Tim Boyle's first touchdown pass of the season moved him to the top of the Giants roster.
It's silly, but it's true.
The nightmare merry-go-round that has held the quarterback spot since Daniel Jones was benched and cut ended Sunday when Tommy DeVito, who was starting in place of the injured Drew Lock, suffered a concussion. Things went dark again as Boyle had to play the entire second half of the game. They lost to the Ravens 35-14.
Boyle acquitted himself more than expected — especially considering he was signed to the practice squad on Nov. 19 and never participated in a first-team practice — and he made a quick decision to help Jones. He threw the Giants' first touchdown pass since the previous five games. before.
“He seemed like he knew the offense as a first-team quarterback,” receiver Malik Nabors said after catching the touchdown. “I think he had a great game, just trying to throw the ball and give us a chance to play football and try to the best of his ability to get another win.”
Boyle had never represented the first team in training before being called up.
He was released from his contract last week and re-signed.
“What I saw today was my first time playing with those guys,” Boyle said. He appeared in two games with the Dolphins earlier this season and started two games with the Jets last season. “So it’s definitely a great learning experience.”
Boyle, a journeyman, completed 12 of 24 passes for 123 yards, including a touchdown and one interception.
“There's a few code words here and there that we're still figuring out, but I would say 99 percent of the offense is pretty much my fault,” Boyle said. “I want to learn everything as soon as possible. It's not something I want to struggle with myself.”
Since Nov. 18, the Giants have benched Jones, cut Jones, strangely started third-stringer DeVito over second-stringer Lock, and started Lock over injured DeVitto. , starting Lock over a healthy DeVitto, starting DeVito over an injured Lock, and now turning to Boyle.
“Part of the job is knowing what to do when the work comes in,” Boyle said. “I’ve been able to step into this position and try to lead the group because I’ve worked hard to understand the staff and members and earn their respect.”
Boyle's default mindset seemed to be to throw to Nabors, who finished with 10 catches for 82 yards.
Not a bad idea.
“All things being equal, first place is pretty special,” Boyle said. “So the thing you always have in the back of your mind as a Giants quarterback is where is No. 1 going to be if things go awry? I feel pretty good about it being a 50-50 matchup. It's one of those things.”
Head coach Brian Daboll said it's “too early” to know who will be the quarterback next Sunday against the Falcons.
