The New York Giants have been the talk of the football world the last few weeks. With undrafted rookie free agent Tommy DeVito leading the way as the starting quarterback, New York is riding a three-game winning streak and has forced their way back into the playoff discussion in the NFC.
At 5-8, their chances of actually making the postseason are slim, as they have to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles twice along with the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams, to even have a chance. But, the Giants have become fun to watch again with DeVito under center, providing some stability to an offense that was woeful with Daniel Jones at the helm.
DeVito’s performance has caught the attention of many people, and rightfully so. One of the people who have recently bought into the success is Giants’ all-time great, and two-time Super Bowl MVP, Eli Manning.
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“Hey, they’re winning games,” Manning told The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. “Three games in a row. He’s finding a way.”
“I think the most impressive thing, and I’ve talked to Tommy a little bit, is that he hasn’t turned the ball over,” the Giants great went on. “As a rookie quarterback, the easiest thing to do is throw an interception and make bad decisions. But during the learning stages where you’re trying to figure out the plays and defenses, he’s not making mistakes, he’s not throwing it to the other team, he’s not having fumbles.”
Ball security has been one area DeVito has excelled. The sudden change turnovers can swing momentum during games, but the Giants haven’t had to face that with their offense controlling the ball and the tempo of the game.
At the start of his tenure, DeVito was taking a lot of sacks. But, it wasn’t deterring him from finding success, as he was sacked nine times by the Washington Commanders in Week 10 and the Giants still won 31-19.
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In the opinion of Manning, the sacks aren’t the worst thing because they stem from DeVito not forcing the ball, which results in turnovers. Ultimately, as Manning stated, that is what you want from your quarterback.
“I think he’s doing a great job,” Manning concluded after noting that the defense is playing well too. “The more he plays, he’ll get better seeing the field, being able to do different concepts.”
DeVito didn’t take a sack against the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football in Week 15. He also orchestrated his first fourth-quarter comeback, driving the team down the field with 1:33 remaining for a walk-off field goal by Randy Bullock.
Manning said that was awesome to see, adding that DeVito has been, “making some big plays down the stretch.” It will be interesting to see what the future holds for DeVito, who is under contract with the Giants for 2024. At the very least, he has earned the No. 2 job for next season and should be given an opportunity to compete for the starting job if he finishes on a high note.
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