The New York Giants surprised everyone with a win against the Chicago Bears, a team they weren’t supposed to beat and weren’t picked to beat by many fans or media members. The win, which came in overtime, could be considered the best of the season for the Giants. The team showed the resilience to win in overtime, Odell Beckham Jr. threw a touchdown pass, and they upset an opponent that sits at first place in the NFC North with a two game lead.
But there’s one other notable thing from this game, something that might go under the radar because of everything else that happened. That, of course, is the fact that Kyle Lauletta was active and could have played in this game, for the first time this season. While that obviously didn’t happen, it’s a change from earlier in the season where Lauletta was left off the game day roster every week.
“Excited to put on the uniform, I’ve been wanting to all season. It’s a good feeling. I don’t know what will happen from here. I’m just gonna keep preparing and get as ready as I can each week in case I have to go into the game,” said Lauletta.
Going into the game is something that could very well happen, because despite the win, it’s generally accepted that the Giants aren’t going to the playoffs. The team has four games left, and with the offseason and the NFL Draft looming in the distance, it’s hard to imagine the Giants not giving any game time to the quarterback that’s already on their roster.
Lauletta might not be the player they’re looking for as Eli Manning’s successor, but they can’t know that until he plays. What does head coach Pat Shurmur think? Well, he had some praises that might also indicate playing time coming soon for Lauletta. “Behind the scenes he’s done a good job. He’s making progress here during the season and it’s just the next step for him.”
It’s possible that Lauletta hasn’t played at this point because of his arrest earlier in the year, which makes him a slightly less attractive option at quarterback. It’s never a good thing, after all, when the most notable thing that your quarterback has done is to get arrested for dangerous driving. But with the season winding down and only four games remaining, the Giants coaching staff may decide that the rookie has been left out of the plans enough because of the incident.