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The New York Giants were blown out by the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9 — and Murphy’s law applied once again as undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito was called into action to play quarterback for the second straight week.
It was 7-0 Raiders when Daniel Jones left the game with a serious knee injury. From that point on, the final score finished 30-6.
That’s not all on DeVito. In fact, SNY’s Connor Hughes blames the Giants decision-makers for this unfortunate turn of events.
“The notion that the Giants weren’t letting Tommy DeVito throw [against the New York Jets] strictly because of the game situation looks very silly right now,” Hughes voiced on X. “The guy is incapable of playing an NFL game right now.”
“That’s not a shot at him,” the SNY reporter added. “[He] was on [practice squad] for [a] reason. Wild [that] NYG have him in this spot.”
Are Giants Guilty of Negligence at QB Position?
Hughes has a point here. Injuries are unavoidable sometimes, but preparing for a world without a specific player is not — especially when that player has a history of getting hurt.
DeVito looked like a deer in headlights versus the Jets, so why stick with him as the backup QB in Week 9?
Was it purely a roster space issue with injuries at tight end, kicker and all along the offensive line? Or is it that the coaching staff believes Matt Barkley gives them a worse chance to win than DeVito?
It should be noted that Hughes posted this before the youngster’s touchdown drive where he completed all of his passing attempts and led the Giants 84 yards downfield.
Perhaps that version of DeVito is an upgrade on Barkley. The third-string signal-caller finished Week 9 with 175 yards passing and another 17 with his legs. He completed 15 of 20 passes with one touchdown, two interceptions and a 78.1 passer rating.
Assuming Jones misses one week at minimum, it remains to be seen if DeVito will get the start versus a ferocious Dallas Cowboys defense. Remember, second stringer Tyrod Taylor is now on the injured reserve for at least three more weeks and the 33-year-old Barkley hasn’t appeared in a game since 2020.
Giants Team Leaders Praise Tommy DeVito for Performance vs. Raiders
After the game, different NYG team leaders spoke up for DeVito and his performance.
“It wasn’t the best situation,” left tackle Andrew Thomas stated. “But I think he did a great job handling it, making some plays for us.”
Star running back Saquon Barkley also called DeVito a “natural born leader” and a “true competitor” that he has a lot of respect for.
“I think he did great. I think he did great,” Barkley repeated twice. “Got nothing but love for Tommy.”
As for DeVito, the young man acknowledged that he “made some mistakes” in this outing, before adding that he’s “looking forward to cleaning [those] up.”
Daboll confirmed that the offense will gameplan for whoever is under center, tailoring the playbook to their strengths. The less experienced but more fleet of foot DeVito would call for a much different approach than Barkley — who’d be more of a cerebral pocket passer.
Heavy projections powered by Quarter4 give the Giants a 12 percent probability on the road against the Cowboys in Week 10, with a projected spread of +14 points. The next QB decision will be one to watch as the week goes along.
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