list. However, after I went back and looked at the box score, I remembered that the Giants were down 11 points with less than four minutes to go. Beanie Wells feasted on the Giants defense that game, going off for three touchdowns.
Eli connected with Ballard to make it a one-possession game. The Giants got the ball back soon, but almost turned it over when Victor Cruz seemed to have fumbled the football. However, the referees ruled Cruz gave himself up, thus ensuring the Giants maintained possession of the football.
On the very next play, Manning found Hakeem Nicks for the 29-yard, go-ahead touchdown that gave the Giants the lead for good. The fact that Manning was able to erase an 11-point deficit in the time he did is incredibly impressive.
Fun fact: Eli Manning is undefeated at University of Phoenix Stadium, posting a 3–0 record
#4 Elite Eli Shines in Dallas
Magnitude level: 9
You may hold disdain for Cris Collinsworth’s broadcasting skills, but the ex-Bengals great perfectly articulated Manning’s greatness in this game.
“This is as good a quarterback performance, in the clutch, with the season on the line, as I have seen in a long, long time.”
Eli was absurd this game. And Collinsworth saying the Giants’ season on the line was in no way hyperbole. If New York lost this game, the Giants’ playoff aspirations would’ve gone up in smoke. After Dez Bryant scored a 50-yard touchdown, it certainly looked like that’s the way things would work out for Big Blue.
Down 12 with 5:41 left, Manning would have to once again elevate his team. Manning went 5–7 on the Giants’ next drive, capping it off with a touchdown strike to Jake Ballard. What happened on Dallas’ ensuing drive was either fate, luck or a combination of both.
On third-down, Miles Austin blew by Aaron Ross. All Tony Romo had to do was float a pass into the waiting arms of his receiver. It was a pass Romo had likely completed at least 1,000 times before. He didn’t complete it that night, though. Romo’s pass was overthrown by a few inches, as the ball fell to the turf.
Manning made sure he didn’t squander the opportunity, as he led New York downfield. Eli went 3–4 on the final drive, and a Brandon Jacobs touchdown — followed by a D.J. Ware two-point conversion — gave the Giants newfound life.
Fun fact: Eli’s 400-yard performance against Dallas was his third of that year. Manning currently has eight career 400-yard games
#3 Eli Downs Philly
Magnitude level: 7
Despite scoring first, the Giants seemed like they were had no business being in this game for the first three quarters. New York was down 24–7 entering the fourth quarter, but then some weird shit began happening.
The first thing was when Plaxico Burress caught a pass, and while trying to fight for extra yards, fumbled the football. The oblong-shaped ball bounced around on the turf, allowing receiver Tim Carter to recover it in the end zone for a touchdown. The next odd thing happened when the Eagles were trying to eat some clock. Brian Westbrook, who hadn’t fumbled a single time the year before, coughed the ball up, giving the Giants a short field to work with.
In four plays, Eli connected with Amani Toomer for the second time, making it a one-score game. A Jay Feely field goal sent the game into OT. After both teams had a chance to score, the Giants got a second opportunity.
With time running out in overtime, the Eagles blitzed, leaving Sheldon Brown in single coverage with Burress. Manning heaved a pass for Burress, and the big receiver made the catch, effectively capping off Manning’s 85-yard, game-winning drive, as well as his amazing comeback.
Fun fact: Eli wouldn’t top his completion percentage of 72.1 in a regular-season game until he completed 76 percent of his passes against the Seahawks in 2008
#2 Deja Big Blue
Magnitude level: 10
After upending the then-undefeated Patriots in 2008, there was no shot Eli Manning could pull it off once again, right? In what proved to be another back-and-forth affair with a myriad of drama, Manning once again found himself in a position to orchestrate a game-winning drive.
Manning was put in that position by the now-infamous Wes Welker drop. On second-and-11 from the New York 44-yard line, Brady threw a routine pass to Welker. The usually sure-handed Welker dropped the ball, despite being wide open. If Welker had been able to haul Brady’s pass in, the game likely would’ve been over.
On the first play of New York’s final drive, backed up on his own 12-yard line, Eli Manning launched a perfect pass to Mario Manningham. After much deliberation, the referees confirmed Manningham had maintained possession while keeping two feet in-bounds. It was the best pass of Eli’s career, and it’s not even close.
Of course, the phenomenal pass was predated by Bill Belichick imploring his defense to make the Giants target Manningham.
After completing the pass to Manningham, Manning completed four of his five pass attempts, compiling 36 yards in the process. He was calm, he was cool and he was vintage Eli. A — reluctant — Ahmad Bradshaw touchdown run capped off Manning’s heroic comeback drive.
Fun fact: Super Bowl 46 not only featured a rare Super Bowl rematch, it also was the first time the two starting quarterbacks had both won a Super Bowl MVP Award
#1 18–1
Magnitude level: 10
While Manning’s tremendous comeback drive against the Patriots in Super Bowl 46 was phenomenal, it wasn’t crazy to think he could pull it off. That wasn’t exactly the case in Super Bowl 42, though, as Eli faced the 18–0 New England Patriots.
It’s easy to forget how dominant that Patriots team was. Throughout the 2007 regular season, New England out-scored opponents 589–274. The Tom Brady-t0-Randy Moss combination that ravaged teams all season long gave the Patriots the lead with 2:42 left in the game.
Eli took the field at the New York 17-yard line, needing to put together an improbably comeback. If he could do that, his legacy would soar. If he couldn’t, he would be a footnote in the story of the 19–0 New England Patriots.
In typical Eli Manning fashion, this comeback served as an insane thrill ride. On a second-and-five, Manning threw a pass intended for David Tyree, whom he had already thrown a touchdown strike to earlier in the game. There was miscommunication, which led to Asante Samuel getting that close to intercepting the pass, and ending the game.
On the very next play, Manning and Tyree combined for the most memorable, improbably play in Super Bowl history. Manning collected the snap on third down, and immediately felt pressure. The pocket began collapsing around him, and two Patriots had a hand on Manning’s jersey. But somehow, Eli fought out of the predicament, set his feet and launched a prayer to a white jersey in the middle of the field.
That white jersey turned out to be Tyree, and the player who was mostly heralded for his special-teams prowess went up and out-muscled Rodney Harrison for the ball. Tyree pinned the ball against his helmet, which ensured he wouldn’t drop it.
The rest of the drive featured heightened drama. The most underrated and forgotten play was when Manning found Steve Smith on third-and-11 to pick up a first down.
On the ensuing play, Manning found Plaxico Burress for the game-winning touchdown that punctuated the remarkable drive.
Fun fact: In their two Super Bowl matchups, Eli’s passer rating of 95.5 trumps Brady’s of 86.8
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