After a dismal 2013 season and a subpar start in 2014, many people who follow the New York Giants have become a little bit frustrated with Eli Manning. Even though he has been able to bring a pair of Super Bowl titles to the franchise, he has not really looked like the same player in recent memory. Thursday night, he looked like the Manning people became accustomed to just a few years ago. He threw for 4 touchdown passes against the Washington Redskins to blow them out on national television. It was fantasy football can only hope that this is a sign of things to come for the rest of the regular season.

In the NFL, fingers are always pointed at individual players. The fact of the matter is, part of the reason why Manning has struggled in fantasy football statistically comes down to his teammates. The line on offense has not really been able to give him the protection he needs, and his receivers have not been as dependent as usual. That still does not completely give him an excuse for all those turnovers and interceptions, but it is not entirely his fault either.

Washington might not have the best defense, but maybe this is what Manning needed to break out of his funk. New York showed signs of improvement last week by picking up a big win against the Houston Texans, but winning against a divisional rival is that much sweeter. New York still feels like they have what it takes to make the playoffs, so it was important to rebound after 2 straight losses to open up the regular season.

There are plenty of important players on the New York Giants, but no one is as valuable as Manning. He is going to be expected to get back to his old self in order to provide value for this franchise in general. Hopefully, he will be able to live up to expectations and not revert back to the unreliable quarterback he has been in recent memory.

Special thanks to Samantha Cagle for guest writing this post.