Boomer Between The Games: Week 13 Preview With Chris Simms
In Week 12 of the NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys won their 10th straight game and Derek Carr led the Oakland Raiders to a win with a dislocated pinky. This season, NFL fans will be able to hear even more about their favorite teams in a brand new digital show called Boomer Between the Games. Hosted by NFL on CBS analyst and WFAN radio host Boomer Esiason, the former NFL quarterback gives his thoughts on the week that was in the National Football League and chats with an all-star roster of guests about the upcoming week of games.
This week on Boomer Between the Games, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms returned to the program. Simms is the lead NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a Game Analyst at CBS Sports. The son of Super Bowl winning quarterback Phil Simms played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Tennessee Titans and the Denver Broncos. Chris threw 12 touchdowns and 3,117 yards in his career.
This week's episode started off with a conversation about Washington's loss on Thanksgiving to the Dallas Cowboys. Boomer made it clear that Kirk Cousins has done more than enough to get a big contract extension in the offseason. Esiason believes Cousins has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league this season. Simms echoed the sentiment by calling Washington's signal caller a great decision maker and a guy that makes his team better. Cousins threw for 449 yards and three touchdowns in the loss to the Cowboys.
Additionally, the two former NFL players discussed Philadelphia's loss at home to the Green Bay Packers. Boomer is still a big time believer in Carson Wentz despite the loss. Esiason feels as though Lane Johnson's absence from the offensive line has seriously stunted Wentz's growth during his rookie season. Meanwhile, Simms is driving the Wentz Wagon and said Wentz will be a superstar in the NFL. Chris called out the Philadelphia Eagles to put the right pieces around the #2 overall pick. Both guys agree that Philly has one of the worst wide receiver groups in all of football. The Eagles are now 5-6 after starting the 2016 campaign 3-0.
The biggest storyline heading into Week 13 is the matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants. Pittsburgh is fighting for the AFC North lead and Boomer said Ben Roethlisberger is in for a tough test against a much-improved Giants defense. However, Esiason thinks Le'Veon Bell is one of the best running backs in the league and sees the Steelers running back being a huge part of Mike Tomlin's game plan. On the other side, Simms likes Odell Beckham's matchup against a banged up Steelers defense. The Bleacher Report analyst is picking the Giants to win on the road and sees Eli Manning and Beckham having big games. Esiason and Simms also previewed an intriguing contest between the Miami Dolphins and the Baltimore Ravens and broke down New England's matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Finally, Boomer and Chris grabbed a fan question from Twitter. The former NFL MVP and former 3rd round pick discussed which non-division leading team will make the playoffs. Esiason chose the Kansas City Chiefs because he loves Andy Reid's defense and trusts quarterback Alex Smith to win big games on the road. In fact, Boomer wouldn't be surprised if the Chiefs win their division. Simms feels the way about the New York Giants. Chris called Ben McAdoo's team an under the radar Super Bowl contender because of their tenacious defensive line, elite cornerbacks and 2x Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning.
Boomer Between the Games will be available every week here on CBS Local Sports. Throughout the entire season, Boomer will be joined by guests like former NFL linebacker Brian Jones and 5x Pro Bowl WR Mike Quick. Former NFL player Bart Scott stops by next week to look back at Week 13 and look ahead to the great games in Week 14. Join the conversation with Boomer each week by using #BoomerBTG and one of your tweets could be included in next week's show.
DJ Sixsmith is the Editorial Director of Boomer Between The Games and a play-by-play announcer for ESPN 3 and the Big East Digital Network. Follow DJ on Twitter @DJ_Sixsmith.
