I told you so.
That’s what Eli Manning could have easily said last night after the Giants clinched the NFC East championship with a satisfying 31-14 victory over the rival Cowboys at MetLife Stadium.
“I told you so.” That’s what Manning could have told all those who snickered before the season began when he said he considered himself in the same class as Tom Brady and an elite NFL quarterback.
Those who had their doubts had better recognize now as Manning put the finishing touches on a brilliant regular season with a gritty performance against the Cowboys. Wide receiver Victor Cruz will be featured in all the highlights and get most of the accolades as the hero of the game. But it was Manning who orchestrated the championship effort with one of the best games of his eight-year career.
“Eli came through big-time,” a smiling Tom Coughlin said.
PHOTOS: GIANTS WIN NFC EAST, BEAT COWBOYS
Manning completed 24 of 33 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns against no interceptions. His quarterback rating was a lofty 136.7. Beyond the numbers, he was the perfect combination of cautious and daring; cautious when he needed to avoid a costly mistake; daring when he let fly a pass when a receiver seemed covered.
The play of the game was his 44-yard completion to Cruz on third-and-seven with 9:22 left in the game. The Cowboys had all the momentum at the time, rallying from a 21-0 halftime deficit to make it 21-14 after Tony Romo completed a pair of touchdown passes to wide receiver Laurent Robinson.
The last thing the Giants needed was to punt the ball back to Romo. As Manning went back to pass, the Cowboys’ rush swarmed him. He ducked under and rambled to his left (sound familiar?), launching a desperation pass to Cruz. To most, the throw looked like it had no chance for a completion. Manning thought differently.
“I wheeled around and saw him in the middle of the field,” the quarterback said. “I knew the safety wouldn’t be a problem. I under threw it a little bit. But the corner had his back to me. It’s one of those situations where it’s a good chance it’s going to be a pass interference or he’s going to come down with the catch. I didn’t think it was a risky throw.”
Cruz made the catch.
“A huge play at that point in the game,” Manning said, setting up a 28-yard momentum changing field by Lawrence Tynes.
The touchdown passes were equally dramatic: a 74-yard catch-and-run by Cruz in the first quarter to start the game; a 10-yard pass over the middle to Ahmad Bradshaw that gave the Giants their 21-0 lead; and a 4-yard toss to Hakeem Nicks with 3:41 to left, sending the Meadowlands into celebration.
Watching Cruz do his salsa dance after the Giants’ first score proved to be a good omen.
“I love it,” Manning said of the dance that he is seeing with regularity. “That’s means he’s scoring touchdowns and that’s a good thing for the Giants. I don’t mind touchdown dances, and he does it at the right time when he making big plays. Hopefully, he’ll get a few more in the playoffs.”
Manning finished the season with 4,933 yards pass with 29 TDs against 16 interceptions. More importantly, he is an NFC East champion after winning crucial games against the Jets and Cowboys.
“I knew we were going to fight and keep playing until the very end,” he said. “We’ve been good about handling ups and downs. It was going to come down to finishing. It’s something Coach Coughlin has stressed all year.”
Now the season isn’t finished. The postseason begins Sunday against the Falcons at MetLife as the Giants begin their march toward another Super Bowl. Should they wind up victorious in Indianapolis, maybe then Manning will say: “I told you so.”