After the AFC and NFC championship matches wrapped up last week, the stage was set for football’s biggest game of the year. On Sunday, Feb. 8, the New England Patriots will take on the Seattle Seahawks in front of a sold-out crowd at Levi’s Stadium, as millions more watch from home.
The Garden State’s connection to the big game may not be apparent at first, but comes through a move made by the Patriots at the start of the season. Former Giants quarterback and viral sensation Tommy DeVito joined the Patriots prior to the start of the season and has remained with the team.
DeVito made waves around the NFL while playing for the Giants, as his story perfectly encapsulated New Jersey. A Don Bosco graduate playing for his hometown team while still living with his parents and eating chicken cutlets after games was a story that couldn’t be written better.
After joining the Patriots this season, DeVito now finds himself just one win away from winning one of the biggest sporting matches of the year. While currently sidelined behind starting quarterback Drake Maye and backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs, DeVito still looks to make his impact on the team.
Winning the big game is an accomplishment reserved for very few players in the NFL, with some of the league’s best players yet to win a trophy. If the Patriots are able to come out on top against the Seahawks next Sunday, it will enter DeVito into an exclusive club of quarterbacks to earn a ring.
While his championship would come with the Patriots, it is hard to ignore the clear boost that the Giants gave to his career. As an undrafted free agent, the Giants took a gamble on the hometown kid and he defied the odds, starting a handful of games for the team. It is uncertain if that same opportunity would’ve occurred under a different team, but it is almost a guarantee that no team would’ve put DeVito into the national spotlight the way that the Giants did. The entire community around the Meadowlands and the entire Garden State rallied around DeVito, a New Jersey kid, as he propelled to stardom.
As DeVito heads to Levi’s Stadium, whether he takes the field or not, the Meadowlands played a large role in shaping his journey to the big game. To even have the opportunity to take the field is one of the greatest honors the game has to offer and just being in the position offers DeVito the ability to live out a childhood dream.