Manning On 5-Interception Debacle: I Need To Be Better And Will Be Better
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Just when it looked like Eli Manning had gotten over his struggles with interceptions, the veteran quarterback threw five on Sunday, torpedoing any chance the Giants had to beat the San Francisco 49ers.
Manning spoke about his role in the Giants' fifth straight defeat with WFAN's Mike Francesa on Monday evening.
"The turnovers hurt us. I think what keeps kind of popping up in my head was being down at the 4-yard line and not scoring to take the lead at that moment. That's the most disappointing," said Manning, who also finished with 280 yards and a touchdown in the 16-10 defeat. "Not making the throws, not making the plays in that situation to win the game. That's what I need to do, what we need to do as a team."
Manning was referring to the golden opportunity the Giants had to take the lead with around five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Three straight incomplete passes and an interception down at the goal line essentially ended their afternoon.
"Obviously, I made too many mistakes for us to win the game," Manning said.
The defense had largely been at fault for the Giants' struggles this season, but Manning took the unit off the hook on Sunday. What went down was surprising considering the 11-year veteran came into the game with just two picks in his previous seven games, a vast improvement over the 2013 season in which he tossed a career-high 27 interceptions and the Giants finished just 7-9.
"You're obviously very disappointed and angry about it," Manning said, when asked how he handles a bad day. "It's probably a little easier to bounce back from it because you have done it before. It's not going to affect my performance next week. I'm not going to be gun-shy."
For the season, Manning has thrown for 2,495 yards, 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
With speculation about head coach Tom Coughlin's future swirling, the Giants face what will likely be an uncomfortable week of practice and questions leading into Sunday night's nationally televised game against the visiting Dallas Cowboys.
"It's all about winning that next game. To get a win would be good for the locker room, get some excitement. We just want to keep working," Manning said.
The Giants have lost 16 of their last 26 games and are staring at their third straight season of missing the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl following the 2011 season.
"We haven't played as well as we want to, as we think we should. We've lost some tight games that we used to find a way to win," Manning said.
"We haven't put it all together in every game," he added.
To hear Manning's complete interview with Francesa, please click on the audio link below.
Eli Manning
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