A team is not supposed to win when it manages 220 total yards, picks up 10 first downs, scores one touchdown, gets outgained 147-58 in rushing yards, has to punt the ball away eight times and is on the wrong end (34:06 – 25:54) of the time of possession margin.
The Giants are not most teams. There is not much that comes easily for them and no game this season has been locked up as a victory before the closing minutes.
The best thing they did on offense on Sunday was turn the ball over only once. That they did just enough to take a 10-7 decision from the reeling Patriots is a credit to the jolt of adrenaline charismatic Tommy DeVito injected into the attack and a defense that came away with three interceptions a week after forcing six turnovers in Washington.
Here is a look at more stuff that came out of the Giants’ fourth victory of the season:
— Of course Tommy DeVito is a fun story. He is a colorful quote and an engaging personality and that is a different deal from the public persona Daniel Jones chooses to reveal. How far DeVito can take this is anyone’s guess. The bye week comes at an interesting and perhaps unfortunate time for him. He is on a roll, winning his last two starts, throwing four touchdowns and no interceptions. Tyrod Taylor is eligible to come off injured reserve and with an extra week (and an extra day) before the Giants play again — a “Monday Night Football” game against the Packers at MetLife Stadium — it is likely Taylor is healed from his rib cage injury and ready to return. Given the jolt of energy DeVito has provided, it is difficult to see coach Brian Daboll making the call to return to Taylor at this time.
— Almost exactly one year ago (Nov. 20, 2022) Wan’Dale Robinson caught nine passes for 100 yards in a loss to the Lions. Robinson tore his ACL in that game. It was the last time a Giants wide receiver reached 100 receiving yards in a game until Jalin Hyatt caught five passes for 109 yards on the Patriots. That ended a span of 18 consecutive regular-season games without a 100-yard receiver for the Giants. That is not the norm around the league. Isaiah Hodgins did have eight catches for 105 yards in the playoff victory last season in Minneapolis.
— Kayvon Thibodeaux was not thrilled with how he played. “I’ve just got to keep going,” he said. “It wasn’t the best day for me pass-rushing wise, but you have to find a way to impact the game in other ways.” Ever since he arrived as a rookie last season, Thibodeaux has shown maturity when it comes to realizing it is not all about sacks. He was credited with one-half sack, giving him 11 for the season. He also added five tackles, two tackles for loss and one forced fumble. Thibodeaux is playing up to his lofty draft status (No. 5 overall in 2022). He leads the Giants with those 11 sacks.
— Not sure what to make of this but we will offer it up without much analysis: The Giants are now 23-12 all-time in games prior to their regular-season bye. That is the fifth-best record pre-bye in the league, behind only the Seahawks (28-7), Vikings (24-10), Cowboys (24-11) and Saints (23-11).
— This is the first time the Giants intercepted three passes in back-to-back games since Oct. 19-25, 2015.
— Credit Darius Slayton for his toughness and his desire to get on the field. He was forced out of the 31-19 victory in Washington with what appeared to be an arm injury but what in fact was a neck injury. Slayton was listed as doubtful to play against the Patriots. He did not log his usual number of snaps but he did play, catching two passes for 16 yards. It was the first time in coach Brian Daboll’s two seasons with the Giants that a player listed as doubtful played in the game that week.
— Safety Xavier McKinney complained about the communication between the players and the defensive coaching staff after the loss in Las Vegas and was taken to task about that comment a few days later by defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. Since then, McKinney’s quality of play has improved. His interception of Bailey Zappe early in the fourth quarter was his first in two years. McKinney also led the Giants with 10 tackles.
— It is not unfair to speculate that the difference in the game was that DeVito did not throw any interceptions and Patriots quarterbacks Mac Jones and Zappe combined for three of them. In his past two starts, DeVito certainly has not been handcuffed by the coaching staff — he gets the ball down the field and is not limited to “safe” passes — and has avoided throwing the ball to the wrong team. Daboll has done a good job staying positive with DeVito. “I prefer not to say, ‘You can’t turn the ball over,’” Daboll said. “I prefer to say, ‘Make good decisions.’ That’s what we’ve asked him to do. That’s what he’s continued to do. Our mindset is what we need to do, so be proactive and make good decisions. I don’t like telling players, ‘They can’t,’ [or] ‘Don’t turn the ball over, don’t do this or don’t do this.’ It’s a competitive game, things are going to happen. I’d rather give them, ‘This is what we expect from you,’ but this is the culture we’re trying to build.”
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