Eli Manning Back As Starter After McAdoo Firing

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning’s benching was only for one week.

ESPN is reporting that Manning is expected to start in this Sunday’s divisional matchup against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. The report comes hours after the firings of head coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been named interim head coach while assistant general manager Kevin Abrams was named interim general manager.

Manning started 210 consecutive regular season games, the second longest streak in NFL history, before he was benched by McAdoo last week. Geno Smith started in Sunday’s 24-14 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Manning stood on the sideline without his helmet, listening to plays on a headset and mentoring rookie Davis Webb throughout the game.

Smith went 21-of-34 for 212 yards and a touchdown but lost two fumbles.

Manning’s benching was the result of an idea by co-owner John Mara. Mara said he wanted to see Smith and Webb in game situations before the end of the season. McAdoo took it upon himself to bench Manning one week after he passed his brother Peyton in consecutive regular season starts.

The benching was met with anger by both fans and former Giants players, some of whom planned to wear Manning’s No. 10 jersey on the sideline during the Cowboys game. It was the final straw for McAdoo in a season where the Giants are 2-10, rumors were swirling that he lost the locker room, and suspended players for violations of team rules.

– Curtis Rawls is a Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage and covers the NFL and the New York Giants. Please like and follow on Facebook and Twitter. Curtis can be followed on Twitter @CuRawls203.