Monday night is Eli Manning's chance to prove to the world that he is an elite quarterback. He's facing off against the 5-3 Indianapolis Colts in a big matchup at home.

Manning, an 85 overall (OVR) in Madden NFL 15, was just upgraded from an 84. This seems low: Manning has not been playing that poorly lately. He hasn't thrown an interception since Sept. 25, and he's leading his team. He needs some help from his defense though.

Meanwhile, the Colts got destroyed by stats monster Ben Roethlisberger (90) of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Roethlisberger threw six (yes, six) touhdowns in the last two games. For some reason, the Madden gurus bumped him down from a 91 to a 90 this past Friday. (Many suspect he would be in the upper 90s with his amazing performances lately.)

The Giants have not been lucky lately. Losers of their last two games, tonight is a huge deal for them.

Receivers have to step up tonight for the team. They lost their star pass catcher Victor Cruz to a season-ending knee injury, and now they need rookie Odell Beckham Jr. (77) to step up big. He's got the talent, but not the experience. Look for Beckham Jr. to get up into the 80s very soon.

For the Colts, Andrew Luck (88) is off to an incredible start in 2014. He already has 22 TDs (Manning has 14) and he has only thrown 9 INTs. He's also averaging a whopping 341.4 yards per game. He should be rated much higher, so expect him to be in the 90s by Friday.

The keys to this game are simple:

  1. Is Manning going to be a leader and shred the Colts like the Steelers did, or will he struggle at home (2-1) and break under the pressure?
  2. Can Beckham Jr. step up in Cruz's extended absence?
  3. Do the Colts have the defense to defend Manning and Co.? Their veteran defensive back LaRon Landry, who tested dirty for PEDs, is eligible to come back for the Colts tonight, but will they activate him? He was a no-show to practice Monday.

Who do you have winning tonight? Leave us a comment below and let us know.

Related