LAYING THE BLAME on the Houston Texans 👀 ‘C. J. Stroud has SHOWN US MORE!’ – Stephen A. | First Take

LAYING THE BLAME on the Houston Texans 👀 ‘C. J. Stroud has SHOWN US MORE!’ – Stephen A. | First Take

This game has just been dominated by Detroit. Golf over the middle. He’s got St. Brown. He has been a man possessed. Right up the gut. There goes Gibbs. Why not? Gibbs again. Spinning touchdown. This is going to be a hardfall win for this Detroit team. You go down two scores in this environment. Could be trouble and Seattle builds this lead. How about the fight? How about the fight of the Texas? A little sloppy but able to tuck this one away. [Applause] Good morning. Good morning. Welcome in to First Take. Two great Monday night football games last night. We had Chris Kant. You guys dressed Saturday. Stephen A. Smith, Amita Smith here with you. Stephen A joining us off of in Reserve. Let me let the audience know something. I mean, this is breaking news because if you see my face is like twice the size. I had like a double root canal, whatever. I had emergency surgery. So, my face is half swollen and stuff like that. So, this will be one of those days where you’ll actually hear me talking less. So, consider this a very congratulations on Congratulations. You got two of the smartest individuals giving you more info today. That’s what I said. I’m deferring to y’all. So, enjoy this moment. Enjoy this moment. Now, I hope you don’t I hope you don’t think we going to take it easy on I hope you not I hope you’re not angling for the sympathy vote, sir, cuz that not going to happen. Not today. You two are two of the crulest dudes. I I know better. I know better. We don’t feel sorry for injured players. We hated Stephen A on this injury report. Double root canal. Cool. All right, guys. Let’s get into it. Kick it off with that game from last night. Uh the Lions handled the Buccaneers in prime time 24 to9. Detroit outgainained the Bucks on offense 379 to 251 yards averaging about six yards per play. Jir Gibbs was the star of the show blocking, catching, and running. Gibbs finished tonight with 136 yards and two touchdowns. And the Lions improved to 5-2 and now the second shortest odds to win the NFC, only slightly behind the Packers as a favorites in the conference according to ESPN Bet Sportsbook. Jeff, I’ll start with you. Do you believe this year is the year that the Lions that they win the NFC? I do think that this is the year. I I I really like this football team and and I’ll say this, I think last night was a was kind of a big tell for me when you play a team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who as explosive as they are with a defense when you’re literal four starters, your your two starting corners, two starting safeties don’t play and you go in and you limit them to basically 250 yards on offense, but more importantly limit them to three explosive plays. That’s doing something. Dan Campbell did a thing afterwards where he talked about how good the defense played. I mean, it’s infectious, right? And then you flip it over, you look at them offensively, how explosive they had eight explosive plays last night to three from Tampa. So, I I look at the way this team, they were the most physical team, which is saying something against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who again I think will be there in late January, potentially in February. These are these two are the heavyweights for me in the NFC right now. And I I just I really like it. Wasn’t a perfect day. It was not a perfect game by by any stretch of the imagination, but they still found a way to win against a very good opponent after a tough loss. They played angry and it showed. Yeah, that was a culture win for the Detroit Lions. That’s exactly what Dan Campbell wants to do, how he wants to play, how he wants to win. I’m his former teammate. I played with him with the Dallas Cowboys. He was a gritty dude, not a superstar, not going to catch 80 balls as a tight end, but he is going to block and he is going to knock guys down. And that’s exactly what that Detroit Lions team did on both sides of the ball. The offensive line asserted themselves. Pane Su, you saw him out in front leading the way for Jir Gibbs. I can’t believe it. I saw a 330lb offensive lineman out running one of the fastest running backs in the NFL. But we too fast to block them. Exactly. You slow it down, don’t you? We saw that last night, right? And then on the defensive side of the ball, what the Lions were able to do, taking the fight to that Tampa Bay Bucks offensive line and to Baker Mayfield in that passing game, that was impressive last night. that Lions defensive front had 18 pressures on 54 drop backs, eight quarterback hits, and nine forced incompletions. So, week over week, we saw a difference in how that Detroit Lions defense played the passing game. Now, again, different class of competition going up against Mahomes versus Baker Mayfield. That’s right. But the Bake Show coming into week seven was at the top of a lot of people’s list when it comes to the MVP conversation. And the Detroit Lions put all of that on ice with the way that they dominated. And and here’s the interesting thing. They played with a lot of backups. None of their starters in that secondary week one. That’s right. And guess what? Kelvin