NFL

Not the same Mann: Timing and accuracy elude Eli

For long stretches, it certainly felt as if the Lions were ripe to be picked apart by Eli Manning, operating in the climate-controlled environs he adores.

This is a quarterback who won two Super Bowl MVP awards slinging it in a dome and if you closed your eyes, you could see him shredding the ready-to-be shredded Lions inside Ford Field.

Then you opened your eyes and the new reality of Eli Manning revealed itself. He was just a bit out of sync. That could be the calling card for his season: “Hi, I’m Eli Manning and I was Just Off in 2013.’’

The bust-it-open play down the field, the torrid little stretch, something, anything as far as a hot streak, it was available, within Manning’s grasp but he could not reach the necessary heights.

The Lions were without their two starting cornerbacks and a third, Bill Bentley, left in the second quarter with a head injury trying unsuccessfully to prevent Jerrel Jernigan’s first NFL touchdown reception. Sure, the Giants after losing a 10-point halftime lead came back from a 20-13 deficit to win 23-20 in overtime and Manning did have his moments. But, again, they were just moments, with too many bad or slightly bad passes holding Manning and his offense back.

“There were some plays that weren’t made, yeah,’’ coach Tom Coughlin said on Monday. “I don’t think that you can generalize and say there were a lot of them. There were a lot of balls that were thrown very well also.’’

For all the talk about what’s right and oh so wrong about the Giants, for all the discussion about whether offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride deserves to stay or go, there’s little doubt the reason Manning and the Giants could only on occasion exploit the Lions depleted secondary was poor passing or inadequate timing between quarterback and receiver.

Gilbride did some smart things. He got Manning rolling out of the pocket, sprinting out to his right, attempting to take some of the heat off the rebuilt and patchwork offensive line. Once, Gilbride called for a throwback screen and as anyone who has witnessed the Giants this season knows, screen passes have gone all kinds of wrong. This time, on third-and-13, the play was executed to perfection, as Manning rolled out to his right, stopped, pivoted, planted his feet and threw across the field with authority, hitting Andre Brown in stride for what became a 13-yard gain for a first down, keeping alive a touchdown drive.

In overtime, Manning and Brandon Myers combined on a screen pass for a 15-yard gain, giving the Giants, shockingly, two successful screens in one game. Manning’s best pass might have been his 26-yard strike to Rueben Randle to help set up Josh Brown’s game-winning 45-yard field goal.

But there were misfires Manning needs to clean up, which is why of the 42 passes he attempted, he completed only 23. In the second quarter he had Hakeem Nicks open for what could have and should have been a touchdown, but Manning led Nicks too far. Did Eli expect more of a burst from Nicks? Was the throw simply too strong? When evaluating why Nicks through 15 games does not have any touchdowns, these sort of near-misses must enter in the discussion.

On third-and-6 in the second quarter, Jernigan broke open but Manning threw behind him, allowing linebacker DeAndre Levy to knock the ball away. In the third quarter, it looked as if Manning finally was going to be able to drop one of those high-arching passes into the waiting hands of one of his receivers. Randle had a step on backup cornerback Chris Greenwood, the ball appeared to be in the right spot, but Randle reached out with only one arm attempting to bring the ball in and it fell off his hand and to the turf. It was the right call at the right time, but it resulted in nothing other than another punt.

“I really don’t know where that comes from,’’ Coughlin said of Randle’s one-handed attempt. “We have to get that straightened out.’’

In the end, Manning made the handful of throws he needed for the Giants to come back and beat the wasteful Lions in overtime. But, with some more accuracy and precision earlier in the game, the Giants would have been in control and not needed to go a few extra minutes.