New York Giants: Why Eli Manning Will Surprise In 2019

New York Giants, Eli Manning
New York Giants, Eli Manning

The New York Giants‘ offense has struggled over the past few seasons. Many critics have pointed criticism towards veteran quarterback Eli Manning. He has had his highs and lows recently, but there are reasons to believe he will be better in 2019.

The Giants’ offense improved in the second half of the 2018 season, but there is still room for improvement. The improvement needs to come from Eli Manning. Here is why it will:

The Giants’ Improved Offensive Line

New York made it a major point of emphasis over the last two seasons to improve the offensive line. The Giants finally moved on from the failed Ereck Flowers experiment. Gettleman and co. then made key acquisitions in the 2019 offseason, such as Kevin Zeitler and Mike Remmers.

This will all benefit Eli Manning greatly. Kevin Zeitler was the best pass-blocking guard in the NFL in 2018. Kevin Zeitler allowed only 11 total pressures in the entire 2018 NFL season. That is an incredibly impressive number. To put it in perspective,  Patrick Omameh and Jamon Brown combined to allow 39 pressures in only 14 games last year.

Eli Manning was sacked a career-high 47 times in 2018. At 38 years old, Manning is not an athletic quarterback who can escape pressure by getting out of the pocket. The 16-year veteran needs extra time in the pocket to operate, and it looks like he is finally getting it.

Eli Manning’s Improved Play During The Second Half Of The 2018 Season

Eli Manning only scored 8 touchdowns during the first 8 weeks of the 2018 NFL season. The second 8 weeks of the season, Manning improved to 14 touchdowns, making his 2018 total 22 touchdowns.

Despite being under constant pressure in 2018, Manning was still highly accurate. 75.8% of Manning’s passes were catchable in 2018, ranking 5th in the NFL. He also had an adjusted completion rate of 74.9%.

Eli was also especially efficient on third down, according to Pro Football Focus. His adjusted completion percentage on third down was 76.2%, ranked 4th in the NFL.

Eli proved he is still capable of being a starting quarterback in the NFL during the 2018 season. The Giants’ improved offensive line and new receiving weapons will help Eli Manning rebound in 2019.