Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
NFL Quick Previews
Bills @ Texans
Ravens @ Bengals
Browns @ Commanders
Cowboys @ Steelers
Now let's get to some quick hitters.
Some NFL quick hitters headed in the week five Bills versus Texas. We'll start with that because the Bills are heading in the Houston to face the Texas. The Bills are coming off tough losses last week to the Ravens, and now quarterback Josh Allen will see his former number one wide out Stephon Diggs on.
The other side with the Texas. To me, it's a revenge game.
When Josh Allen came out the other week and was talking about how it's a beautiful environment that we're living in right now where I'm getting to throw to a bevy of receivers and I don't have one clamoring for dominance of the football over others, and we don't have those kind of things to be concerned about. That was clearly a veiled shot at Stepan Diggs. And so when you consider the way Stephan Diggs is playing, what he's capable of doing, and how much noise he's capable of making, to go against your former team and to remind your former quarterback what the hell you bring to the table, I think it's something he will be incentivized to do now.
He ate the number one receiver on the Texas that's Nico Collins.
But nevertheless, Stephan Diggs is still a bad brother, as in a good, very good way as terms of in terms of his talents. That is the way that it is. I think the Texas might end up winning this game.
We'll see what CJ. Stroud and the crew do in Houston.
Right next up, Ravens head into Cincinnati to face the Bengals. Baltimore managed to get back to five hundred beating the aforementioned Bills last week at home. The one thing the Ravens have is running game. It's a running game that travels led body one and only Derek Henry, who, by the way, rest of one hundred and ninety nine yards last week. Week before that it was one hundred and fifty one yards. Over the last couple of weeks, the manags been running rough shot over everybody. Give love and respect and credit where it's due. I think the running game doesn't go anywhere. But in the same breath, we can't sleep on what the Bengals can do offensively with Joe Burrow, with Jamar chasing the crew, I personally think the Bengals offense is taking too much heat the stats and the resume, and history has shown that as the season WANs, Joe Burrow gets better and better and better. So we got to remember that the issue with Cincinnati is not their offense. It's their defense, which is horrible. That's their damn problem. How they gonna get that together. I have no idea why they're never prepared to play in September and win football games in the first month of the season.
Under Zach Taylor. I have no idea, but I know this much.
Their owner is notoriously cheap, and if he wants to spare expenses, rather than holding back on giving Jamar Chase money, he should hold back on keep it and letting Zack Taylor and keep his job. If he can't win in a month of November, Damn, I ain't paying you to be the head coach for half the damn season. You're supposed to be coaching the whole season. Anyway, Let me move on. Next up is the Cleveland Browns. They head to the nation's capital, Washington, d C. To take on the Commanders, who have the most accurate quarterbacks so far this season in rookie Jade and Daniels y'all might think I'm crazy. I think he's a candidate for League MVP. I really mean that. I think he's a candidate for League MVP. Now, it ain't gonna last rookiees not getting that award. We understand that. We see the way Josh Allen's been playing. We see the ways Rock Party has been playing. We see the way Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins played last night. We've seen a few things. But Jade and Daniels lead eighty two percent of his passes. Jad and Daniels last week completed ninety one percent of his passes.
The brother is balling.
He's running with the football effectively, he's throwing the football effectively. He's picking up on the offense in the National Football League effectively, courtesy of Cliff Kingsbury, former head coach in Arizona, who's now offensive coordinating the nation's capital, who's really doing a hell of a job. We gotta give credit what credit is.
Due, so we gonna do that today.
But Jayden Daniels is balling, and I got to give love where it's due when it comes to him. Finally, it's the Cowboys and the Steelers because we got to talk about this Sunday night matchup between these two teams that are about to face offall right, because the Cowboys going on the road, they head to Pittsburgh. I'm rolling with Justin Fields here, I'm rolling with Justin Fields. I'm telling you right now that when I look at Justin Fields and what he brings to the table, I'm saying to myself, Yo, Justin Fields in his first four games, our best start of his career in terms of completion percentage and passer rating seventy ninety eight percent respectively.
Justin Field is doing this thing. What the hell is Dak Prescott's doing.
You want to talk about their passing attack, Fine, they don't have a running game, they don't have much to throw to outside of CD lamp, and we get all of that. But that's why you got pay sixty million dollars. That's why you gotta tour to the forty million dollar contract. You're supposed to offset the deficiencies that are around you. Okay, Michael Parsons ain't gonna play. DeMarcus Lawrence ain't gonna play.
Now. They couldn't stop a cold to begin with.
Anybody could run under Dallas Cowboys before they ran into the Giants last week.
You don't have much of a running game.
But with these two brothers out and you're going up against the Najie Harris and that Cat Warren, and you got pickings and fry moothing.
These boys to worry about.
I expect the Steelers to do their thing Offensively. I think they should be for formidable enough. Defensively, I think they should have a field day with the Dallas Cowboys. This is not a game that the Dallas Cowboys should win.
It shouldn't be close.
The Steelers will make it close, because that's just what they do, trying to give everybody a heart attack. But it shouldn't be close. It really really shouldn't