New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has played in 234 games over his 16-year NFL career, never once missing a game due to injury. In fact, the only games he’s ever missed were the decisions of Ben McAdoo and Pat Shurmur.
On Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, Manning will once again find himself under center and hopes to bail the struggling Giants out.
Manning could theoretically push his career record (116-116) over .500, end the Eagles’ playoff hopes and potentially even save jobs if he goes out and lights things up over the final month of the season.
It would be such an Eli thing.
But that conversation should be held for another day. Rather, what everyone should currently be focusing on is the most overlooked and underappreciated aspect of Manning’s game — his remarkable consistency and toughness.
Whereas Manning has never missed a game due to injury despite suffering some serious ones, Jones lasted just 11 career games before being unable to play due to injury.
That’s not a knock on Jones — quarterbacks get hurt in the NFL every single day and no one bats an eye. It’s a hazard of the job. It also makes what Manning has been able to do throughout his career that much more remarkable.
If Manning is forced to play in each of the team’s final four games and doesn’t suffer an injury, he will have bookended his Giants career with a level of consistency rarely seen at the professional level.
Love or hate Eli (and how in the world can you hate Eli?), there’s something to be said about his unparalleled toughness. We may never see it again.
