The NFL rarely schedules two games to compete in the same prime time slot. But on Monday night, the double-booking only added to the tension-filled evening.
In Florida, the playoff-bound Miami Dolphins looked to be booking their spot atop the AFC, only for the Tennessee Titans to mount a miraculous comeback and win 28-27.
Simultaneously, one of the most heartwarming stories of the season – Tommy DeVito – was leading the New York Giants down the field for a game-winning field goal to overcome the surging Green Bay Packers, 24-22.
Here’s everything you need to know about a thrilling evening of Monday Night Football.
The best photos from the 2023 NFL season
Titans dent Dolphins’ top-seed aspirations
The Dolphins have the most explosive offense in the NFL, while the Titans have had a hit-and-miss season.
Playing in Miami, the result looked a formality. And midway through the fourth quarter, the hosts looked to be heading atop the AFC as a five-yard Raheem Mostert touchdown had given the Dolphins a 27-13 lead with just 4:34 remaining.
But Tennessee didn’t lie down. First came a nine-play, 75-yard drive which took just 1:54 minutes, ending in a short touchdown pass from quarterback Will Levis to DeAndre Hopkins and a successful two-point conversion.
Then, after the Dolphins failed to kill much time with the ball in their possession, the Titans once again marched down the field for a go-ahead touchdown with just under two minutes remaining.
Once again, the Titans defense stood up when it was needed to halt Miami one final time and seal a memorable victory.
According to probability models created by NFL Next Gen Stats, the Titans’ chances of victory were as low as 0.4% when they trailed Miami, 27-13, with 3:08 left in regulation. Additionally, according to their modeling, the Titans comeback win was the second-most statistically improbable victory in the Next Gen Stats era which dates back to 2016.
According to NFL Research, the Titans became the first team to win a game in which they were trailing by 14 or more points with under three minutes remaining since the Saints in Week 11 of the 2017 season. From Week 12 in 2017 until the Titans’ Week 14 win against the Dolphins, teams trailing by 14-plus points with under three minutes remaining were 0-582.
The remarkable nature of the defeat, combined with its postseason implications, makes Monday’s result an even more damaging one for Miami, which slips to 9-4 on the season and the second seed in the AFC.
A victory on Monday would have sent the Dolphins top of the conference – giving it a good shot at home-field advantage for the whole playoffs – but with four weeks left in the regular season, the Baltimore Ravens have a one-game lead over Miami.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said he hopes the adversity from Monday’s defeat can be a catalyst going into the final few weeks of the season.
“I know right now it doesn’t feel anything but frustration and regret about what more you can do,” McDaniel told reporters. “I have experience with it personally.
“You can do one or two things with a loss like this. For me, personally, and just my belief in the individuals that I work with on a day-to-day basis, I would expect whatever things haven’t been done in the direction of trying to win football games, collectively, I think the guys will rise to the occasion.
“I think you have to because it’s a humbling game, and you think that you’re a good football team, but then each and every week you have to prove that on the field and you can’t take anything for granted. Right now, it feels terrible, but that’s everything that we’ll be trying to do moving forward because these types of losses can be very galvanizing.
“But it takes literally every person in the locker room and coaching staff, and you have to – as long as guys aren’t pointing fingers, which I feel like there’s a lot of people looking internally, you have that chance, and that’s what we’ll be spending our time doing.”
The Titans improve to 5-8, and although it remains unlikely a playoff berth is in sight, the inspiring play of rookie quarterback Levis gives the franchise hope going forward.
“Shoot, this is the biggest stage I’ve played on, so it’s probably the biggest game I’ve won,” Levis said with a smile afterwards. “Not really, but it feels great, feels awesome. Winning a football game, regardless of the stage, is the best feeling in the world, but this definitely makes it that much sweeter.”
Tommy ‘Cutlets’ the New York hero once again
Whether it be high-rise buildings, coffee or bagels, New York City has always had a strong identity.
Now, the metropolis has a new folk hero to look to: Tommy DeVito.
The undrafted rookie quarterback – a product of Livingston, New Jersey – has provided a spark for the Giants since replacing starter Daniel Jones in Week 9 after Jones tore his ACL.
And the highlight of his short stint in the starting role came on Monday when he masterminded his team’s drive for the game-winning field goal from Randy Bullock as time expired.
With his parents watching on from the stands and his agent – dressed in all black, accompanied by a black fedora and a gold chain – in attendance, DeVito gave Giants fans an evening to remember, throwing 17-of-21 for 158 yards and a touchdown, as well as rushing for 71 more yards.
DeVito’s unlikely rise to local hero has captured the imagination of the city, with his humble background resonating with many of the fanbase.
DeVito – nicknamed Tommy ‘Cutlets’ after the popular Italian-American staple and having it coined by Giants teammate Saquon Barkley – still lives at home with his parents, his mom still makes his bed and he entered the league as a largely unheralded prospect. His Italian heritage has led many fans in the stadium to celebrate positive plays by the quarterback with their fingers pursed.
According to the NFL, DeVito tied the NFL record for the most wins by an undrafted rookie quarterback in the common draft era with Monday’s win.
The impressive victory on Monday night means the Giants have now won three games in a row for the first time since 2022.
DeVito described the moment the game-winning field goal was kicked as he stood next to Giants head coach Brian Daboll.
“I don’t know if he wants me saying this, but at first, he wasn’t going to look,” he told reporters. “And then he was like: ‘I’m going to look,’ and I was like alright. So we stood right next to each other, and it was just, as soon as we saw it go in, just pure excitement. I grabbed him, hugged him, told him I loved him and celebrated with my teammates.”
Conversely, it was a disappointing evening for the Packers who had entered as one of the in-form teams in the league.
The team looked largely out of sorts throughout, and it was only thanks to a fourth quarter scoring splurge which saw it race into a position to win.
Green Bay remains in the mix for a playoff spot at 6-7 on the season, but head coach Matt LaFleur described his disappointment after such a limp performance.
“I think our team learned a valuable lesson in terms of: if you don’t play your best, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing, where you’re playing them, when you’re playing, you’re not going to win the game,” LaFleur told reporters.
“We lost the turnover battle and weren’t good enough in situational ball, third-down red zone. We had plenty of opportunities. Give New York credit, they went out there, and they played better than we did tonight. This game is about execution, and we didn’t execute to the best of our ability.”
