Giants QB DeVito loses his swagger in beatdown
NEW ORLEANS — Tommy DeVito’s flamboyant agent, Sean Stellato, was decked out in a bright green jacket on the Superdome sideline before the New York Giants played the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
He then watched the Saints leave his client black and blue.
DeVito, the reigning NFC offensive player of the week, was sacked seven times and did not produce a touchdown in an ugly 24-6 loss that ended the Giants’ three-game winning streak and put New York (5-9) on the brink of playoff elimination.
The vibe was nothing like his performance in Monday night’s 24-22 win against Green Bay, when he completed 10 of 11 passes in the second half and ran 10 times for 71 yards.
“I don’t think we played with enough swagger, and I put that on me,” DeVito said. “We got into a little bit of a lull at times.”
DeVito had become a burgeoning cult hero in New York as an undrafted rookie who still lived with his parents in New Jersey and grew up a few miles from MetLife Stadium, the home of the Giants.
A shot of Stellato and Tom DeVito Sr. exchanging kisses on the cheek during the win against the Packers went viral. DeVito’s preferred celebration after big plays — pinching his fingers in a classic Italian “ma che vuoi” gesture — has been a hit, too.
The Giants had almost nothing to celebrate on Sunday.
The Saints limited running back Saquon Barkley to 14 yards on nine carries. The Giants converted just 2 of 16 third downs. New York’s only points were on field goals at the end of their first and last drives of the opening half, and both came courtesy of Saints penalties.
Amid all that, the Saints mimicked DeVito’s finger celebration after their own big plays.
“I didn’t know it until you just said that,” DeVito said when asked if he was bothered by the move. “You see that in all sports. It’s all fun and
games.”
DeVito blamed himself for underthrowing wide receiver Darius Slayton deep on the first play of the game and overthrowing tight end Darren Waller, who was activated off injured reserve after missing the previous five games, on a pass in the fourth quarter.
He did not have much of a chance in between those plays.
New Orleans sacked him four times before halftime and three more times afterward. He finished 20 of 34 for 177 yards, giving back 68 of those yards on the sacks and an intentional grounding penalty.
The Saints entered tied for third-to-last in the NFL with 23 sacks and with no more than four in any game.
“They did a good job running stunts and we didn't do a good enough job of blocking them,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said. “They stopped the run and were effective in pass coverages. We had some drops out there early that could have helped us.”
DeVito had to leave for the final four plays of the first half after taking a forearm near the head from cornerback Isaac Yiadom on a scramble, but he was cleared to return for the start of the third quarter.
Everything went wrong from there. The Saints scored a touchdown on their opening drive to go ahead 14-6. The Giants had back-to-back three-andouts and trailed by three scores by the time they finally picked up a first down in the fourth quarter.
“The NFL's not easy,” DeVito said. “It's not for everybody, but it's our job to go out there and be ready to play. I'm always harder on myself than anybody else, but at the same time I don't want to beat myself up over things. It's all learning experiences and team growth.”