Giants’ Brian Daboll Explains Decision to Bench Tommy DeVito vs. Eagles

Getty New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll addressed his decision to bench Tommy DeVito for Tyrod Taylor vs. the Philadelphia Eagles.

The New York Giants fell just short of a comeback victory versus the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas Day after Tyrod Taylor replaced Tommy DeVito at quarterback.

After the game, head coach Brian Daboll explained the decision in six words (via New York Post media member Paul Schwartz).

“Just tried to spark the team,” Daboll stated matter-of-factly. He also relayed that he simply told DeVito he was “going with Tyrod” after making the change.

Later, the Giants HC noted that he has yet to decide who the starting quarterback will be moving forward. Big Blue has two more games to play this season, and the Week 16 loss eliminated them from playoff contention officially.

Giants QB Tommy DeVito Reacts to Week 16 Benching vs. Eagles

DeVito addressed the media after Daboll, calling Week 16 “a little bit of a rollercoaster” for him personally. He added that he wished his teammates could have pulled off the comeback victory.

“It’s just a constant reminder that it’s a business,” DeVito voiced candidly on the QB change. “They’re always going to try and find someone to replace you whatever it is but at the same [time], it is a business. It’s your job. I respect it, there’s no feelings one way or another.”

“I was hoping [Taylor] was gonna go out there and ball, and we win the game,” the rookie concluded. “It’s nothing more than that.”

DeVito also admitted that he’s “not sure” what to expect in Week 17, adding that he’ll keep his routine the same and leave it up to Daboll and the coaching staff to decide.

Next up for the 5-10 Giants are the Los Angeles Rams (8-7) on December 31.

Giants Loss to Eagles Comes With Silver Lining

It’s no secret that most Giants fans wanted to beat the Eagles on Christmas Day. After Week 16, Philadelphia has won five straight games against the G-Men and 17 out of their last 20 matchups.

“The Giants lost 33-25 in Philadelphia,” ESPN’s Jordan Raanan summed up after the game. “Eagles still own them. But they fought until the last play and the pro-tank crowd will like that this helped their draft pick.”

The silver lining — as Raanan alluded — is that New York’s draft position has now moved back into the top five in 2024.

“Give the Giants credit for fighting,” The Athletic’s Dan Duggan wrote. “And it’s obviously frustrating to lose to the Eagles, but big-picture, the loss is better for them. The Eagles clearly don’t have the magic that spurred to the Super Bowl last year.”

He confirmed that the loss pushed them up to No. 5 in the draft order.

Giants QB Comparison: Tyrod Taylor vs. Tommy DeVito

The offensive success rate was night and day for Taylor and DeVito against the Eagles.

The Giants scored just three points with DeVito at QB and a whopping 22 with Taylor. They came very close to winning too — with the game ending on a Hail Mary interception in the end zone.

However, when you look at the stat sheet DeVito and Taylor’s passing numbers weren’t all that different. The rookie went 9-of-16 with a passer rating of 63.3, while the veteran went 7-of-16 with a rating of 68.0.

The major difference was Taylor’s ability to push the ball downfield. He threw for 8.3 yards per completion and DeVito only achieved an average of 3.4 yards per completion. The latter was also sacked once.

There’s no denying that Taylor outplayed DeVito by a longshot in Week 16, but the numbers show that DeVito wasn’t as far off as the scoreboard appears. If the Giants do stick with the youngster in Week 17, he’ll have to learn a thing or two from his more experienced counterpart on taking some chances and finishing drives.