Why Giants benched QB Tommy DeVito at halftime of loss to Eagles

Tommy DeVito had the reins of the sleigh taken from him on Christmas Day as the New York Giants faced the Philadelphia Eagles.

The rookie quarterback was benched at halftime on Monday at Lincoln Financial Field as the Giants were eliminated from playoff contention in a 33-25 loss. He went 9-of-16 for 55 yards and was taken out of the matchup with his team down 20-3. Tyrod Taylor replaced him and came close to getting New York to a tie that would have sent the game into overtime, but ultimately the Giants fell short.

Why did Tommy DeVito get benched?

Reporter Pam Oliver said on the Fox broadcast during the game that the quarterback change was a coach's decision by Brian Daboll.

After the loss, Daboll told reporters he benched DeVito and turned to Taylor to "try to spark the team."

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"I don't really have anything else to add on it," Daboll said. "Just did it to try to spark the team."

DeVito relayed the message the head coach told him.

"He wanted to have a spark. A change needed to be had and I understand. It's a business," DeVito said. "We weren't doing great on offense in the first half. I'm not sure what the numbers were, but we're not scoring enough points, so a change was made."

What did Tyrod Taylor do in second half?

The Giants scored three touchdowns in the second half — a 7-yard run from Saquon Barkley, a 76-yard interception return from Adoree' Jackson, and a 69-yard touchdown from Taylor to Darius Slayton. New York was marching on the last drive of the game in an attempt to tie it, but Taylor was intercepted on the last play. He went 7-of-16 for 133 yards with the score and the pick.

Taylor, a 13-year veteran, told reporters after the game that he was ready to step in based on his daily mentality.

"I've said this from day one, ever since 2011 when I got drafted, I treat — regardless of my position on the roster — I treat each and every day as if I'm the starter," he said. "The way I prepare mentally, physically, just my mindset going into a game. So, I felt prepared. Obviously, it wasn't the outcome we wanted."

How Tommy DeVito captured the nation's attention

DeVito enthralled the nation when he won three straight games for the Giants. He was handed the starting job after Daniel Jones tore his ACL in the Week 9 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. After falling to the Dallas Cowboys, DeVito then led New York to victories over the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers.

Daboll elected to keep DeVito as the starter ahead of the Packers game even though Taylor was elevated from injured reserve after recovering from a rib injury. DeVito was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after going 17-of-21 for 158 yards and a touchdown with 10 carries for another 71 yards against the Pack. Per the Giants, DeVito was the first starting quarterback since 1950 (when the league officially began tracking starters) to complete 80% of his passes, add 70-plus yards on the ground and not commit a turnover or take a sack.

The DeVito hype train stalled last week when the Giants fell to the New Orleans Saints 24-6. DeVito went 20-of-34 for 177 yards and failed to score. He was sacked seven times. Taylor played a few snaps in the second quarter while DeVito was evaluated after a hard hit.