Stephen A. Smith seems to enjoy very little more than antagonizing fans of the Dallas Cowboys, and the Cowboys gave Smith plenty of ammunition this weekend when they fell in the Wild Card round 48-32 to the Green Bay Packers.
In an appearance on First Take with Shannon Sharpe, Smith had fellow ESPN star Pat McAfee on as a guest. McAfee and Smith debated whether the Cowboys or Eagles had a more disappointing end to their season after the Eagles suffered a 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football.
McAfee made the case for the Eagles, calling their collapse "colossal" and citing their 10-1 start to the season, which quickly fizzled as they went 1-6 (including their Wild Card round loss) the rest of the way.
"You think about a team that was in a position to host playoff games, have the No. 1 seed in the NFC and continue to build a potential dynasty for Philadelphia Eagles fans that have been yearning for this kind of success forever, and then it just goes right down the dumper," McAfee said. "1-6 down the stretch, you're talking about playing the absolute worst football when you're supposed to be playing the best football."
Smith praised McAfee's "soliloquy" about the Eagles as eloquent, well-delivered "and totally wrong." He noted that while the Eagles' collapse was embarrassing, it was "one we saw coming."
"The bigger disappointment was the choke job that the Dallas Cowboys put out there last week," Smith said.
The Packers dominated the Cowboys offensively. Quarterback Jordan Love finished 16-for-21 with 272 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, while wide receiver Romeo Doubs collected six receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. Aaron Jones also rushed 21 times for 118 yards.
Dak Prescott threw for 403 yards and three touchdowns, but he was 41-for-60 with two interceptions. The Packers held a 41-16 lead entering the fourth quarter.
"You're talking about palms getting sweaty. Back sides getting tight. That's what we saw in Dallas," Smith said. "It wasn't a precipitous collapse but one we saw coming for weeks and weeks over a seven-week period. No! They were a 12-win team. They won the division crown. They were sticking out their chests. They were making plans for San Francisco or Santa Clara or wherever the hell they play for the NFC Championship Game. And then they got out on the field, and the minute Green Bay marched 12 plays and 75 yards, all of a sudden you saw panic."
Smith Has Beef With the Cowboys Because of Their Fans
Earlier this year, in a conversation with Kevin Clark of The Ringer, Smith admitted that he doesn't like the Cowboys, although he said the players weren't the problem.
"It has nothing to do with the Cowboys," Smith told Clark. "It has everything to do with their disgusting, nauseating fan base, which I can't stand. That's who they are. For me, I have nothing against any player on the Dallas Cowboys. [...] I actually wish them nothing but the best. It's their damn fans that get on my nerves. Their fans are so nauseating to me, they are just so annoying that nothing pleases me more than to watch a Cowboy fan miserable. [...]
"Cowboy fans make you hate the Cowboys because they are an entitled bunch of snobs."
The Packers will now face the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET, while the Buccaneers square off against the Lions on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. The winners advance to the NFC title game.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Tom Westerholm is a Sports & Culture Reporter for Newsweek. Prior to joining Newsweek, he was the Boston Celtics beat ... Read more
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