The Jersey Juice is flowing. After a game-winning drive by quarterback Tommy Devito, the New York Giants are in the playoff race. Who would have thought this would happen, right? Devito led an eight-play, 57-yard drive that set up Randy Bullock for a game-winning field goal in the waning seconds. The final score was 24-22, and Metlife Stadium couldn’t be happier. The Italian quarterback is now 3-1 as a starter, and it’s clear his energy is infectious around the team and the fans. After weeks of people talking about the Giants and their lost season, things have changed in a blink. A record of 5-8 may sound like a bad thing right now. But, the New York Giants are back in the hunt.
How Did We Get Here?
On November 5th, the Giants welcomed back Daniel Jones as the starting quarterback after missing three games due to a neck injury. Unfortunately, he didn’t survive the first half as he went down with an ACL injury.
Enter Devito, who had 175 yards passing but New York still lost in that game to the Raiders and fell to 2-7.
Then, with Jones and Tyrod Taylor out with their respective injuries, head coach Brian Daboll had no choice but to have Devito start in the next game against the Dallas Cowboys. As many predicted, the Giants lost and fell to 2-8. Now, we’re talking about tanking for a top-five pick.
Not so fast, everyone. A 31-19 win over the Washington Commanders in week 11 saw the young quarterback throw for 246 yards and the defense forced six turnovers. Then, they survived a 10-7 win over the New England Patriots to improve to 4-8.
Then, a bye week helped the Giants get relatively healthy while also giving Daboll a chance to continue to work with Devito. That must have helped because the former Illinois product came on primetime and put on a show.
Tommy Devito v. Packers
— Talkin’ Giants (Benton Whitley Pod) (@TalkinGiants) December 12, 2023
17/21 158 yards 1 TD
10 rushes 71 yards
All of his throws & runs from his 3rd victory. (minus the read option because ESPN split screen) pic.twitter.com/VVeEKpCLnW
Whether it was through his arm or his legs, Devito got the job done and led the Giants to their first primetime win in forever. Add in the fact that the Packers were a surging team on a hot streak, and this has been his best win so far.
The Playoffs Are Within Reach
This may have well been named a Devito article after how many times I mentioned him. But, in all, this Giants team is back in the playoff hunt and credit has to go to him for working hard while also providing the team with a huge boost in morale. The energy around this team is infectious and who knows? An appearance in the playoffs may not be the craziest thing after all.
With the NFC being as weak as it is, the Giants are one game back of the seventh seed in the playoffs. Bring on the chaos.
That NFC Standings looking real nice pic.twitter.com/tUpKhhTnjz
— msqto-kila (@msqtokila) December 11, 2023
Thanks for reading “The New York Giants Are Back In The Hunt!” Make sure to visit Belly Up Sports every week and follow me on Twitter/X! Also, check out my podcast “Backup to the Backup” on Spotify and YouTube for more NFL content from yours truly!
Featured Image: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
