Giants head coach Pat Shurmur has said in recent weeks how strongly he feels that Eli Manning will quarterback the team in 2019.
And even after Manning turned the ball over twice in Sunday's 36-35 loss to the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium, he said he felt the same way.
"Everybody thinks I'm nuts," Shurmur said, according to the New York Post's Mark Cannizzaro, "but I've seen the good in Eli. I certainly hear things [bad about Manning], but I believe in him. I feel strongly about Eli.''
Manning's teammates, from Sterling Shepard to Odell Beckham Jr., have voiced their appreciation for the 37-year-old Manning, who has one year left on his contract.
And Shurmur, who said he believes the Giants are very close to becoming a playoff team despite finishing with the sixth-worst record in the league, has said he thinks Manning has "years left".
But Manning, who has taken more of an uncertain approach and wanted to focus on the 2018 season before 2019, said he hasn't thought about next season yet, whether that meant he would be the starting quarterback or if Sunday's game was his last.
"You try not to worry about those things,'' Manning said. "Just enjoy the moment and enjoy playing football. Enjoy the opportunity to go try and win a game.''
Manning turned the ball over on the Giants' first two drives, throwing an interception and losing a fumble, but rebounded by throwing for 301 yards and two touchdowns as New York lost on a last-minute Cole Beasley touchdown on review.
Playing without Beckham again, Manning completed 24 of 41 passes. Tight end Evan Engram led New York with five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown, while Cody Latimer had four receptions for 72 yards and a one-handed touchdown down the left side of the end zone.
"I thought he did a heck of a job,'' Shurmur said. "He battled. He got us in position to win.''
The Giants scored at least 30 points for the fourth time in their last seven games. Rookie running back Saquon Barkley, who scored a rushing touchdown and totaled 109 rushing and 33 receiving yards to surpass 2,000 total yards from scrimmage this season, had praise for Manning.
"I know Eli has a lot of ball left in him and I know we believe in him,'' Barkley said.
Yet despite everyone else's confidence in him, Manning still deflected questions about his future.
"We will figure it all out," he said.