When Eli Manning had the worst season of his career in 2013, few people expected the two-time Super Bowl MVP to bounce back. However, not only has he bounced back, he has shattered expectations and thrived in second-year offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s West Coast offensive scheme. Two years later, Eli Manning is having one of the best seasons of his career and he clearly deserved a Pro Bowl selection. Fans that have not witnessed his play in the last two years might be skeptical, but let’s take a look at Manning’s performance this season.
Eli Manning is a Pro Bowl Snub
After fourteen weeks, Eli Manning is sixth in the league in passing yards with 3,900 and tied for third in the league in passing touchdowns with 32. He has also cut down significantly in terms of interceptions, as he only has 11 so far. He has looked very comfortable with the new offensive system and his supporting cast after Odell Beckham Jr. is mediocre and inconsistent at best. Yes, his team will probably not make the playoffs. However, Pro Bowl selections are individual accomplishments and that did not stop players like Tyron Smith and Todd Gurley, among others, from being recognized. Six quarterbacks are selected to the Pro Bowl, and if a player is within the top six in the two most important statistical categories for quarterbacks with a solid amount of interceptions, he deserves to make the Pro Bowl.
Well, if Eli Manning was a Pro Bowl snub, he had to be more deserving of the selection than at least one of the Pro Bowl quarterbacks. The six quarterbacks who were selected (Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, Carson Palmer, Russell Wilson, and Ben Roethlisberger) are all very talented, but I can confidently assert that Eli Manning deserved to make the Pro Bowl more than Ben Roethlisberger this season. Before the Eli Manning vs. Ben Roethlisberger debate breaks out again, let me clarify that I will only discuss this season in this article. The debate over who has had a better career can take place later, preferably after both players retire.
To start the comparison, let’s look at Ben Roethisberger’s statistics for this season. He has passed for 3,369 yards, which is seventeenth in the league, with 18 passing touchdowns, which is nineteenth in the league. Additionally, he tossed 12 interceptions. To summarize the comparison, Eli Manning has thrown for 531 more yards, 14 more passing touchdowns, and one fewer interception. While statistics don’t tell the entire story, the data are pretty clear here. Roethlisberger hasn’t even cracked the Top 15 in any of the major passing categories and Eli Manning is sixth in passing yards and tied for third in passing touchdowns. Naturally, it makes sense to recognize that Roethlisberger played in only 10 games compared to Manning’s 14. However, a 2016 Pro Bowl selection should be based on the statistics for the 2015-2016 regular season, and if a player misses significant time, shouldn’t he be punished for that? Also, Roethlisberger still managed to throw more interceptions than Manning despite the fact that he missed time. The statistics for this season don’t lie.
Moving beyond statistics, it’s also important to recognize the situation that each player is in. Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants have explosive offenses, but there is a pretty clear distinction between each quarterback’s supporting cast. Odell Beckham Jr. is certainly a fantastic receiver, but Antonio Brown is just as dangerous and considered by many to be the best receiver in the league. After Beckham Jr., the Giants have Rueben Randle and Dwayne Harris. Both receivers have had their moments this season, but it is safe to say that neither of them are consistent threats. The Steelers, on the other hand, have arguably the most dangerous trio of wide receivers in the league. Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton are significantly better receivers than Randle and Harris. In addition to the superior receiving threats, it’s also clear that the Steelers have a significantly better rushing attack, which takes pressure off the quarterback. Le’Veon Bell is one of the best running backs in the league, but he only played six games. However, DeAngelo Williams picked up right where Bell left off and he has averaged over 86 rushing yards per game (would be fourth in the NFL) in the games that Bell has missed. Eli Manning, on the other hand, has been stuck with one of the worst rushing attacks in the league. To summarize the situations of these quarterbacks, Eli Manning has done more with less.
There’s not much that would suggest that Ben Roethlisberger deserves a Pro Bowl selection over Eli Manning this season. Manning has the superior statistics with a significantly weaker supporting cast. Eli Manning has been condemned by many fans because of his 2013 season, but it’s time to look past that and realize how incredible 2015 has been for him. He clearly deserves to get into the Pro Bowl as an alternate at least and it’s a shame that his efforts haven’t been recognized already.
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