Can DeVito Provide a Spark for Stagnant Giants’ Offense?
This week, the Giants benched and eventually released former first-round pick Daniel Jones, just
two years after offering him a 160 million-dollar contract. Head coach Brian Daboll, who is
believed to be on the hot seat, is making one last-ditch effort at saving his job by turning to
second-year backup and North Jersey native, Tommy DeVito, in hopes of breathing life into New
York’s offense, which is 23rd in the league in total yards per game and dead last in points per
game. Tackle Andrew Thomas’ season-ending injury and poor play from former first-round pick
Evan Neal has not helped matters either, with rookies Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy serving as
the team’s lone bright spots offensively. DeVito appeared in nine games last year, replacing
injured Jones, and threw for just over 1100 yards with eight touchdown passes and three
interceptions. He will take the reins under center in front of family and friends at Metlife
Stadium against a Buccaneers’ defense ranked 30th in total defense and 30th against the pass.
Ravens Travel to Los Angeles For the Game of the Week
After suffering an 18-16 defeat in a hard-fought AFC North matchup against their arch-rival
Steelers, the Ravens will head out west to face the red-hot Chargers in a highly anticipated
Monday night matchup between two AFC playoff contenders. The 7-3 Chargers have won four
straight and are finally starting to build a home-field advantage in Los Angeles. Baltimore, at
7-4, needs a win to keep pace in the AFC North division race after last week’s loss. The story for
the Ravens this season has been their pass defense, which ranks dead last in the league. Despite
the Chargers’ offense being headlined by its strong run game led by former Raven JK Dobbins,
Justin Herbert has only thrown one interception all season and is coming off arguably his best
game all season, throwing for nearly 300 yards and multiple touchdowns in last week’s win
against the Bengals. The Chargers’ offense, therefore, will not be an ideal matchup for
Baltimore’s pass defense if they are looking for a “get right” game.
Correspondingly, this game will also serve as another formidable test for Los Angeles’ defense,
which is still the league’s number one scoring defense after surrendering the most points they
have all season against Cincinnati, as Joe Burrow threw for 356 yards and Ja’marr Chase put
forth his second straight multi-touchdown game. It does not get any easier for the Chargers this
week, as Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry have put together MVP-caliber campaigns.
Meanwhile, Zay Flowers is on pace to be the first Ravens’ wide receiver since 2021 to eclipse
1000 yards. Ultimately, this is a game that many will be tuning into and could go a long way in
determining playoff seeding and implications for both teams.
Can Caleb and the Bears Offense Right the Ship Against a Strong Minnesota defense?
After leading the Bears to a 4-2 start and throwing for a combined seven touchdowns and one
interception in three games against the Rams, Panthers, and Jaguars, the 2024 Draft’s
number-one overall pick, Caleb Williams, has not thrown a touchdown pass in four straight
games. The Bears have lost all four of those games, with its offense averaging just 15.5 points
per game during that span. It is a disappointing outcome for the Bears, which have invested
significant money and draft capital into its offense the past two offseasons, trading for DJ Moore
and Keenan Allen, signing D’Andre Swift, and spending premier draft capital on Darnell Wright,
Rome Odunze, and Caleb Williams. Head coach Matt Eberflus, believed by many to be coaching
for his job, fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron after the team’s Week Nine loss to the
Patriots. The offense showed improvement in last week’s game against the Packers, as the team
was a blocked field goal away from picking up an upset win at home against their arch-nemesis.
With their record now 4-6, the Bears’ season is on the brink, and it does not get any easier for
them against a stout Vikings defense. Despite Minnesota’s defense being ranked 28th against the
pass, Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy scheme has rattled young quarterbacks all season. That does not
bode well for Williams, who has been sacked 41 times this year. The Bears are relying on a
bounceback from Williams to not only salvage their once-promising season but also their head
coach’s job.