Eli Manning throws pick, and it's a costly one

Eli Manning hasn't had to do much explaining about his interceptions this year, mostly because there haven't been that many.

After throwing four interceptions in his first two games, Manning was picked off only once in his next six. And that should have been a touchdown pass, but Rueben Randle allowed the ball to be taken out of his hands in the end zone in a Week 4 win over Washington.

But Manning's next interception was a far more costly one.

With the score tied at 17 late in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Seahawks, Manning looked for rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. On first down from the Seahawks' 39, he scrambled out of danger and heaved a pass toward Beckham in the right corner of the end zone, where the receiver was covered by Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas.

With the benefit of hindsight, Manning never should have thrown the pass. And the decision cost him. It was tipped in the air by Beckham and caught by Thomas, who returned it 47 yards to the Seahawks' 42.

Russell Wilson led Seattle to a touchdown on the ensuing drive, giving the Seahawks a lead they never lost. In fact, the Giants were shut out the rest of the way in a 38-17 loss.

"It just came up," Manning said of the decision to throw to Beckham when he was double-covered. "That's football and it happens sometimes."

Manning actually thought he'd have tight end Larry Donnell open on a seam route down the middle, but Donnell was covered.

"Just a bad decision by me," Manning said. "Went to Odell too late. Bad decision."

Manning said he should have thrown the ball away. Instead, he threw his first interception in 177 passing attempts.

Beckham lamented the play as much as his quarterback did.

"I was trying to go up and get the ball against one of the best corners in the league," he said. "It just didn't get tipped to the right spot.

"First and foremost, I was trying to catch it, but I didn't get the opportunity to do that. I did my best to try to get it away from anybody else and get it down, but that wasn't the case. I was just trying to catch it. He was in great position. You have to just take your hat off sometimes."

Beckham said he had little doubt he'd be able to make a play on the ball.

"Any ball that is in the air around me, as a receiver, the mentality is you are going to catch it," he said. "It doesn't matter if it's 10 feet over your head and you are trying to go up and get it. The mentality is that if it's around me, I'm going to catch it. If you can't catch it, you gotta bring it down. [Sherman] was in great position. I was trying to get around him. He did a great job."

Sherman said Manning "took a while to get it out. He let it develop a little bit. It was a fade all the way. I went up to play it, got grabbed a little bit. Odell is a great player, so they had to depend on him and take risks and take shots."

By Bob Glauber

Special to NewsdayBobGlauber

Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”