Eli Manning explains his ‘Manning face’ face from Super Bowl 50

Eli Manning explained in an interview why he didn’t appear excited for Peyton when caught on camera during the Super Bowl

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning was caught with a blank face late in Super Bowl 50 once it was all but ensured that his brother Peyton Manning would win his second Super Bowl. It was a moment that everyone just couldn’t stop looking away from, even now a few days after the game is in the books.

Some speculated that he wasn’t happy for his older brother since Eli had more rings than Peyton until Sunday. Eli offered a reasonable explanation for his blank face, though.

“I was just focused on whether they’d go for two and uh, the defense had to step up and make some stops,” Eli said, via TMZ.

He also commented on the memes that spread quickly around the internet, saying that he thought they were funny. Eli is a quarterback so it’s natural that he was thinking about game management during a game. It’s just surprising that he would be thinking about such things during such a joyful moment.

Eli Manning no longer has more rings than his brother but he can rest easy knowing he’s still the only quarterback who has beaten Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. His brother Peyton will most likely retire after a glorious career that will likely see him enshrined in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Eli is a bit of a long shot but he could join Peyton in Canton some day.