LANDOVER, Md. — The kid is having a blast, and he’ll continue to do so for however long it lasts.
There was Tommy DeVito, Jersey kid wearing a Giants uniform and making his second career NFL start, slinging the ball all over FedEx Field on Sunday like FedEx hopes its drivers do: on point and on time.
The magical day for the kid ended in a 31-19 Giants upset victory over the Commanders, against whom he completed 18 of 26 passes for 246 yards, three touchdown passes and no turnovers.
It was DeVito’s first NFL victory as a starting quarterback and it looked damn good. It looked poised and professional.
It looked like fun.
And if it’s at all possible, DeVito’s family might be having even more fun than the kid.
After the game, there was the DeVito family — father Tom, mother Lexy and younger brother Max — hanging with Tommy outside the team buses taking pictures together, and posing with team’s stars, running back Saquon Barkley and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
“First time I’ve ever met Saquon or Dexter,’’ Tom DeVito told The Post wearing a smile as big as the Giants’ 6-foot-4, 340-pound defensive tackle.
For much of the week, a lot of the talk about the Giants’ 25-year-old baby-faced rookie free agent was about his favorite dish, the chicken parm his mother makes (pounded thin of course) and the fact that she makes his bed at home, where he’s living.
“Yeah, we heard a lot about that,’’ Tom DeVito, the owner of a plumbing company, said. “We think it’s humorous and we run with it. We’re all having fun with it.’’
Now the talk may shift to what the Giants might be finding in Tommy DeVito, the quarterback.
For those who think DeVito is some sort of feel-good-story mascot for a losing team destined for nowhere, that’s not the way he’s approaching it nor is it the way Giants head coach Brian Daboll is, either.
For those who view DeVito as a quarterback the team — which entered Sunday with a 2-8 record and in position to draft No. 2 overall in the spring — is trotting out as its centerpiece for tank mode, it sure didn’t look that way Sunday.
Ask the members of the Commanders’ defense.
“I definitely think he’s proving people wrong,’’ said Barkley, who caught two of DeVito’s scoring passes. “We know what he’s capable of doing. It’s the NFL. You don’t get here by accident. He’s a confident dude from Jersey.’’
DeVito, who’s been a football fan for at least as long as he’s played the game, knows what Giants fans want.
He knows there’s a large faction of them who want to see the team lose so it can draft a new quarterback with one of the top picks.
“I’m sure I’m going to hear about it,’’ DeVito said of the pro-tank crowd. “My job is to come here and play football to the highest of my ability and help put my team in situations to win.’’
He did that despite being sacked nine times — five in the first quarter.
“I’ve seen him get sacked his whole life, in college — he was sacked a lot,’’ Tom DeVito said. “It felt like he was the most-sacked quarterback in college when he was playing. As long as he gets back up and keeps the chains moving and helps the team win … that’s the most important thing.’’
Tommy DeVito did … and he did.
The most aesthetically beautiful moment of the game came on the first play of the fourth quarter, first-and-10 from the Washington 32-yard line and the Giants clinging to a precarious 14-12 lead.
DeVito executed a play-action fake to Barkley up the middle and then to receiver Wan’Dale Robinson on an end-around and had tight end Daniel Bellinger wide open for a 26-yard catch-and-run to the Commanders 6-yard line. Three plays later, DeVito connected with Barkley on their second TD together and a 21-12 lead.
The play was a marvelous combination of creativity on the part of the play-caller, the call made at the perfect time, the coaches’ trust in DeVito and DeVito’s flawless execution of it all.
“The players have confidence in him — particularly because he’s the third quarterback going in [after injured starter Daniel Jones and backup Tyrod Taylor] and he’s got a little juice about him,’’ Daboll said.
Asked what he thinks his son showed Giants fans on Sunday, Tom DeVito said, “I think he showed that he could he can throw the ball. He certainly showed them that he’s tough and competitive.’’
If you happen to be from around these parts, you know those are two qualities the New York sports fan values most, which is what makes this kid so endearing to his teammates and coaches.
However long this magical ride lasts is anyone’s guess.
But if Sunday at FedEx Field was any indication, the kid looks like he may be around for a while.
And that’s fun.
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