Eli Manning: Giants Passer Will Prove That He's an Elite QB Against 49ers

Eli Manning isn’t an idiot after all.

Back in August, Manning told Michael Kay in an interview on WEPN-AM 1050 that he was an elite quarterback and in the same class as Tom Brady (via Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News). The world of sports exploded with outrage over the blasphemous statement and mocked Manning relentlessly. 

The New York Giants quarterback silenced his critics with a strong 2011 campaign, though, and will eliminate all doubts on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers that he’s an elite QB.

During the regular season, Manning threw for a career-high 4,933 yards along with 29 touchdowns.  With a defense plagued by injuries from the get-go combined with a pitiful rushing attack, Manning was forced to put the team on his back, and he did so throughout the year. While he’s had a productive statistical season overall, Manning has come up big in the biggest games late in the year.

In two must-win games against the Dallas Cowboys with the NFC East crown on the line, he passed for a total of 746 yards and five touchdowns to just one interception. Against the Atlanta Falcons in the wildcard round, Manning shredded the Dirty Bird’s secondary for 277 yards and a trio of scores with an insane completion percentage of 71.9. In the divisional round vs. the Green Bay Packers, he outdueled Aaron Rodgers, torching the reigning champs for 330 yards and three more touchdowns.

San Francisco boasts a top-notch defense, but their ability to defend the pass isn’t jaw-droppingly outstanding. They surrendered 230.9 yards a game during the regular season, which ranked them 16^th in the NFL. Last week, Drew Brees threw for a whopping 462 yards and four touchdowns against the 49ers.

The Manning-to-Victor Cruz/Hakeem Nicks connection has been dominant over the past half of the season. No matter the outcome of the game, Jim Harbaugh’s defense will not be able to suffocate Manning and company. He will prove that he’s an elite quarterback in win or loss because he’s been doing so all year long.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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