ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith appears to take pride in being the biggest Dallas Cowboys hater on national television.
Now that the Cowboys are 2-0 after blowout wins over the New York Jets and Giants, many NFL pundits are hopping on the Dallas bandwagon. Are they the best team in the league?
“Hell no. I mean, hell no,” Smith said Monday on ESPN’s “First Take." “I’m not thinking about no Cowboys right now.
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“Excuse me, how about the 49ers? How about the team that’s won 12 straight regular-season games dating back to acquiring Christian McCaffrey? How about Christian McCaffrey being the leading rusher? How about Brock Purdy being that lead dude in QBR? How about the fact that they actually win against respectable teams?”
Smith went on to discredit Dallas’ two wins against the Giants -- who “ain’t nothing more than Saquon Barkley and a bag of chips" -- and the Aaron Rodgers-less Jets.
Through two games, the 49ers rank sixth in total yards per game (378.0) and third in points scored per game (30.0). They also rank 12th in yards allowed (312.5) and third in points allowed (15.0).
San Francisco 49ers
The Cowboys, after 40-0 and 30-10 routs of the Giants and Jets, rank first in points scored (35.0) and second in points allowed per game (5.0). They also lead all NFL teams in turnover differential (plus-7), two more than any other team.
But still, Smith considers the 49ers as the league's best team -- even though he dubbed the Cowboys the Eagles' biggest threat in the NFC last Friday. The 49ers took down a playoff-hopeful Pittsburgh Steelers squad on the road in Week 1 and took care of business at "Levi's South" against the Rams in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Smith's theory will be put to the test in Week 5 when San Francisco hosts Dallas in a game that will mark quarterback Trey Lance's return to the Bay Area.