The Stephen A. Smith ShowStephen A's Take: Stephen A's NFL Playoff and Super Bowl Predictions
Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
Okay, So now that Week one is underway, I want to go ahead and make my predictions for the NFL season because I'm gonna get this.
Out of the way right now.
Remember, every team goes into the year with renewed hope that it may be their turn the hoist to the Lombardi Trophy, but only fourteen teams get to make the playoffs. So here are my division winners and wildcard teams for the twenty twenty four NFL season.
Let's keep this straight. The list is fluid. The list is fluid, all right, AFC East.
I got the New York chats Amy Rodgers did for a reason, damnit. And I ain't going about what I'm gonna see Monday night because that is the San Francisco forty ninety he's going up against. For that defense, I'm certainly not gonna act like I'm gonna see big time performance from Aaron Rodgers, who's had his troubles against San Francisco when he was in Green Bay. But i'd see a drop off with the Buffalo Bills. And I don't believe in the Miami Dolphins. Outside of Miami when there's ninety degrees like it's supposed to be this Sunday. I believe in them when it's above seventy degrees, I believe in them.
When it's below seven they degrees, I don't trust them. And when it's below forty, forget it.
I completely give up on them because they're like oh and eleven over the last couple of years or so, I don't believe in them. I'm going with the Jets to win the AFC East to the AFC North. Listen, they might have lost the game last night, but I'd be a fool to pick against the Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson is that dude. Derek Henry is a stud. Jay Flowers and Bateman Bateman had a spectacular catch by the way down to stretch to put them in a position to score that win the touchdown that ultimately failed. But in the end, Bateman, Jay Flowers, Mark Andrews, Derek Likely, they got some weapons at every position. They got to fix that offensive line, but I think the Ravens could do it. Isaiah Likely, I'm sorry, Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews at the tight ends spot. I'm just telling you right now, I don't see how you can pick against the Baltimore Ravens, especially with Cincinnati messing around and still having not signed Damar.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Jamar.
Chase so and look, Cleveland a team to watch because to me, dude, Shawn Watson's career is on the line.
I mean, he's been awful. You know.
I want to say awful because he was five and one as a starter of last year. But I'm talking about in comparison to what he once was because that that same guy he hasn't been around.
He hasn't been around. I'm just looking at him right now, and I'm punching up some stats. I want y'all to notice.
Okay, this is Brown, the Browns, the Cleveland Browns.
Entering the twenty twenty four seasons.
DeShawn Watson's NFL ranks among forty five quarterbacks with three hundred plus pass attempts over the last two seasons. His completion percentage ranks forty first, his yards per attempt ranked thirty sixth, his passer rating the ranks thirty seventh. Now, he's made ninety one point four million in cash for twelve starts for the Cleveland Browns in that span. You know how much that equates to y'all seven point six million dollars per start, per game.
That's what it equates to. And what have you gotten for it? Cleveland got to look at de Shan Watson and.
Say, step the hell up, especially when you see what CJ. Stroud is doing with the Houston Texans's former team. Speaking of that, that's who I got winning the AFC South Houston Texans. You got Dell, you got Nico Collins, you picked up Mixing from Cincinnati, he got another running game, and now you got Stefan Diggs coming from Buffalo, which she's c J. Stroud being that dude behind center with Damiko Ryans coaching his butt off the way that he does and having that defense uplift this game. Without question, it's the Texans gotta watch out for Jacksonville to's some degree with Trevor Lawrence who's got a fifty five million dollar bag now and all of that stuff, But the Texans that's the team to watch out for it. And last but not least, there's nothing to talk about here, ladies and gentlemen.
AFC West.
You could say it's because the Patrick Mahomes and Knsasity Chiefs easily and that.
Would be true.
But the other side to it is who the hell are the Charges, the Raiders and the Broncos. Broncos are starting a rookie in bow Knicks. We don't know who the hell of the Raiders is gonna have it at the quarterback position?
Is it Gardner? Minshew, let me please O'Connell.
Whatever top And then of course there's Herbert and with the Chargers and Jim Harbard's there's your new coach. But Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, all of these brothers are gone. It's clearly, it's clearly the Chiefs.
