GREG JOHNSON: Tommy DeVito in for bigger test to keep Giants in playoff contention

The Giants have decided to stay with the hot hand against the Packers on Monday night at MetLife Stadium, and that means riding the Tommy DeVito train for at least one more game.

It’s been a fun story so far. But now we get down to the nitty gritty with a litmus test that can potentially keep the Giants’ slim playoff hopes alive or offer more clarity on the DeVito versus Tyrod Taylor debate that, let’s face it, most of the nation doesn’t care about.

“I was not going to be surprised by it because either way throughout the bye week I was mentally prepared for it to go either way,” DeVito said of remaining the starting quarterback after Taylor came off injured reserve last week. “It was a tough decision, but I don’t make those decisions so I’m just here to play, execute, and try to win football games.”

The question is whether DeVito can beat a team that isn’t near the top of the ‘Tankathon’ leaderboard for the 2024 NFL Draft.

The former Don Bosco Prep star squeaked by the 3-10 Patriots in his home debut with a 10-7 win where the Giants only scored when handed the ball inside New England’s 32-yard line from interceptions. DeVito didn’t turn the ball over in that game nor the previous week against 4-9 Washington when he threw for three touchdowns as the Giants tied their season high with 31 points. And before that, he passed for only 86 yards in his debut as a starter in a nightmare 49-17 loss at Dallas.

Green Bay (6-6) presents a tougher challenge that lies somewhere in the middle. The Packers are coming off a Sunday night upset win by holding Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to 19 points to vault into an NFC playoff spot. They allow the ninth-fewest points per game (20.3) but are also tied for the fifth-fewest takeaways (13) this season.

If DeVito continues playing mistake-free football and the Giants ride Saquon Barkley early and often against a Packers run defense that is allowing the third-most rushing yards per game (136.3), this offense has a chance to take a step forward after a week off.

“That time during the bye week is invaluable for the staff, for the players to number one to get kind of rejuvenated just with some off time, but also to kind of go back and look at some of the things that we can improve on and we did that with not just the quarterback position but every position in our unit as a group, how we can improve in the run game, the pass game, all those kind of areas,” offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. “We dug down deep as a staff and looked at a bunch of cutups, whether it was ourselves, around the league, what teams are doing, and how we can improve.”

DeVito has made some impressive throws for an undrafted rookie including a 41-yard pass to Jalin Hyatt on a third-and-16 play against the Patriots. But his pocket awareness is clearly his biggest point of improvement as he’s taken 20 sacks in his three starts.

The Giants have had a leaky offensive line with lineup changes throughout the season, but DeVito (28 sacks in five games) has been sacked at a far higher rate than Taylor (10 sacks in seven games) and Daniel Jones (30 sacks in six games) were this season.

“We all got to be clicking on the same cylinders and working to improve all those things, whether it’s pass protection upfront, whether it’s getting the ball out, whether it’s winning down field on a route, whether it’s play calling, all those things work together,” Kafka said. “It’s all got to get on a better page and eliminate those things.”

Obviously the Giants want to make it a collective issue and not throw DeVito under the bus, but they must believe that any issues he’s shown on film are correctable or they wouldn’t have anointed him as the starter over Taylor early in the week.

“He’s improved in each of the games he’s played,” Daboll said. “I thought he played well the last two games, made good decisions, was accurate with the football and earned the right to play.”

We’ll see if DeVito can take the next step against Green Bay on a primetime stage. The Giants remain two games out of a playoff spot in an NFC with four 6-6 teams and two 5-7 teams.

As Barkley described it, the Giants aren’t giving up on the season and believe the playoffs are still attainable with their “undrafted kid from New Jersey living the dream” under center.

“We were a team last year that was able to find a way to make it into the playoffs, and that’s still our goal,” Barkley said. “Every team’s goal at the beginning of the season is to make it to the playoffs and get to the Super Bowl, and statistically and mathematically we’re still in it.”

Giants Gameday

The Game: Packers (6-6) at Giants (4-8), MetLife Stadium, Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (ABC)

The Line: Green Bay by 6.5

History: The Packers lead the all-time series, 34-27-2, and have won three of the last four meetings since 2016. But the Giants won the most recent game last season in London, 27-22.

Key Matchups:

Giants WR Darius Slayton vs. Packers secondary: Green Bay features a solid secondary that has allowed the 10th-fewest passing yards per game (203.8). Slayton had a big game against the Packers last year in London with six catches for 79 yards.

Giants RT Tyre Phillips vs. Packers OLB Rashan Gary: The Giants continue to deal with injuries and performance issues at right tackle. Evan Neal is set to miss a fourth straight game with an ankle injury. Phillips has a tough assignment as the Packers are likely to deploy Gary, who has nine sacks and 17 QB hits, on that side frequently.

Giants CB Adoree’ Jackson vs. Packers WR Romeo Doubs: Green Bay distributes the ball to its wide receivers relatively evenly, but Doubs has a team-high 45 receptions and seven touchdowns. The second-year pro is an interesting matchup for seventh-year veteran Jackson.

Giants OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux vs. Packers RT Zach Thom: The Packers arguably rank in the top half of offensive lines in the NFL. Tom has been strong at right tackle, so we’ll see if Thibodeaux can raise his impressive sack total of 11.

Injury Report:

Giants: OUT: RT Evan Neal (ankle); QUESTIONABLE: DL Dexter Lawrence (hamstring), DL A’Shawn Robinson (hamstring), S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (ankle), TE Daniel Bellinger (illness), WR Parris Campbell (knee).

Packers: OUT: WR Christian Watson (hamstring); DOUBTFUL: LB Quay Walker (shoulder); QUESTIONABLE: CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder), RB Aaron Jones (knee), S Darnell Savage (chest), CB Eric Stokes (hamstring).

Giant Facts: This marks the Giants’ fifth primetime game of the season, the most they’ve had since also playing five in 2016. … The Giants’ 11 takeaways in the past three games are their highest total in a three-game span since 2012, when they had 12 from Oct. 21 to Nov. 4. … The Giants have allowed an NFL-high 69 sacks. They’re on pace for 97.75, which would be the second-most in NFL history behind the 1986 Eagles (104).

The Prediction: Packers 20, Giants 16