Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Robert Zeglinski

NFL Week 11 Awards: Tommy DeVito’s Commanders win is one Giants will greatly regret

Tommy DeVito Giants NFL Commanders Braxton Jones Christian DAndrea CJ Stroud Jimmy Johnson Keenan Allen Myles Garrett

I’m usually never one to frown upon a good story. I love seeing things like the awkward guy getting the girl next door, the massive underdogs impossibly saving the day, and the flawed hero successfully confronting their past. These are stories that hold true because they speak to us and are relatable on a deep level.

In time, Tommy DeVito might be one of those heartwarming stories.

After throwing for 246 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-19 New York Giants win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday, it’s starting to look like this stereotypical kid from North Jersey (I mean this literally) might really belong in the NFL. And as great as that is for anyone who loves rooting for the underdog to impossibly save the day, DeVito playing well is bad news for the Giants.

Why? Because they are 3-8, have nothing to “save” anymore in 2023, and need a legitimate quarterback of the future. History may well prove me wrong, but I’m pretty comfortable asserting DeVito isn’t about to become the next Tom Brady. Suppose he continues to play well and somehow win more games for Big Blue. In that case, he’s just gonna be known as the guy who prevented the organization from drafting a legitimate long-term replacement like Southern California’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye. Heck, with this victory over the Commanders, DeVito might have already achieved the dubious honor.

This could be a black mark Giants fans won’t look fondly upon:

There is a silver lining. At least DeVito has as many career multi-touchdown games (one) as Kenny Pickett. What a high bar:

The hapless Giants aren’t going to give up on the season. Kudos to them and DeVito for continuing to play hard. They’re professionals. They should treat every game seriously and approach their fans’ emotional investments with care. But if general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll want any semblance of a bright future, they better be careful unleashing the King of North Jersey any further.

Because he risks sullying everything with his cliche and rote underdog story.

Elsewhere, in For The Win’s Week 11 NFL awards, we’ve got the bumbling Chicago Bears collapsing. We’ve got the bumbling Pittsburgh Steelers overanalyzing Myles Garrett for any hijinks. Heck, we’ve even got the bumbling Los Angeles Chargers dropping not one but two unfortunate touchdown passes in a one-score loss. It’s a cornucopia of accidental pro football incompetence as we near Thanksgiving, dearest readers.

Let’s dive into all this madness.

Best touchdown despite insurmountable odds: This Tyreek Hill score against the Raiders

Tyreek Hill is used to creating unimaginable magic for the Miami Dolphins. He’s a one-man show who makes something out of nothing like the best of them. But this 38-yard touchdown where the receiver was surrounded by Las Vegas Raiders defenders and still scored was like he pulled a rabbit out of his hat.

I still have no idea how he accomplished this:

Best way to quash a beef: Jerry Jones, by giving Jimmy Johnson a surprise face-to-face

Most football fans are familiar with Jones and Johnson’s falling out during the Dallas Cowboys’ 1990s dynasty. That’s what made it so heartening to see Jones finally swallow his pride and reveal that Johnson would be deservedly inducted into the franchise’s ring of honor.

Just look at those smiles!

Best celebration acknowledging your roots: Tommy DeVito, by pinching his fingers

All conversations about his and the Giants’ future aside, there’s something delightful about watching Tommy DeVito live up to every North Jersey stereotype on a football field. The NFL might be a multi-billion dollar industry but I don’t think it can handle this much Italian essence in one place:

Best unconventional pregame warmup: C.J. Stroud, while invoking basketball and golf

Whatever C.J. Stroud is doing this season, it’s clearly working. The rookie quarterback is not only the runaway favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but he’s probably heavily involved in the MVP race. On Sunday, we received a glimpse of how the Houston Texans franchise quarterback apparently warms up to throw before every game.

He shoots jumpers with a basketball and even uses a golf swing trainer. None of that sentence is a joke, folks.

Worst drop with a usually reliable reputation: Keenan Allen, after losing a would-be touchdown

One day, Keenan Allen might enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Since entering the NFL in 2013, he’s undoubtedly been one of football’s more consistently excellent playmakers. But even amidst a mostly sterling performance against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Allen dropped a score (that was in his chest!) that had fantasy managers positively reeling.

