Boomer Esiason Questions if Giants Can Finish Off Playoff Run

The New York Giants have been one of the surprise teams in the 2022 season and for a good reason.

Very few, if any, people saw the Giants, who are in the first year of a rebuild under new general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, being competitive enough to be in contention for a postseason berth this late in the season.

But as far as former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason, now part of the "Boomer and Gio" morning show on weekdays on WFAN Sports Radio is concerned, the Giants just don't have the firepower to finish the job and cross the finish line with a postseason berth.

Speaking with Chris Russell, co-host of the LockedOn Commanders podcast, Esiason said that the Commanders should feel pretty good about their chances of sweeping the Giants, whom Washington will face in Weeks 13 and against in Week 15 after their Week 14 bye.

"The Giants' record doesn't reflect who they are. You know, they have a lot of injuries. They do not have many if any, explosive players on offense, except for (running back) Saquon Barkley. They have a solid offensive line, (but) their secondary is decimated," Esiason told Russell.

"This is a team that has probably played over its head. Brian Daboll has done a great job with the offense and with the overall mindset of the team and the culture within the locker room. Wink Martindale, their defensive coordinator, tends to be aggressive, so if you're not ready for the blitz, you know, you're gonna look bad at times."

Esiason also pointed out that teams have started to catch up to what Martindale has tried to do. This is a point well taken, as after allowing opponents an average of 18.5 points per game through the first seven games, the Giants have allowed an average of 28.6 points per game over their last four.

Opposing offenses have also found a way to thwart the Giants in other areas that were early-season strengths. In their last two games, the Giants have allowed third-down conversion rates of 46.15 and 63.64 percent, after in last two games) and eight of nine opponent red-zone conversions to be converted.

The pass defense has also seen its performance slip off, as in the last two games, they've allowed completion rates of 65 and 70 percent.

In short, Esiason believes that the Giants have peaked and that it's all downhill from here while Washington, winners of their last six out of seven games, are on the upswing.

"The Giants are kind of falling off a little bit, and the Giants schedule now is gonna be ...the NFC East," he said. "They don't match up well with those teams. It's gonna be really interesting to see what happens this week.

"If I were a betting man, I would say it's gonna be a low-scoring tight game. Both teams are not great offensively, and it's gonna be somewhere like 24-21, 23-20-- something like that," he said.

"I do believe the Commanders should be a 1.5-point. They are the better team, and I believe they have the better roster."

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