Eli Manning has had hot hand coming out of bye weeks

The lead for the New York Giants has dwindled in the NFC East and if the Dallas pulls off a win over the Washington Redskins today, the Cowboys will move within a half-game of first place.

So, the Giants are hoping to grab some momentum coming off their bye week as they prepare to host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.

Quarterback Eli Manning has been scuffling of late but as Mark Cannizarro of the New York Post points out, Manning has been electric after the bye in recent years. Maybe that is the spark the Giants need to make a playoff push with six games to go.

According to the report, the Giants are 4-0 in the week after the bye in the last four seasons. In those wins, Manning has passed for 1,290 yards (322.5 per game) with 10 touchdowns and only one interception.

“It’s not a stat that I look at,’’ Manning said.

Said Giants coach Tom Coughlin: “He’s excited about playing, I can tell you that. He’s looking at this as if it’s a start to a new season. That, perhaps, is the way he’s approached all games after the bye.’’

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune