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Odds Say Eli Manning Will Finish with a Career Record Under .500

Eric Rosales

by Eric Rosales in NFL Football

Updated Mar 26, 2020 · 12:12 PM PDT

Eli Manning
Sportsbooks have odds on what Eli Manning's final record will be when his career comes to a close. Photo by Erik Drost [CC License].
  • With a win last week, Eli Manning evened his career record to 117-117
  • Manning could start final two weeks of season if Giants shut down Daniel Jones
  • Read below to find out what our best bet is for Manning’s final career record

It might have been his Big Apple sendoff, but Eli Manning could still be playing football this season – and beyond. With that, sportsbooks have released odds on what the final career record of the longtime Giants’ pivot will end up at.

Eli Manning Career Record Odds

Team Odds
Under .500 +100
Exactly .500 +150
Over .500 +300

*Odds from December 18

His win over the Dolphins last week lifted him to an all-square 117-117 regular season record. And with Daniel Jones — who usurped Peyton’s baby bro as started in Week 3 — still nursing an ankle sprain that could theoretically put an end to his season, that could leave just two starts in Eli’s career. How will this pan out, and how should you wager?

Eli Has Been Up and Down

Eli came off the long 11-week layoff like a man on fire against the Eagles – for the first half, at least .

Unfortunately, the magic wore off badly in the second half, as the Eagles rallied to win. Manning was almost non-existent, going just 4-for-11 for 24 yards, as Big Blue’s offense ran into a brick wall. But the top pick in the 2004 draft had a proper send-off the following week against the Dolphins, in the kind of performance that has defined Manning’s career: dazzling and disjointed.

He finished 20-for-28 for 283 yards, throwing two TD passes, and also throwing three interceptions. He’s now seventh all-time in TD passes thrown in NFL history with 366, and his three picks moved him past Bobby Layne for sole possession of 11th, with 244.

The two-time Super Bowl winner could get one more start, before the team decides on Jones’ immediate future. If Manning was under center when the Giants travel to Washington take on the Redskins, New York would be the betting underdog. If the Giants’ are content with Jones’ year 1 reps, Eli would get the Washington start and another sendoff at MetLife,  against another NFC East foe in the Eagles.

No Resurgence on the Horizon

Manning has been trending downward for some time now. Minus his rookie season, when he stepped in for Kurt Warner and finished the year 1-6, Eli’s finished his first eight full seasons without a losing record, posting four double-digit win seasons along with a pair of 8-8 campaigns. Even throwing in his rookie season, Manning was a solid 68-57 as starter.

But the last six years and this season have evened things out. He’s had just one winning season, while bottoming out at 3-12 in 2017. Last week’s W against Miami was the first of the year, against three losses.

To be fair, this is not all Eli’s doing: the G-Men give up the sixth-most points per game in the NFL. Not many teams are going to be winning when surrendering better than 27 points each week. Offensively,  Saquon Barkley finally hit a 100-yard rushing game, his first since returning from injury in Week 7. Injuries and inconsistency have the Giants in 23rd in the league in points scored.

What’s the Best Bet?

There are assumptions you have to make with this wager, as there are several variables involved.

If Manning plays just one game, I think the Giants beat the Redskins. Here’s one positive stat for New York: they’re 4-3 ATS on the road this season.

If Manning plays both, I think he beats Washington but loses to the Eagles. That means taking the exact .500.

But if he plays out the year and decides to come back for one more season, recent history shows a QB in heavy decline for years. That would be the time to jump on the under .500.

Then again, maybe the best bet is the veteran QB doesn’t see the field again. If you believe Schefter, bet on .500. Somehow, it seems right.

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