Following a 23-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in overtime on Monday night, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning let some raw emotion out and acknowledged that he may have just played the final game of his career.
In fact, even prior to taking the field, Manning recognized the moment and its significance, which is why his wife, Abby, broke her long-standing rule about not attending games in Philadelphia due to the rowdy crowd.
“I hadn’t played in a few months,” Manning told reporters. “I don’t know if I’m gonna play again. So it was pretty obvious why it was important.”
Abby wasn’t the only Manning family member in attendance as his parents, Archie and Olivia, as well as his older brother, Peyton, all lined the team’s box and then anxiously awaited for Eli outside of the locker room after the game.
But in typical Eli fashion, he was late in greeting them as he faced the music for the team’s latest loss, completely shouldering the blame in a way that has come to define the two-time Super Bowl MVP.
“It’s tough. It’s frustrating because we work hard and practice hard,” Manning said. “We’ve been in a bunch of close games. For whatever reason, we can’t put the game away. [In Monday’s game] I think that’s on us as an offense. We had a lot of opportunities to extend the lead and put it out of reach. We just have to have some longer drives, even if we’re getting field goals, to give our defense a break. We kept them on the field too long.”
Manning refused to discuss his future and said he’ll make a decision on retirement after the season, but for now, he’s focused on preparing for the Miami Dolphins because… of course he is. That’s Eli.