Let's go to the.
Wild card teams right here. I got Miami because they do. They got the Cheetah, and they got Jayson Wadow and they could put up points in bunches as Denver with a test to when they dropped that had seventy dropped on it by Miami last year. I've got the Bengals resurrecting themselves because Joe Burrow's a stud. And I got the Cleveland Browns. I got three teams out of the AFC North and two teams out of the AFC East going to the playoffs and the division winners for the.
South and the West. That's what I got.
Now, let me get to the NFC. Okay, it's really really simple here, ladies and gentlemen. I'm going with the Eagles because the only competition is the division is the Cowboys, and I ain't in the damn Cowboys. It also helps that they picked up sain Kwon Barkley. It still got aj Brown, Davonte Smith, Dallas Goddard, the second.
Best offensive line in football.
Some would say, I'm just gonna go with the Philadelphia Eagles, and I think that Jalen Hurts is gonna resurrect himself this year from two years ago because last year he knows dob the bit with twenty you know, he had twenty turnovers or twenty interceptions or I'm sorry, twenty turnovers when they only had eight the previous year. So I got to look at it from that standpoint. Easy choice for me here was the Philadelphia Eagles. Let's see who we got in in the NFC North. It has to be the Detroit Lions. They were in the NFC Championship game last year. They were knocking on the door. I know we saw something from Jordan Love in the second half of the season last eight games, eighteen touchdowns, just won interception, completing seventy percent of his passes. I get all of that, but I still believe that the Detroit Lions are here, that Dan Campbell has infused a new culture in that team, and I think they answered the call and they respond to the challenge, and I think they're gonna win the NFC North. Okay, let's go to the NFC South Atlanta Falcons. Whether it's Kirk Cousins or Michael Pennix Junior. When you got b John Robinson, when you've got the cat that they've got at the tight end spot, when you see some of the things that they're doing as a franchise, and you get a guy like Kirk Cousins coming off of his injuries, I get it. Ultimately, it comes down to who you're going up against, and I think the Atlanta Falcons get this division by default because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won of last year with a nine to eight record. The only thing good we can say about Tampa Bay last year was that they were one game better than Tom Brady was his last year there. And number two, they did beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs. But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put forth a good showing against Detroit in the playoffs as well. But the Atlanta Falcons have the talent and they should win this division.
The NFC West.
To give me, it's the San Francisco forty nine ers, four conference title games and two Super Bowl appearances in the last five years. They still got see matt Christian McCaffrey. They got Deebo Samuels. They retained Brandon I million a year. Okay, You've got George Kittle at your tight end spot, arguably the second best tight end in football behind Travis Kelsey. You got an exceptional coach in in Kyle Shanahan, and Brock Purdy has proven to be a damn good quarterback due to get his fifty plus million next year as well. So I look at it from that standpoint, and I got them win in the West.
To go to the wild card spot.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm not sleeping on the Rams. Matthew Stafford Ball, you got Cooper Cup and Pooka the court. I'm gonna roll with the Rams. I know Aaron Donald is no longer there. I'll be interested to see if he stays away forever, like if this is it, he'll retire and state of good because he still is an All world player right now. Let's see what happens with that. So you got that going on, Okay, I think the Rams are a team to be reckoned.
With Green Bay already.
Brought up Jeordia Love to you, and what they did in the second half of the season, there's no reason to believe why they're not gonna continue on their trend to some degree and battle Detroit for supremacy in the NFC North. And then of course there is the Dallas Cowboys. You still got that Black Prescott. You signed Ceed Lambs, so he's gonna be there. Michael Parks is gonna be.
On the field. Defense switching to a four to three led.
By Mike Zammo, former head coach in Minnesota, who's considered a damn good defensive mind. Let's see what they do. They should be stronger and tougher and a bit buffer, and I think we'll see what happens with them. But I think they make the.
Playoffs ahead of Seattle.
I think they make the playoffs ahead of you know, a Tampa Bay, definitely a Chicago who's got promised, but Kayler Williams is still a rookie. That's just where I'm at with it. Could be wrong now, That's all I'm trying to say. That's all I'm trying to say.
