PHILADELPHIA — Before the questions in the interview room could begin, questions about being yanked at halftime for Tyrod Taylor, the first words from Tommy DeVito were “Merry Christmas.”

There have been better Christmas days than this for Tommy DeVito, the howls and jeers of derision that spewed from the stands that once rained down here on Phil Simms and Eli Manning and Daniel Jones were raining down on him.

They like “Rocky” stories here, just not when Rocky shows up playing quarterback for the New York Football Giants.

Tommy Cutlets?

Bah humbug.

That wasn’t Bergen Catholic on the other side of the line of scrimmage looking to whack him back to Cedar Grove, N.J.

Or, on Christmas Day, to the bench.

This is the place where fairytales go to die for Giants quarterbacks and Brian Daboll decided after one-half of misery that the Eagles were intent on serving Fried Cutlets as their Christmas feast and called on Tyrod Taylor to replace Tommy DeVito and spark his team.

Alas, no Christmas Miracle.

Taylor gave the Giants the better chance to win and no one would begrudge Daboll for giving him the ball next time even if he will be a free agent at the end of the season.

DeVito had earned the starting job but if this means the clock has struck midnight for him, it sure was fun while it lasted … and no one who loves the underdog will be rooting for it to end.

“It’s just work to me. I just go out and I’ve been trying to enjoy it every single day,” DeVito said. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — you never know when a snap is your last, so I try to go out and make the most of every snap when I’m out there. I appreciate every snap that I’ve had and I just try to keep moving forward.”

He took the demotion like a man.

Rooted for Taylor to ball out in the second half.

“As a competitor, it hurts,” DeVito would say, “but at the same time it’s business. That’s that.”

DeVito may be a 25-year-old rookie but he is hip to the reality that this can be one cruel business.

“They’re always gonna try to find someone to replace you whatever it is,” DeVito said. “It’s your job. I respect it.”

It was Eagles 20, Giants 3 at the half when Daboll delivered his Bah Humbug message to DeVito and Eagles 33, Giants 25 when it ended with Taylor throwing a 26-yard Hail Mary end zone interception into a rugby scrum as time expired.

It is one thing to have Aaron Judge recognize you and pick up your dinner tab, quite another for Tommy DeVito to be asked to end a 10-game losing streak in his first game at the Linc.

It is no fault of DeVito’s that the Giants since 2013 have become the Eagles’ homecoming game, and with the Cowboys losing on Christmas Eve, the Eagles weren’t about to pass on the chance to seize the NFC East lead in a get-right game against their one-time rivals.

The Giants had hoped that an ascending Jones and the additions of Darren Waller and speed on both sides of the ball would close the gap between the Eagles and Cowboys.

The gap may not be as wide as the gap between Michael Strahan’s front teeth, but it still exists.

And so Tommy Cutlets versus the Eagles and the Linc was not a fair fight.

“We weren’t scoring enough points so the change was made. That was that,” DeVito said.

Daboll was noncommittal on his quarterback.

“I’m just worried about tonight here. We’ll talk about that here this week,” he said. Asked about the difference between DeVito and Taylor, he said: “I’d have to look at the tape.”

The tape will show Taylor’s 69-yard touchdown dime to Darius Slayton that cut the deficit to 30-25.

It will show him Taylor (7-for-16, 133 yards, 21 rushing yards) missing a couple of throws but stepping in prepared like the pro he is and threatening the entire field.

There were no Italian hand gestures on Christmas night from Tommy Cutlets.

“I believe in both of those guys,” Saquon Barkley said.

Only one can play at a time.

If it won’t be Tommy Cutlets, thanks for the memories, kid.

You brought life and joy and lit up New York.

And you stood tall when you walked off the podium and said again “Merry Christmas,” even though it wasn’t.