Tommy DeVito to remain Giants starting QB vs. Eagles despite loss to Saints, Brian Daboll says

Tommy DeVito and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney were in a room at the Giants’ practice facility Monday morning reviewing footage of a train wreck in New Orleans — the team’s 24-6 setback the day prior.

Coach Brian Daboll interrupted the video session with a question for DeVito.

“I just popped my head in and said, ‘How you feeling?’ ” Daboll said via Zoom. “He said he’s sore.”

DeVito was sacked seven times on Sunday. He also got pulled off the field late in the first half to be examined for a concussion following a heavy hit on a scramble.

DeVito returned for the third quarter and began receiving more abuse.

“He took some shots,” Daboll said.

Daboll said DeVito was OK, but the undrafted rookie QB, the “Tommy Cutlets” hype train after a 3-1 start as the starter and the Giants’ playoff hopes all took some shots during their not-so-super Sunday at the Superdome.

The Giants fell to 5-9, and there’s a difficult Eagles/Rams/Eagles stretch ahead to close this regular-season run. There also are five teams in front of them in the race to draw the last wild card in the NFC.

So, the playoffs are listed as very doubtful.

“I don’t think anybody in this building thought we’d be where we are at this point,” linebacker Micah McFadden said. “… No doubt, we’ve definitely got a tough few games down the stretch here. Just got to go find a way to win a couple of them.”

McFadden and guard Ben Bredeson didn’t sound as if they felt the players would struggle to get up for these last three games with the stakes realistically running low.

“We have a great culture here,” Bredeson said. “It’s a very process-oriented mindset. That’s something that Dabes preaches all the time.

“We’re looking to improve from the last week and correct the mistakes and move forward to the next week and go win a game one week at a time.”

Well, there’s plenty to correct.

The offense managed only two first-half field goals and the defense allowed three touchdown passes to Derek Carr, who went 23-for-28 passing for 218 yards.

The offensive line had shown improvement last Monday night in the Giants' 24-22 win over Green Bay. They allowed no sacks and helped the team rush for 209 yards.

But there would be no repeat. The Giants posted just 193 total yards against the Saints, including only 60 on the ground.

“They created some issues both in the run and the pass [game], some with just a four-man rush, some with more,” Daboll said.

The Giants have yielded a staggering 76 sacks this season. The latest seven moved them 57 yards in the wrong direction.

This sack festival was partly on DeVito, partly on the blockers and partly on the receivers failing to gain separation.

The blocking certainly wasn’t there for the run game. New Orleans held Saquon Barkley to 14 yards on nine rushes.

“It just seemed like we were one piece off on a lot of those run plays,” Bredeson said.

DeVito led them with 36 yards on four carries and completed 20 of 34 passes for 177 yards. He did extend his streak of passes without an interception to 121.

"I thought … there were some things that we could have done around him to be better,” Daboll said, “but there's also some throws that he wishes he had back.”

Still, DeVito will be the one making the throws again on Christmas in Philadelphia.

“I’m not going to make a week-to-week change,” Daboll said. “He’s earned it. It’s not always going to be perfect, but he’s earned the opportunity to play.”