Eli Manning may have played his last home game as a member of the New York Giants, and if he did then the former Super Bowl MVP got a warm final ovation from the MetLife Stadium crowd.
Manning got the start for the Giants on Sunday, what many consider will be his last home start in his Giants career. The two-time Super Bowl champion and MVP has struggled in his final few seasons, losing his starting job to rookie Daniel Jones earlier in the season. It’s likely New York moves on from Manning this season, either because he retires or finds a new role elsewhere.
All of it is uncertain right now, but there’s a sense that Manning’s time as the starter in New York is through, which made Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins a de facto farewell for one of the best quarterbacks in franchise history. With all that in mind, Giants head coach Pat Shurmur decided to check Manning out of the game in the final minutes, giving the home crowd a chance to give a rousing ovation to Manning as he leaves.
Eli Manning received a well-deserved ovation after stepping off the MetLife Stadium field as a starter for the likely final time. pic.twitter.com/Mq4bY0CMHr
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 15, 2019
It’s far from ideal circumstances for Manning and the Giants, who despite a 36-20 win are just 3-11 and continue down a path of rebuilding. But for at least one more day, Giants fans got to directly show their appreciation for Manning and what he’s done for the franchise over the last 16 seasons.
