PHILADELPHIA — Despite a 24-6 loss in New Orleans last weekend, New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito maintained his starter status entering the Christmas day showdown against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles.

“I’m not going to make a week-to-week change,” coach Brian Daboll said a week ago. “He’s earned it. It won’t always be perfect, but he’s earned the opportunity to play.”

DeVito may have earned the right to play, but the coach retained the right to make a change. And Daboll did just that after the Giants entered halftime Monday night trailing the Eagles 20-3. The coach pulled the plug on the undrafted rookie and handed the reins to veteran Tyrod Taylor out of the break.

Daboll made the change, he said, to try to “spark the team.”

It worked, to a degree. The Giants took advantage of an Eagles fumble on the kickoff and got on the board with a quick touchdown to start the second half. Taylor later connected with Darius Slayton for a 69-yard touchdown to get within one score, down 30-25 in the fourth quarter. Taylor drove the Giants down the field at the end of the game and gave them a chance, but his last-second pass was intercepted in the end zone and the Giants fell 33-25 and were officially eliminated from the playoffs.

When pressed during his postgame news conference on his comments saying DeVito had earned the start, Daboll reiterated that his team needed a spark Monday.

DeVito’s benching is the likely end to DeVito mania, which had been building since November. Soon after injuries to starting quarterback Daniel Jones and Taylor forced DeVito into the starting slot, he began garnering national attention. He played well enough, but it was the surrounding narrative that captured the hearts of millions.

He was a hometown kid from Cedar Grove, N.J., playing for the nearby Giants. He still lived at home with his parents with his mom cooking his dinner, doing his laundry and making his bed. Throw in the full embrace of his Italian heritage — complete with a viral finger pinch gesture — and DeVito became a seemingly overnight internet sensation.

Following a pair of victories, Daboll stuck with DeVito out of the bye week, even though Taylor had returned from injured reserve. Pre-empting any quarterback debate, the coach named DeVito the starter the first day he could. The decision paid off, as DeVito led the Giants on a last-minute, game-winning drive against the Packers on “Monday Night Football,” which sent DeVito mania into another stratosphere.

But that Monday night win would end up being the peak of the mania. It’s been downhill since then.

DeVito and the Giants offense sputtered against the Saints. The quarterback finished 20-of-34 for 177 yards and no touchdowns as the team mustered just six points. A week later, after two quarters of football in Philadelphia, Daboll made the switch. DeVito and the offensive players learned the news from the coach at halftime.

“He wanted to have a spark or change, anything we could have,” DeVito said after going 9-of-16 for 55 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. “I understand it’s a business. We weren’t scoring enough points, so the change was made. That was that.”

DeVito said that as a competitor, being benched hurts, but he understands the business aspect.

“It’s tough. It’s just a constant reminder that it’s a business,” DeVito said. “They’re always going to try to find someone to replace you, wherever it is. At the same time, it is a business. It’s your job. I respect it. There’s no hard feelings one way or another. I was hoping (Taylor) was going to go out there and ball, and we win the game. It’s nothing more than that. That’s all it is.”

Taylor nearly did that thanks to assistance from special teams and the defense. Out of the break, the Eagles’ Boston Scott fumbled the ball on the kickoff, with Isaiah Simmons recovering it on Philadelphia’s 14-yard line. Three plays later, Saquon Barkley scampered into the end zone for a touchdown. Just before the end of the third quarter, Giants cornerback Adoree’ Jackson picked off Eagles QB Jalen Hurts for his fourth career interception and returned it for a 76-yard touchdown to make the score 20-18 Eagles following a two-point conversion.

WOWWW!!

📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/DFz0s7elGQ

— New York Giants (@Giants) December 26, 2023

“We got trust in Tyrod when Tyrod came in,” Barkley said. “Definitely generated a little spark for us, but I believe in both of those guys.”

Despite the Eagles extending their lead again, New York wasn’t out of it until the very end. Down 30-18 with six minutes to play, Taylor connected with Slayton for the 69-yard touchdown strike. The Giants held the Eagles to a field goal on the ensuing possession and got the ball back on their 25-yard line with 1:10 remaining.

With no timeouts, the Giants reached the Eagles’ 26-yard line but couldn’t punch it in. Taylor’s final pass was intercepted by the Eagles’ Kelee Ringo in the end zone.

THAT’S GAME, @KeleeRingo pic.twitter.com/oKRw7SkV0E

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 26, 2023

“At the end of the day, it wasn’t a winning performance,” Taylor said of a game in which he went 7-of-16 for 133 yards and a touchdown. “That is what I grade myself on. I think there were a lot of plays I left on the field. I have to go out there and correct some plays, but it is a team sport, and ultimately we failed at the ultimate goal.”

Daboll didn’t offer much input on DeVito versus Taylor, but the numbers say everything Daboll didn’t. The Giants tallied 101 offensive yards in the first half compared to 191 in the second. They averaged 3.3 yards per play with DeVito in the pocket compared to Taylor’s 6.8 per play.

So who will be the starter next week? Will Daboll pre-emptively name one or the other, sticking with Taylor or going back to DeVito?

Will there be a competition in practice? With playoffs off the table, there are other parts of the picture to consider. The Giants moved up to No. 5 in the 2024 NFL draft order. Would the Giants want to play Taylor in games against the Rams and Eagles if they believe he gives them a better chance of winning based on his performance Monday? Or do they want to keep giving DeVito a chance to develop despite yanking him at halftime Monday?

“That is not my decision,” Taylor said. “My decision is to be ready when my number is called, and I think that I proved that tonight. I will continue to keep preparing whether it is me moving forward or not. I told you all this before. My mood or my attitude doesn’t change based on circumstances. I am the same person. I am the same leader each and every day.”

“We’re going to work, watch the film and do all that,” DeVito said. “At the end of the day, it’s not me or (Taylor’s) decision; it’s the coaches.”

Daboll didn’t have a clear answer yet.

“We’ll talk about that … this week.”

Whatever decision they reach, it should probably be with next season in mind.

(Photo: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)

“The Football 100,” the definitive ranking of the NFL’s best 100 players of all time, is on sale now. Order it here.