ST. LOUIS -- Eli Manning surprisingly still carries his own bags, toting one each in hand as he walked to the bus late Sunday afternoon inside the Edward Jones Dome with another road victory added to his résumé.

He insists that even after his fourth-quarter Super Bowl heroics, leading the New York Giants to a shocking upset of New England last February that made him the toast of New York, he hasn't changed.

"Not really," Manning said, a short while after leading the Giants to a 41-13 blowout of the St. Louis Rams to go to 2-0 on the season.

Right-handed Eli Manning can even improvise with a lefty completion. (AP)

You think Joe Willie ever carries his own bags?

OK, so maybe Manning hasn't changed his aw-shucks, nice-guy ways -- "it's good to see such a good kid doing so well," said one Giants coach -- but that Super Bowl victory has done something.

It has elevated him to a higher level as a player. Watching him Sunday, he had the look of a certain quarterback who has the same name and plays in Indianapolis. Eli was poised in the pocket, scanned the field with a swiveling head and never seemed to get rattled.

I've always insisted he would be a good player. You can look it up. Why? He has the "its" you want from a quarterback. He works at it and he loves it.

On Sunday, Manning completed 20 of 29 for 260 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. A year ago, the Giants were 0-2 at this time and many were wondering if Manning would ever become a quality starter. Fair or not, he took a lot of blame for that Giants start. A year later, he's a big reason why they actually have a chance to repeat.

Yes, repeat. It's more than just possible.

"I feel good," Manning said. "We have a lot of weapons. Guys are playing well, getting open. When things are clicking and you're playing well, you're going to feel good."

This Giants' offense might be the best they've seen in New York in some time. In addition to Manning, they have a good line, quality receivers -- plenty of them -- and a stable of running backs that offers a bunch of different styles.

When Manning wasn't carving up the Rams' secondary, he was handing off to those backs, many times through gaping holes. When the holes closed, they ran over defenders time and again.

The Giants rushed for 200 yards to help complement the passing game. Brandon Jacobs, the bruiser, led them with 93 yards, while Derrick Ward had 58 and Ahmad Bradshaw, the quickest of the three, had 52, including 31-yard touchdown run to close out the scoring.

Those three backs call themselves "Earth, Wind and Fire."

"Derrick Ward came up with that name and it sticks for us," Jacobs said.

They might have the nickname, but there is little doubt who this team's Shining Star (Earth, Wind and Fire song) is now.

That's Manning. That was evident in the second half when the Giants' offense was backed up at its own 3 and own 18 and somehow managed to turn that field position into touchdowns. Manning capped the first drive, a 97-yard beauty, with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Amani Toomer. It was a bullet.

The second drive, an 82-yard march, culminated with Manning throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Bradshaw. The play before that was the one that really impressed.

Facing a second-and-10 at midfield, Manning calmly stood in the pocket and lofted a throw down the left sideline that fell perfectly into the arms of Domenik Hixon for a 32-yard gain. The touch on that pass was better than a Swedish masseuse.

"We've got a good feel for what's going on," Manning said. "A lot of veterans who have been on this offense for a while know what needs to get done. We just have to keep it going."

Now in his fifth season, the great trade debate is no more. The Giants landed a bona-fide franchise passer when they made the deal with San Diego to get Eli on draft day in 2004. He's not in the class of brother Peyton just yet, He's moving there. Quickly.

That's how impressive he was on Sunday. Manning wasn't great in the Giants' season-opening victory over the Washington Redskins, which would have opened the Eli ripping in years past. Maybe the nastiness didn't come because Giants fans and the media have come to realize that that Super Bowl fourth quarter has indeed changed him in a big way.

The kid can play. Well.

With a good cast around him, he should only get better.

"We're a very diverse group in terms of distributing the ball," Toomer said.

With the Rams dead set on taking away Plaxico Burress by doubling him most of the day, Manning calmly went elsewhere. In the past, he might have tried to force it to his go-to receiver. Burress still caught five passes for 81 yards and a touchdown, but Manning completed passes to seven other players as well.

One of those was with his left hand. It was a really smart play. At the end of the half, the Giants faced a second-and-9 from the St. Louis 17 with 16 seconds left. Manning dropped to throw when James Hall rushed off the left side and appeared to be ready to drop him for a sack. Instead Manning switched the ball into his left hand and completed a 2-yard pass to Jacobs. The play saved 10 yards, which might have been the difference in John Carney making the field goal.

"When I'm warming up, I do sometimes throw left-handed," Manning said.

And we know he can escape a rush. Who can forget the magical play he made doing that to beat New England?

As Manning took the walk to the bus, I told him he looked like he was more comfortable in terms of feeling the rush and stepping away from it.

In typical Manning fashion, he criticized himself for a few mistakes he made in the first half, a trait handed down from big brother.

"I may have rushed some things a little bit," Manning said. "I may have had more time than I thought. I settled down into it and started making some plays."

Settled down into it might be the best way to describe how he's changed on the field. He plays a much calmer game now than the Eli Manning we saw for most of the early part of his career.

He may be the same guy off the field, carrying his own bags to the bus and all, but there is little doubt that winning a Super Bowl has changed him for the better on the field, and the Giants have a legitimate chance to repeat because of it.