Giants' new folk hero Tommy De Vito leads to victory over Packers

At some point, the NFL will admit that this Tommy De Vito character was the hardest sell in their script. Good luck and come up with a better story. De Vito was just an unknown quarterback at the bottom of the New York Giants' roster a few weeks ago. He must have been lucky to make the Giants' roster, especially considering he grew up in New Jersey. He still lived with his parents and his mother still did his laundry. Then, due to an impending injury, he got the opportunity to start at quarterback.
And on Monday night, "Tommy Cutlets" hosted an Italian-themed celebration throughout Met Life Stadium. De Vito has gone from nobody to cult hero, bringing joy to a Giants season that was empty in the early months. De Vito led the Giants to a winning drive with two minutes remaining, and as time expired, he made the game-winning field goal, giving them a 24-22 victory over the Green Bay Packers. As the crowd watched Monday night, De Vito became a folk hero for Giants fans. Whoever cast De Vito in this role in the NFL deserves a raise because he plays the role perfectly.
 

Tommy De Vito stars 

At first, it felt like one of those memorable Monday night games where a funny story becomes a phenomenon. On the ABC show, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman talked about De Vito, his nickname "Tommy Cattletz" and how he still lives with his parents. The footage of his father and his agent -- who looks exactly like the perfect person to play De Vito's agent -- celebrating in the stands was moving. De Vito made the play every time and energized the stadium. Although the Giants entered the game with a record of 4-8 and virtually no chance of making the playoffs, Monday night games are still special for players and fans alike. De Vito's thoroughly entertaining story line made it feel like more than just playing against a bad team. De Vito played on the floor and threw the ball as the crowd soaked it up. His scramble set up Saquon Barkley for a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. A great pass and catch by Isiah Hodgins led to an 8-yard touchdown for a 21-13 lead. Then came the Italian hand and the silly celebration that became a beloved part of the whole crazy DeVito story. The Giants needed to win the game to make it a truly special night. And even after falling behind in the final two minutes, they rose to the challenge. 

Packers take the lead late in the game.
 The Giants needed to hold out until the fourth quarter. When Barkley hit a long run deep into the Packers' territory, it looked like they had momentum on the verge of clinching the victory. But there was a weird fumble at the end of the run. Barkley stumbled forward and the ball hit the ground, but no one touched him or gave up, resulting in a fumble. During a scramble, the Packers returned the ball 50 yards inside Giants territory.  The Packers then entered the red zone with a two-minute warning. Love set up the first goal with a big third-down conversion for Reed. For the second point, Malik Heath caught a pass in the end zone that appeared to be a touchdown, but safety Jason Pinnock blocked it, leading officials to call it incomplete. This call was disconnected after confirmation. On the next play, Heath caught a 6-yard touchdown near the sideline, barely breaking through the plane to get inside. The Giants stopped the two-point conversion with 1 minute and 33 seconds remaining and were up 22-21. De Vito calmly began the Giants' final drive. He hit some short passes. He then hit Wan'Dale Robinson 32 yards to bring the Giants within field goal range. The Giants ran it a few times, settling for a 37-yard field goal attempt by Randy Bullock. Brock's kick was so great that it officially went down in Giants history as the "Tommy De Vito Game." I can't even come up with such an interesting story.