Eli Manning had a little bit more to say Monday about Odell Beckham Jr. and the infamous boat party following the Giants’ 38-13 wild-card loss to the Packers.
Beckham caught just four passes for 28 yards and dropped two passes, including one that would have been a touchdown, on Sunday.
Manning didn’t directly say that Beckham had a bad game because he and several teammates were partying on a boat in Miami six days earlier. What he said was more diplomatic and nuanced.
“You do things, you’ve got to back it up,” Manning told the New York Daily News.
That kind of goes hand-in-hand with Manning saying that Beckham probably put too much pressure on himself. He and the Giants were under a microscope after the infamous yacht photo was released.
Manning said that the Giants had a productive week of practice, again seeming to deflect the boat party, but at the same time said that the teams that make enough of a “sacrifice” and “commitment” are the ones who win the close games. The final score of Sunday’s game wasn’t close, but it was a one-score game until Mason Crosby kicked a field goal to make it 24-13 with 21 seconds left in the third quarter.
Manning also said that Beckham and other Giants who were in the playoffs for the first time can’t take making the playoffs for granted.
“You have to understand you can’t just think it’s gonna happen again and you’re gonna make the playoffs again. It’s hard,” Manning said.
Manning has two Super Bowl rings, but this was just his second playoff appearance in eight years. He knows how hard it is to get there.
If the Giants get there next year, expect their only contact with water to be drinking and showering.
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