Giants beat Commanders and likely lock up a playoff spot | You Pod to Win the Game
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson and Frank Schwab discuss the New York Giants win on Sunday Night Football over the Washington Commanders, and debate if the Giants are a team worth worrying about in the playoffs.
Video Transcript
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FRANK SCHWAB: That Sunday night game was really interesting too. New York Giants 20, Washington Commanders 12. The Giants pretty much punched a playoff ticket with this. It's going to be hard for them to miss the playoffs now.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Right.
FRANK SCHWAB: A lot would have to go wrong for them. Just kind of a strange game. Neither team is very good, obviously. It came down to the end, where Washington has a chance to score. Kayvon Thibodeaux, who played unbelievably, like, the Giants had to be doing back flips above drafting that guy fifth overall.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah, he's really coming on.
FRANK SCHWAB: Had a great scoop and score, a sack scoop and score in the first half. And then he stops Taylor Heinicke at the 1 yard line, and you knew that was going to cause some problems, not in the way I expected, though. Brian Robinson scores. But Terry McLaurin, who looked like he-- he said, am I good, as everybody does.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah, see, I thought--
FRANK SCHWAB: We're recording this as he's talking in the locker room. I'm interested to see what he says after because it looked like he got the OK.
CHARLES ROBINSON: I thought he pointed, yeah.
FRANK SCHWAB: I thought he did too. If people don't know the mechanics of that, the receiver lines up, asks the side judge there, am I good, and he'll say, yes. And it looked like he did that, but then he got called for illegal formation. The touchdown comes off the board. They move 5 yards back. They can't score. I'll say this-- and I wrote this as the gamer, basically-- we can say whatever we want about the Giants.
Not as good as their record, their hard stats stink. They're hard to watch. Nobody wants to see them in a playoff game. It doesn't matter. They're 8, 5, and 1. This is a franchise that's made the playoffs once in the last 10 seasons. They've gone-- they went 10 seasons, just made it once and lost that game. Great win for them. To go on the road and basically punch a playoff ticket, however you do it, I don't care, pretty impressive.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Fourth down, game-ending play in the end zone. There was clearly pass interference.
FRANK SCHWAB: Clearly.
CHARLES ROBINSON: They talked about it, and they showed multiple angles. It was a lot of pass interference. Now, whatever, it's a blown call, OK? And there's still no guarantee if Robinson scores or, obviously, you convert in that fourth and goal that they get the 2-point conversion, they push it anyway.
So, I mean, it's just-- you know, it could have been-- that officiating in the first two games we're talking about, there was a key moment where you're like, OK, a touchdown gets held up. That looks like, eh, it might not have been a touchdown. And then pass interference that clearly looked like it was pass interference doesn't get called. It's-- yeah, it's odd. It was-- as great as the weekend was with football, there definitely were plenty of games that had calls where you're just like, come on.
FRANK SCHWAB: I mean, if Minnesota doesn't win that game, what are we leading off with? We're leading off that they got robbed of a win because of that call. So--
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah, because of the returned fumble.
FRANK SCHWAB: It was not the best-- not the best we got for officiating.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Just real quick to hit on the Giants, you know, again, Saquon, it looked to me-- they just look like a different offense when Saquon is producing.
FRANK SCHWAB: Yeah.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Now, defensively, the strength of that team is the same as it was when it started out. And they went on that run, and I'm like, man, I don't know what to like about-- well, actually, the defensive line. I like the defensive line a lot. I think what's different is, Thibodeau's really coming on. Like, he's coming on like a freight train all of a sudden the last-- the back half of the season. So it's-- you know, they are what they are. I don't-- I expect that they're not going to-- I would be surprised if they go in the playoffs and they beat a team. But I think mentally--
FRANK SCHWAB: Unless they get the Buccaneers somehow. Hoo!
CHARLES ROBINSON: Well, yeah. I mean, you know, man, good Lord. But again, I think you can see where they invested. And it continues to be extremely interesting to me what they're going to do with some of these decisions with Daniel Jones, what they're going to do with Saquon Barkley, how they're going to get rid of Kenny Golladay. I mean, there's a lot of heavy lifting to do in that franchise yet. So-- but I kind of feel the same way about them as I felt about the Jets when I felt like the Jets had-- were going to get into the playoffs. I'm like, you get in the playoffs because it just changes the culture and the mentality in the room.
FRANK SCHWAB: I agree.
CHARLES ROBINSON: And I think that's their--
FRANK SCHWAB: Guys buy into what Daboll's selling--
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah.
FRANK SCHWAB: --and I totally agree. It's a good thing. I don't care-- everybody's going to complain, oh, the Giants are in the playoffs. We got to watch them on Saturday afternoon. Who cares? They're in the playoffs, if they don't screw it all up at the last three weeks, which is possible, I guess. And that's a step for them, especially with a first-year head coach. No doubt.
