Giants vs Eagles: Why It May Finally Be Time to Cut Eli Manning Some Slack

Well, how many people saw this one coming? Hands down, both of you.

Eli Manning was nearly flawless in Sunday's beatdown of the Eagles, racking up 254 yards and four touchdowns on just 16 completions. Manning was calm and collected in the pocket, pretty efficient on 3rd downs (5-12), and didn't make a big mistake all game. He had the Dream Team's defense looking vulnerable and defeated from the get-go.

As Michael Vick was again less-than spectacular, Eli was everything the Giants needed him to be. He even made a star out of roster afterthought Victor Cruz (three catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns). In fact, through three games this season, Eli has easily outplayed Vick.

So isn't it time we cut him some slack? 

Maybe the best thing I can say about Eli so far this season is that he's not forcing anything. He's biding his time in the pocket, going through all of his reads, and taking what the defense is giving him. That might not get him on Sportscenter's Top Ten, but it's good enough to keep New York in the thick of the NFC East race.

I know Eli is far from flashy. He's not going to do the things that Vick does to elicit 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the crowd, but so what? He got those reactions today through accurate passing and good decision making. And guess what? He also walked away with the win, something that Vick and the Eagles have only managed to do once this season.

Yes, the loss to the Redskins in Week One seems pretty bad, but Washington just might be pretty good. I'd say a win against the so-called dream team trumps a loss to the Redskins any day of the week. Eli really stepped up this week when New York needed it most. And for that, let's all just cut him some slack.