Aaron Rodgers

New York Giants Aren't Hanging Hats On Previous Super Bowl Runs

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:42 p.m. ET

Fansided, Maxwell Ogden/FanSided via GMEN HQ

The New York Giants have won two Super Bowls over the course of the past 10 years. Ben McAdoo knows just how little history matters once the games begin.

The New York Giants are preparing for the franchise’s first playoff game since 2011. Due to the fact that New York won the Super Bowl in 2011, many Giants fans are understandably anticipating another unforgettable postseason appearance.

Fair as it may be to evaluate Eli Manning’s postseason resume, the Giants aren’t fooling themselves into believing the past will dictate the future.

Manning is a two-time Super Bowl champion who won titles in 2007 and 2011. That history creates the inevitable belief that big-game Eli is still as reliable on the postseason stage as he used to be.

According to Jordan Raanan of ESPN’s NFL Nation, head coach Ben McAdoo thinks postseason experience will help, but knows it won’t win the Giants games on its own.

“I don’t think that the 2007 or 2011 experience really helps us out one way or another, other than that there are some players that have played in those games. They know what it’s going to be like pressurewise and conditionwise. The experience part of things will help some guys out. Other than that, we need to prepare to go play a good football team and go win a ballgame.”

The Giants need to show up and execute in the most important game of the season thus far.

New York boasts an elite defense and a superstar wide receiver in Odell Beckham Jr. It has a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Landon Collins and a number of star-caliber players in the likes of Damon Harrison, Janoris Jenkins, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Olivier Vernon.

For as dominant as the revamped defense may be, the success and failure of the Giants still comes down to the quality of play of one Eli Manning.

Manning is one of the greatest clutch performers in NFL history, but he needs to step up in 2017.

Manning completed 63.0 percent of his passes for 4,027 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He threw for fewer than 200 passing yards in four of his past six games, and had six touchdowns to six interceptions over the final five games.

Simply put: the Giants need Manning to play at a higher level if they’re going to overcome Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round.

If ever there were a time for Manning to solidify his Hall of Fame case,