Eli Manning's streak of 210 consecutive regular-season starts, a duration that also included two Super Bowl victories, will come to an end Sunday when the Giants plan to start Geno Smith instead.

The decision to bench Manning in the midst of a 2-9 season has generated plenty of national debate. If you happen to be a Vikings fan who ONLY watches Vikings games, though, you might be thinking: What took the Giants so long?

See, in a career marked with plenty of extreme highs but also some major lows, Manning has been flat-out awful in nine career starts against Minnesota.

He's 3-6 in his career against the Vikings, which started with a pair of four-interception losses in 2005 and 2007 — both of which were playoff years for New York.

Manning has thrown five touchdown passes and 15 interceptions against Vikings defenses while compiling a passer rating of 56.1 — his worst against any team.

Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.