“Things I Think” About the Giants and Eagles: DeVitomania Comes to an End, and the Giants Just Miss the Christmas Miracle
The 33-25 loss by the New York Giants to the Philadelphia Eagles in Christmas Day was a lot more fun than most people, including me, thought it would be.
When the quarterbacks changed in the second half, the Giants took advantage of certain Eagles mistakes to have them fight until the very end of the game to get a closer-than-expected win.
When Giants coach Brian Daboll put experienced Tyrod Taylor in place of undrafted rookie cult favorite Tommy DeVito at quarterback at the start in the second half, DeVitomania came to an abrupt end.
In the first half, DeVito only completed 7 out of 16 passes, gaining 55 yards. FOX said that he did not complete a single pass farther than 10 yards. He told Daboll that DeVito “earned it” when he was asked last week the reason why the rookie would keep playing.
That’s possible, but the Giants only let DeVito throw wide receiver screens with quick slants the whole game.
This was similar to how the New York Jets played. The Eagles’ defense wasn’t very good, but they were tested by nothing. The rookie didn’t really show any signs of trust.
There were at least three throws that he probably should have completed: two on third down to Saquon Barkley or Darren Waller, and one on the last play of the game to an open Wan’Dale Robinson that went over his head.
He did, however, send the ball down the field. It’s crazy that his average depth of goal was 15.3 yards.
Darius Slayton caught a touchdown pass from him that went 69 yards. Daniel Bellinger or Darren Waller both caught passes that went 20 yards, and he made three other passes that went at least 12 yards.
It was true that the Giants were down and out. They were behind 20-3 at halftime and didn’t look like they could stop the Eagles from flying off with a further lopsided win in this overwhelming rivalry.
Coach Brian Daboll took Tommy DeVito off the field and put in senior Tyrod Taylor. The defense and special teams woke up. Taylor did not do a great job in his two quarters.
After Jalen Hurts threw an interception that Adoree’ Jackson returned 76 yards for a touchdown. Saquon Barkley scored the extra point, and the Giants were tied at 20-18 following three quarters.
The Eagles’ last three games, against the Giants (twice) or the Arizona Cardinals, should help them get back on track, but no one thinks they’ll make it back to the Super Bowl.
And DeVito will likely lose three more games before going back to being an elf on a shelf after moving the Giants up in the NFL Draft order.
The Giants and Eagles are both in the latest Hallmark holiday movie called “The Magic Did Off Before Christmas.”
It’s easy to think who Tommy DeVito or the Giants could beat the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field because the Eagles are in such bad shape right now.
But for that to happen, the Giants’ defense, which has given up fewer points compared to the Eagles’, would have to play absolutely fantastic.
That doesn’t look likely since Dexter Lawrence has been limited in his snap count because of a hamstring issue.
This season, DeVito played six games when Daniel Jones got hurt and couldn’t play. Before Monday’s game, he had completed 64.5% of the time passes, thrown for 147.4 yards per game, scored eight scores, and picked off three others.
He led the Giants with three straight wins, including a Week 14 upset of the Green Bay Packers on Monday night. Along the way, he gained a cult following.
But since then, New York’s line has had trouble moving the ball, and the Giants are going in a different way after a disappointing season.
In the first half, DeVito had trouble getting the offense going. He completed 9 out of 16 passes for 55 yards without scoring or turning the ball over.
As of the first half, the Giants had not scored in six straight quarters since their 24-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints last week.
“This is a business.” You need to do it. “I respect it,” DeVito told media after the game. It doesn’t make me feel one way or the other. Please understand that I hoped Ty would play ball so that we could win the game.