LANDOVER, Md. — There was no agony of DeVeets this time. 

There was the ecstasy of Tommy DeVito. 

Who says the local boy-makes-good story won’t sell? 

No one game can change the fortunes of the Giants in this rotten season, but for one day there was DeVito — coach Brian Daboll calls him “DeVeets’’ — as the pride of Cedar Grove, N.J., slinging it around the field and doing something few saw coming. He started a game at quarterback and won a game as the starting quarterback. And not in spite of his play. The undrafted rookie took big hit after big hit and fired three touchdown passes Sunday as the Giants ended a three-game losing streak with a 31-19 victory over the mistake-prone Commanders at FedEx Field. 

This must mean DeVito is growing into the job. 

“I think he’s the same height,’’ Daboll said. 

Yes, some levity was allowed on a day when the Giants (3-8) won for the first time in a month. They should be thankful for the Commanders this holiday season, having beaten them twice for a season series sweep. 

This time, they did it with Tommy DeVito, in his second NFL start. 

“I know they love you one week, hate you another,’’ DeVito said. “I know how it goes the past two weeks. It’s all bad, and today, I’m sure it’s good. I like to stay even-keeled and just enjoy the process.’’ 

The Giants allowed nine sacks to a team that traded away Montez Sweat and Chase Young, their starting edge rushers. DeVito was responsible for more than a few of those sacks, holding the ball too long or not reading the rush. But he endured. He finished 18 of 26 for 246 yards, with two touchdown passes to Saquon Barkley and one to Darius Slayton. 

“He’s an instinctive player, which is hard to coach,’’ Daboll said. 

He also is a popular player in the locker room, filling in for injured Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor. 

“He’s a tough dude — from Jersey,’’ Barkley said. “Happy for him.’’ 

This was in many ways a wild ride, a game that should not have gone down to the wire. There were six turnovers created by the Giants — five on defense, one on special teams — the Giants cashed in with 24 points. Sam Howell was intercepted three times. 

The Giants somehow, some way, led 14-12 late in the third quarter despite having zero — as in none — rushing yards, running it only eight times. On their ninth rushing attempt, the vise grip finally loosened, as Barkley took a pitchout and rumbled 36 yards on the final play of the third quarter. Barkley had a 31-yard run in the fourth quarter that led to a Randy Bullock field goal for a 24-12 Giants lead with 6:48 remaining. Barkley finished with 83 rushing yards in the second half. 

The Giants seemed to be in complete control with a fourth-down stop but Jihad Ward was called for an offsides penalty with 5:35 remaining in the game. Kayvon Thibodeaux was then called for roughing the passer and Sam Howell’s 8-yard scoring pass to Jahan Dotson pulled the Commanders within 24-19. 

The Giants punted the ball back and the Commanders had the ball with 1:49 remaining. Isaiah Simmons picked off Howell and returned the takeaway 54 yards for a touchdown with 16 seconds left to seal the deal. 

“We needed it,’’ Thibodeaux said. “Obviously we were 2-8 and now we’re 3-8. How many games do we have left? We’ve got six more games left, we just keep playing, keep taking it one week at a time and we’ll see where we are at the end of the season.’’ 

DeVito completed 13 of 17 passes for 184 yards in the first half, shredding Washington’s porous secondary. The undiscovered big plays in the offensive attack finally surfaced. DeVito found a wide-open Slayton on a 40-yard hookup in the second quarter to put the Giants ahead 14-3. 

When he had time, DeVito generally put the ball where it needed to go. Time was not on his side, though. He was sacked five times in the first quarter, three times by linebacker David Mayo, a Giants castoff. Three sacks in the first quarter? That has not happened in an NFL game since 2016. 

DeVito kept on getting up, protecting the ball and living for another play. 

“You have to stand in there and you have to take those hits and deliver the ball to your teammates,’’ DeVito said. 

The Giants never lost the lead, despite some anxious moments along the way. This was far different than the back-to-back losses to the Raiders and Cowboys by a combined 79-23. 

“In recent weeks we haven’t been putting a product out there for anyone to be happy about,’’ Barkley said. “It just feels good to get a win again.’’