How Tommy DeVito, NY Giants were forced to deal with reality of playoff dream dashed

NEW ORLEANS — Perhaps the biggest misconception about the craze involving Tommy DeVito that energized the New York Giants and swept through the rest of the NFL is that, in some way, it was not real.

Yet here's the thing about DeVito and what his presence did for Big Blue in its recent three-game winning streak, which breathed life into what was a dead season at 2-8 after that embarrassing 32-point loss to the Cowboys last month:

The confidence was genuine, not a media creation, and the story remains a fun one to tell.

The DeVito Giants really believed in themselves and their chances to make these last three games mean something with regard to the playoffs, regardless of how faint their chances were.

And for DeVito himself, he's refused to let any of this change who he is as a quarterback or his approach.

The greatest sign that this wasn't fake at all: The Saints took every opportunity to mock DeVito and the Giants, flashing his "finger purse" touchdown celebration early and often whenever they made a play.

The final salvo captured by television cameras in the waning moments of the Giants' 24-6 loss to the Saints: one last jab from New Orleans special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, himself a North Jersey guy from Hillsdale, offering up the DeVito gesture, a lasting shot from a Bergen Catholic grad (complete with the BC T-shirt he wore during pregame warmups) in the direction of Don Bosco's latest favorite son and Big Blue.

"It's all fun and games, part of the game," quipped DeVito, who said he was unaware of any of the Saints' taunting until a reporter questioned him about it in the post-game news conference.

"That's on the offensive line to not let them do that," left guard Justin Pugh said. "We've got to keep them off DeVito; we got him hit too much. It was just a bad job, and it starts with me. I played my worst game of the season."

Make no mistake: The Giants (5-9) understood the stakes when they stepped inside the Superdome on Sunday afternoon. They were still in striking distance, if they kept on winning, of completing what would have been a remarkable turnaround as playoff contenders. Only one game out entering play Sunday, but no margin for error, no matter what the math may say.

And this result is resounding validation to that less than 1 percept probability the numbers' game predicts.

"I mean, probably knocks us out of the playoffs," Pugh said. "We were down earlier in the season, we've got to go out there and fight. Go out and play a Philadelphia team that's damn good next week. We're gonna look at the film and correct things, and if we don't, it's gonna be the same [executive] result. Sorry for cursing, but it is what it is."

So where do the Giants go from here? Well, as Pugh so eloquently put it, a Christmas Day date in Philadelphia against the Eagles in what has been a House of Horrors for this franchise since 2013. That was the last time the Giants went down the Turnpike and came back to East Rutherford with the win.

Giants coach Brian Daboll said DeVito will continue as the starting quarterback, and truth be told, while there will be many headlines and stories throwing freezing cold water on what he has done prior to this game, the Saints (7-7) did not prevail solely because of DeVito and what he couldn't do against them.

DeVito completed 20-of-34 passes for 177 yards, and once again, he did not turn the ball over. The Saints took pleasure in knocking him down time after time, but DeVito kept coming back for more, even for that time period at the end of the second quarter into halftime that DeVito was being checked for a concussion.

Seemingly everything the Giants did to win their last three games evaporated, however.

The Saints had seven sacks; the Packers had none last Monday night.

The Saints allowed more than 200 yards rushing against Carolina last Sunday.

The Giants rushed for 60 yards, and DeVito accounted for 36 of them with Saquon Barkley held to 14 yards on nine carries.

The Giants' defense/special teams had 12 takeaways during their win streak, but zero against the Saints as Derek Carr - booed by the home crowd in pregame introductions - completed 23-of-28 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers.

“Got our teeth kicked in a little bit,” tight end Darren Waller said. He made four catches for 40 yards in his return to action after missing five games on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. “You’ve got to earn the right to get to where you want to go."

Just like he did in Dallas after his first career start, DeVito was critical of his own game. He harbored regrets on a pair of missed throws - a deep ball to Darius Slayton early and a sideline shot to Waller - and promised he would be beating himself up a bit after this one.

The 25-year-old undrafted rookie also took it upon himself for not bringing enough of that swagger to the game when the Giants needed something to shake things up once the snowball got rolling against them.

"I feel like we got into a little bit of a lull at times from an execution level," DeVito said. "I take that personally."

Despite their recent wins, the Giants have remained in the Top 10 for next year's draft the entire time.

Tankathon.com projections as Big Blue currently sitting at No. 7 with two games against the reigning NFC champion Eagles sandwiched around a New Year's Eve date against the Rams, who are squarely in the mix for one of those wild cards.

As for the Giants, to a man, they obviously would have preferred a much better showing. The Saints outplayed them in just about every facet, taking a step forward in their playoff quest while the Giants stumbled backward, failing to capitalize on any hope the franchise may have had for a miracle playoff bid coming in.

Added Waller: "It’s not something that’s going to sit right with guys on the plane ride back."

The Giants only have themselves to blame for that, and on Sunday they were forced to deal with that reality, not to mention the emptiness of the ninth losing season in the last 11 years overall for the organization, which now has no choice but to look to the future with games left on the schedule yet again.

"You can't get your swag," Saquon Barkley said, "when there's nothing you can do."

DeVito and the Giants have three more games to recapture that swag, and just like his journey from NFL long shot to starting quarterback and league sensation, that won't be easy. Nothing that deserves our respect ever is.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How Tommy DeVito, NY Giants dealt with reality of playoff dream dashed