As a rookie with the New York Giants in 2004, a few weeks before taking over for good as the starting quarterback, Eli Manning was on the sideline while Kurt Warner helped lead a midseason victory at Minnesota.

Most of the matchups with the Vikings since then haven’t gone so smoothly.

In seven career starts against them, Manning has a 2-5 record with a rough 54.8 passer rating. He’s thrown for only five touchdowns, and five of the 14 interceptions by the Vikings have been taken to the end zone.

Talk about having a guy’s number.

“I don’t think anybody has my phone number on the Vikings,” Manning said this week, using some wry humor to try to deflect the subject of his struggles.