NEW YORK — Eli Manning’s streak of 210 consecutive starts at quarterback for the New York Giants will end Sunday, as coach Ben McAdoo has turned to backup Geno Smith, the team announced Tuesday.
Manning has started 210 consecutive regular-season games, the second-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history, behind Brett Favre’s 297. He has started every Giants game since Nov. 21, 2004, when he took over for veteran Kurt Warner in the 10th game of his rookie season, the team’s announcement said.
Manning has also started 12 postseason games, and twice led the Giants to Super Bowl victories.
He was given the option of starting against the Raiders to keep the streak alive, but declined, according to the team’s announcement.
“Coach McAdoo told me I could continue to start while Geno and Davis are given an opportunity to play,” Manning said in a statement. “My feeling is that if you are going to play the other guys, play them. Starting just to keep the streak going and knowing you won’t finish the game and have a chance to win it is pointless to me, and it tarnishes the streak. Like I always have, I will be ready to play if and when I am needed. I will help Geno and Davis prepare to play as well as they possibly can.”
Smith joined the Giants as a free agent on March 20 after four years with the Jets. He has played in 33 regular-season games with 30 starts, including 29 starts in his first two seasons. His last start was on Oct. 23, 2016 vs. Baltimore. He completed four of eight passes for 95 yards before suffering a torn ACL in the second quarter that ended his season.
Smith’s career statistics include 501 completions in 866 pass attempts (57.9%) for 5,962 yards, 28 touchdowns and 36 interceptions for a passer rating of 72.4. He also had 135 rushing attempts for 647 yards (4.8-yard average) and seven touchdowns. Smith’s record as a starter is 12-18.
The Giants are 2-9, and have 18 players on injured reserve, including star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. They are in last place in the NFC East.
Predictably, the reaction on social media was swift…and, in some cases, hilarious.
