1) Eli gets the last laugh. After veteran passer Eli Manning is benched during a vicious Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Giants stun football heads everywhere by releasing their favorite son to pave the way for rookie Daniel Jones. A peeved Manning turns down a lucrative studio gig with ESPN to ink a one-year pact with the Lions, a squad hunting for help after losing Matthew Stafford to a light case of food poisoning ahead of Detroit's Monday night showdown with the Packers in Week 6. Despite just one practice with the Lions, Eli fries Green Bay for 375 yards and three touchdowns -- including a fleet-footed 29-yard scoring dash. Searching for a spark, coach Matt Patricia rolls with the hot hand, allowing Manning to detonate the Vikings the following Sunday -- the club he was benched against two weeks prior -- before taking on the Giants in Week 8. Manning goes to town on his former employer, carving up Big Blue for 411 yards while completing a league-record 33 consecutive passes in a 40-0 romp. With Eli at the controls, the Lions march into January to win a 20-17 wild-card thriller over the Cowboys, before finally getting dispatched by the Saints on the road. The amped-up front office goes on to trade Stafford to the Titans before locking down Manning with a three-year mega-deal.