Tommy DeVito, who took over as the Giants’ quarterback, didn’t bring the spark the team needed. Instead, he got hurt, mocked, and played the same ineffective football that has kept New York with the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL.
DeVito threw for 189 yards and helped the Giants (2-9) score a late, meaningless touchdown in their 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, which marked their sixth straight defeat.
The Buccaneers made it hard for DeVito to get anything going in his first start after replacing Daniel Jones, who was released on Friday. Tampa Bay came at him with blitzes early and used Baker Mayfield’s arm and legs to build a 23-0 halftime lead. The Giants’ hopes of making a comeback faded when running back Tyrone Tracy lost a fumble at the Bucs’ 5-yard line on the first possession of the second half.
“I’m going to analyze but obviously, like you said, quarterbacks get (the credit) when it’s good, it’s great, when it’s bad it’s bad,” DeVito said. “So, being able to just stay even-keel through it all, understand what my job is and make it better for next week.”
For Giants fans hoping to see the New Jersey native celebrate a touchdown, Mayfield mocked DeVito’s “Tommy Cutlets” move after scoring on a 10-yard scramble where he leaped into the end zone.
“I honestly really didn’t know until somebody just mentioned it in the locker room,” said DeVito, who also had seven carries for 32 yards. “They were having a good game. They celebrated. It is what it is.”
The Giants don’t have much time to figure things out. They will face Dallas on Thanksgiving, and coach Brian Daboll said DeVito will start if he’s healthy. He had the wind knocked out of him late in the game and missed one play.
DeVito, who won three games as a starter last season, believes the offense is close to clicking.
“The way we practice, if you go out and watch us, we do not practice like we’re 2-9 or whatever our record is,” DeVito said. “We are going out there like we are undefeated, and every day is like a game. It just has to translate from practice to the field. That’s the biggest thing.”
The losing is wearing on some players. Receiver Malik Nabers, the No. 6 overall draft pick, was frustrated after having six catches for 64 yards, all in the second half. He said the Giants’ struggles are not because of the quarterbacks.
“Take a look, take a look. It ain’t the quarterback,” Nabers said, adding that he doesn’t know what the problem is, “but I know I’m tired of losing.”
Offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, who hurt his quad in the first series and didn’t return, wondered if everyone was giving their best effort.
When asked about his job security, Daboll said he was focused on getting the team to perform better. The Giants are 8-20 over the past two seasons.
“There’s no fingers being pointed,” DeVito said. “Everyone’s kind of honing in on it, but maybe we just need to hone in a little harder. So, we’ve got to figure it out this week.”
