Eli Manning claims not to remember why he and his family didn’t want him to play for the Chargers when he entered the NFL and he might not be able to remember Sunday’s 37-14 loss to the team he once spurned either.
After all, the blowout losses have to be running together a little bit at this point. Was it against San Diego or Denver when the Giants defense impersonated a sieve? Did the Chiefs, Chargers or Panthers defense cause the Giants offense to flail around aimlessly? They’ll be plenty of time to figure it out since the Giants have no officially been eliminated from playoff contention.
Manning was 20-of-32 for 259 yards on Sunday and threw his 19th and 20th interceptions on the year. That’s more than anyone but Geno Smith, who has also thrown 20 on the year. That’s likely another piece of information that Manning would like to erase from his memory but, much like the way things played out in San Diego, too many people are aware of what happened for it to disappear completely.
Philip Rivers has no need to live out Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, however. He was 21-of-28 for 249 yards and three touchdowns to continue a strong 2013 season that has quieted the worries he generated with his play in the 2012 season. At 6-7, it may be too late for the Chargers to make a real playoff push but they’ll remain alive for at least one more week and can head toward next season with the knowledge that their quarterback can still get the job done.