I totally get it because this was brutal:

Worst confusing reaction to getting pulled: Bears OT Braxton Jones, after cussing someone out

While the Bears were busy blowing a huge lead to the Detroit Lions, something appeared to bother Braxton Jones. He had to come off the field and be examined in the medical tent — a fact he did not appreciate with a profane reaction. I’m still not quite sure what made him this upset.

(Warning: NSFW reaction in the video below.)

Worst drop with the game on the line: Quentin Johnston against the Packers

A 2023 first-round draft selection, Johnston is busy trying to stave off conversations that he’s already a bust. This drop against the Packers — where he bobbled a deep pass with roughly five yards of separation — is not going to help Johnston’s case in that regard.

Just imagine this Chargers team with youngsters like Zay Flowers or Jordan Addison instead. Ah, well, nevertheless:

Worst indication nothing has changed: Matt Eberflus' Bears on this Aidan Hutchinson strip-sack

The Bears held a 12-point lead with just over three minutes to go against the rival Lions. They forced four turnovers and, for most of the afternoon, Justin Fields played like a heroic difference-making quarterback. But then trademark conservative coaching by Matt Eberflus led to an epic collapse, which was perfectly punctuated by Aidan Hutchinson below.

The Bears are one of the NFL’s most popular teams. By far. But they are also a bottom-feeder that desperately needs a change:

Worst way to take care of players: The Commanders, who had no hot water in their outdated stadium

Josh Harris is the Washington Commanders’ new owner, but there appear to still be some unfortunate holdovers from the Dan Snyder era. Namely, on Sunday, it was that neither the Commanders nor Giants had hot water in Washington’s archaic stadium.

I mean, c’mon. Guys should be able to practice good hygiene after a 60-minute football game. This isn’t acceptable:

Worst entrance to a game: Zach Wilson, while resembling Bambi for the Jets

Coming off a tough Sunday night loss to the Raiders, the New York Jets needed Zach Wilson to be their leader. They needed him to take control of the game against a hurting Buffalo Bills team. Instead, Wilson gave everyone a free preview of an abysmal performance (7-of-15, 81 yards, one touchdown, one pick) when he fell down as he walked onto the field for New York’s first offensive possession. Bambi couldn’t have done it better in that burning forest.

If that doesn’t sum up the Jets’ misery in 2023, I don’t know what does:

Best claim of innocence: Myles Garrett, after harmlessly picking up a Steelers helmet

While the Cleveland Browns’ defense was busy humbling the Steelers’ pathetic offense on Sunday, Myles Garrett found himself in possession of a rolling Pittsburgh helmet. He obviously had no intent of doing anything (gestures broadly) with the metal head protector, but that didn’t stop the Steelers from being reminded of what he once did to Mason Rudolph.

Garrett’s “innocent!” reaction to seeing the Steelers act like this was priceless:

Worst-timed pre-workout drink: Micah Parsons, before dominating the Panthers

Look, anyone who has consumed an energy drink before, let alone a pre-workout, knows how volatile these concoctions can be. One of the last things a human being with a human digestive system should do is consume one right before they bash around with 300-pound monsters for three hours.

That seems to be precisely what the Dallas Cowboys’ Micah Parsons did on Sunday. Unsurprisingly, he vomited twice mid-game because his body — which is mortal like ours — couldn’t take it. Lesson learned (I hope):

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Santa Tracker: How To Follow The Big Man's Global Gift-Giving Adventure This Christmas
Technology allows kids to track Santa's movements from Christmas Eve.
International Business Times
International Business Times
Here’s how you can be truly happy, according to the longest happiness study in the world
The secret to happiness is more in our control than we think.
Fortune
Fortune
Ten films that bend, stretch and play with time, from Citizen Kane to Memento
The festive season can have a strange effect on our perception of time. Days blur together, hours stretch or vanish, and a sense of timelessness sets in. So, what better period to enjoy films that help us to reflect on time itself?
The Conversation
The Conversation
"I couldn’t work with" Chevy Chase
Chris Columbus, known for "Home Alone," reveals bizarre interactions with the "Saturday Night Live" alum
Salon
Salon
Why is Blake Lively making claims of a smear campaign against her?
The It Ends With Us star is accusing co-star Justin Baldoni of ‘sexual harassment’.
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Sharon Smith's Polaroids capture 1980s New York nightlife
IDEA Books has launched a new monograph of Smith’s photographs, titled Camera Girl and edited by former editor-in-chief of LIFE magazine, Bill Shapiro
Wallpaper
Wallpaper
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play