The New York Giants faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles during Week 16’s Christmas Day slate. After going down 20-3 in the first half, the team decided to bench starting QB Tommy DeVito. Backup signal-caller Tyrod Taylor came in and immediately ignited the “G-Men.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, as the Giants fell 33-25 and were officially eliminated from NFL playoff contention.
Tommy DeVito Benched After Rough First Half
DeVito took over during the season after both QB Daniel Jones and Taylor were injured. Jones was eventually put on IR and will miss the rest of the season, while Taylor suffered a rib injury. Taylor made his way back to the active roster a few weeks ago, but HC Brian Daboll opted to remain with the hot hand in DeVito — until Week 16, that is.
DeVito finished the first half of the game with 55 yards on nine passing attempts. It’s tough to put too much on DeVito’s shoulders — his offensive line has been awful since he took over. He had been sacked a whopping 35 times heading into the team’s NFC East showdown with the Eagles.
MORE: New York Giants Depth Chart
Overall, the 25-year-old has been a fun story for the Giants this season. He has appeared in seven games and led the Giants to a 3-2 record in that period. DeVito threw eight touchdowns to three interceptions and added 190 rushing yards and a score.
Ahead of the Christmas matchup, DeVito was confident that he could perform — even in a hostile environment. “It’s fun. It’s part of the game. I like a hostile crowd,” DeVito said Thursday, adding that he’ll “say Merry Christmas right back” to any Eagles fans who may wish him season’s greetings Monday evening.
Tommy DeVito said he expects a “hostile environment” in Philadelphia on Christmas. He’s looking forward to it.
Why?
“It’s fun. It’s part of the game. I like a hostile crowd.”
When Eagles fans tell him Merry Christmas, he’ll “say merry Christmas right back.” #giants #eagles pic.twitter.com/AGPrwsawiF
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) December 20, 2023
DeVito being benched comes after a lot of praise from Daboll just a few weeks ago. The Giants QB is young, and that was clear with what Daboll said.
“Third game of over a hundred quarterback rating. He made good decisions, took care of the ball, used him in the run game. Just keep developing him. He’s improving. Still got stuff to work on, but like I said two or three times last week, I think he’s a young player that’s doing the right things and making the most of his opportunity. He earned the right to play today, and he earned the right to play the next week. The kid’s done a good job.”
Taylor finished with 133 yards, a touchdown, and an interception on a game-ending hail mary.
After the game, Daboll was asked why he made the change at QB.
“Just try to spark the team. I don’t really have anything else to add than did it to try to spark the team,” he said, via SNY.
Fantasy Impact of DeVito Being Benched
In an interesting turn of events, the Giants turned back to Tyrod Taylor to open the second half. While DeVito has become somewhat of a folk hero in New York, this offense was and will be better with Taylor at the helm.
When we last saw Taylor play a full game, TE Darren Waller had his best outing of the season, catching seven of his eight targets for 98 yards and a touchdown. Taylor taking over boosts the fantasy values of Waller and RB Saquon Barkley. If he starts Week 17, fantasy managers who advanced to their championships can feel better about the prospects of starting those two Giants.
— PFN Fantasy Analyst Jason Katz
