For only the second time in 245 games, Eli Manning won’t be the Giants’ starting quarterback against the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay this Sunday. It’s clearly time to recognize what a great player he’s been.

In 16 NFL seasons, Manning has been the heart and calm center of the often-troubled team. His 210 straight starts as QB are topped only by the great Brett Favre. His 4,860 career completions are sixth on the league all-time list; his 56,537 passing yards, seventh.

With an overall 8-4 playoff record, his run has included two Super Bowl victories (in 2008 and 2012), with Manning named MVP each time — both earned with spectacular fourth-quarter passes in come-from-behind victories.

Indeed, his 27 total fourth-quarter comebacks are the 13th-most of all-time.

Beloved for his durability and his work ethic, Manning also wins hearts with his self-effacing demeanor. In an era of histrionic showboaters, he has always come across as a modest, regular guy.

But when he unleashes those clutch passes, he looks like a god. As The Post’s Steve Serby wrote after the 2008 comeback against the Patriots, “He stood eyeball-to-eyeball with the great Tom Brady and shot him dead with the whole world watching.

“He gave us the perfect drive at the perfect time, and smashed Bill Belichick’s perfect season to smithereens. . . . Giants 17, Patriots 14. Perfect upset. Perfect ending.”

Giants fans have been blessed indeed by the chance to see so much Manning magic.