The Manning Bowl

It was hyped as the game to watch this past week. It wasn’t the Colts at the Giants; it was Manning vs. Manning. I must say, the game lived up to the hype. In the end, Eli Manning showed his inexperience when he collapsed mentally and threw the game ending interception. He later blamed the officials, but they didn’t throw the ball. The Giants were still in the game.

At halftime, this game was 16-7 and looked to be getting out of hand. In the third quarter, the Giants scored a TD to get back into the game. Eli Manning hit Plaxico Burress for a 34 yard TD strike. Going into the fourth quarter it was 16-14 Colts. Both teams scored in the 4th. The Colts finished off the Giants by a Vinatieri field goal with 1:12 left to go in the game. The Giants tried to come back, but Eli Manning let the game conditions get the best of him.

Peyton Manning was 25 of 41 for 276 yards, one TD and one interception. His little brother, Eli Manning, was 20 of 34 for 247 yards, two TDs and one crucial interception. Both brothers played pretty well. Peyton showed he was on another level though. His decisions were crisper and he never panicked—unlike Eli.

Here are a couple quick notes that I took away from the game.

1. The Colts can’t run the ball. Rhodes had 29 yards on 16 carries. That’s not going to get it done. His longest rush was only for 7 yards.
2. Eli Manning is progressing, but he’s not a comeback type of QB just yet. He doesn’t look ready to go deep into the playoffs.
3. Both of these teams, despite some issues, are pretty good and should end up in the playoffs.
4. Adam Vinatieri is already paying dividends and the Colts already look masterminds for bringing him in.

Next week the Colts -13.5 host the Texans +13.5 and the Giants +7 visit the Eagles -7 in Philadelphia. Looking for a new place to bet on NFL Football ? Check out Sports Gambling Review listing of 500+ rated online sportsbooks.