Eli Manning talks Super Bowl matchup, recommendations for Bengals and Rams players, game prediction

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LOS ANGELES – Eli Manning knows a thing or two about winning Super Bowls and everything that comes with the media frenzy leading up to the big game.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will both be playing in their first Super Bowl. Manning, in an interview with Fox News Digital, said he didn’t think either team needed any advice going into the game but recommended continuing their same routines leading up to Sunday's kickoff.

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Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams runs off the field after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-27 in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 23, 2022, in Tampa, Florida. (Getty Images)

"I think they don’t need advice. They've played so well this whole season that they've both earned to be here by their play during the playoffs," Manning said. "I’d say hey, trust your training. Whatever you've been doing the last 20 weeks with your schedule, whether you got a massage on Tuesday, don’t change it up for Super Bowl week, get that massage. If you went to dinner with your offensive line on Thursday night, go to dinner with your offensive line. 

"Trust your training. Whatever you've been doing the last 20 weeks with your schedule … don’t change it up for Super Bowl week."

— Eli Manning

"Keep that same routine so you go in there relaxed, you’re prepared and just trust your teammates. Don’t try to do anything crazy early on (in the game). Find completions, get into a rhythm and just go play football like you’ve been doing your whole life."

Not surprised

Manning said he wasn’t surprised to see the two teams match up for the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the end.

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"I’m not surprised. I think the Rams were obviously building for this team. They made a lot of a lot of trades and transactions to get good guys to get to the Super Bowl. They've been playing at an extremely high level for most of the season," he told Fox News Digital.

Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals speaks during a Bengals Fan Rally ahead of Super Bowl LVI at Paul Brown Stadium on Feb. 7, 2022, in Cincinnati. (Getty Images)

"I think the Bengals are just kind of that team that got hot at the end of the year. The quarterback and the rookie receiver – a great tandem. The defense has been playing well, they’ve been making key stops. They’re a team that just rises to the occasion in the fourth quarter. They've won on a bunch of last-second field goals. They just have that ability to find ways to win tight football games. That’s a great quality to have. They know if the game gets to the fourth quarter and it’s close, they feel like they’re going to go win that football game."

Cincy's ‘it’ factor

Manning was a part of the two New York Giants Super Bowl teams that got hot at the right time. The Giants won three out of their last five games at the end of the 2007 season and carried the momentum into the playoffs ending with a Super Bowl win over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

In 2011, the Giants won three out of their last four games and continued into the playoffs – again beating the Patriots.

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On this Bengals team, Manning said they just have that "it factor."

Eli Manning of the New York Giants talks to his teammates during a preseason game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Aug. 29, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Getty Images)

"It wasn’t always pretty. They lost some bad games. They looked bad at times during the season. But when they got in crunch time, they showed up. The defense has been playing great and (made) incredible stops at the right time," he told Fox News Digital. "They can get down at some point but they can fight back and make plays. They never get desperate. They never feel they’re out of the game. They don’t force things. They just stay calm no matter the situation and just find a way to get back in the game and win it."

Eli's prediction?

As far as a prediction, Manning believes it could be a close game.

""I think it'll be a close game. I know on paper I see the Rams being a better football team, and I think with their defensive line, they can kind of possibly take over the game and make it a long, a long day for Burrow," he said. "But I see that Cincinnati and Burrow have something unique about them where they just find ways. I wouldn’t be surprised if they can fight back and make it a tight game."

""I think it'll be a close game. … I see the Rams being a better football team … [b]ut I see that Cincinnati and Burrow have something unique about them."

— Eli Manning

Manning recently partnered with Stella Artois to help send a bartender to the Super Bowl. Manning will be taking the place of the worker in Las Vegas.

Quarterback Eli Manning of the New York Giants celebrates holding up the Vince Lombardi Trophy after they defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, Feb. 5, 2012, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Giants won 21-17. (Getty Images)

"It’s a lot of fun. I think the whole campaign is really to try to inspire others to savor your life together to enjoy time with your friends and family. So much of your time is spent hustling and grinding over work and or school or raising a family and so many things. You got to find those times to get away, to make time for the life Artois and I think that’s kind of what the Super Bowl is about," he said.

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"In a lot of ways, it’s become like a holiday where you do get together with friends, you get together family and you get to enjoy this day. A lot of these restaurant workers and bartenders don’t get to do that. They’re working and they don’t get to watch the game – they’re hustling."