Shepard, their defensive coordinator, dialed up the man coverage. They went 61% man coverage as opposed to doing the zone coverage thing a week ago. And those guys stepped up. Just to to be specific, the folks that was out, you had Terry Honor that was out, DJ Reed out, Kirby Joseph out, Brian Branch suspended of course and they still performed the way that they did. So, we’re looking at their defense and we got to give props where props is due because let’s be real, that’s the question about the Detroit Lions is about their defense. Offensively, ain’t nobody questioned the Detroit Lions. When you see Gibbs, when you know what he’s capable of, you know what golf is capable of, even though he struggled a little bit last night, a fumble, interception, etc. You see stuff like that, but I’m saying St. Brown, the weapons that they have, these brothers are no joke offensively. Defensively is the question mark. But here’s where we got to give love to Dan Cample. 51 straight games without backto-back. That’s right. 51 straight games without back-to-back losses. It’s a culture that exists in Detroit. And that’s what I love seeing right now in Kelvin Shepard, like you pointed out. Okay, you got Aaron Glenn, he’s gone. His brother steps in. They swearing up and down. He’s ready to take over the helm. He’s showing that he’s able to do that. The question that I have to Detroit, they had expectations last year, too. Now, granted, whole bunch of injuries, they lost to Washington. We can’t forget that. The flip side to it is that you got guys out now. Somehow someway as the season progresses, you know what? You look at them and you know they got the talent, but when you have those expectations, Cats get tight sometimes and that’s what we got to watch out for with Detroit. We know that the Eagles can handle that because they’re the reigning defending Super Bowl champions. I’m looking at Tampa last night. Evans comes back and then he goes down. Of course, you look at them. They’re bar of their weapons. So Tampa Bay, the team that you’ll likely see come postseason is not the team that you saw last night. I’m looking at Seattle, San Francisco, LA, Matthew Stafford. He ain’t going to get rattled. I’m looking at stuff like that. Even though I believe in Detroit, I’m just not as resolute about it as y’all are right now. Well, here’s why I’m bullish on Detroit. And you brought up the injuries that the Lions experienced last year and how they’re dealing with something similar on defense this year. Here’s where I’ll point out that not all injuries are created equal. The Detroit Lions are more equipped to overcome the injuries that they got on the back end with the dudes that they got on the front end. Remember, Aiden Hutchinson and Al McNeil did not finish the season last year. They got those guys back. They got DJ Reer back. He’s healthy. So, they’ve got those dudes to help them overcome that. Last night in the fourth quarter, Aiden Hutcherson had four of his five pressures, including a pressure that led to a forced incompletion. They held Baker Mayfield to one of 13 on throws of 15 airs or more. And that’s what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers passing game has been living off of. Question. Question. I’m asking cuz I don’t know. Question. Was it that they held Baker Mayfield or was it that the receivers couldn’t get open? No, no, they No, no. They were they they were they were getting they were getting after Baker. Okay, I know that question 20 times. They sacked them both time, but I’m just asking, did you see receivers open for T? I didn’t. He He didn’t. Oh, no. There were receivers open. He sailed. There were receivers open was open. Taz Johnson was open several times. He was sailing sailing a lot of throws. He was under the rest. I I was going to say this before he he the second play of the game. I think it was the second play of the game or maybe and uh they Mayfield drops back and their defensive line literally and I think it was McNeel that you just said. I think he pushes the center like into the lap of Baker Mayfield, right? Mayfield like scrambles out and gets, you know, he’s still a sack because he’s short a yard or whatever, but Baker Mayfield kind of does Mayfield things. Doesn’t quite get there. As an offensive lineman, I’m watching that game and I was like, dang. Like I’m just going to tell you cuz so we when we have a big drive, we come off the people like all day, right? Like we’re going to do this all day. You set the tempo, you set the tone, right? When you get hit in the mouth on like play two or play three and they drive all five of you are in the lap of the quarterback, you go to the sideline, boys, this could be a long day. Like this could be a long freaking day. And it was the the the Lions defensive line kept pursuing Mayfield. And I don’t care how good quarterbacks are, when they got to worry about getting hit or even having to move off their spot, it changes their style of play. I give a ton of credit to that front. And to your to your point about not all injuries are equal, that back end can look really good as long as that front end is putting pressure on the quarterback. That’s what happened last night. It was a phenomenal game by the against a very good opponent. I think that’s what I appreciate. They didn’t have Bucky Irving. They didn’t have Godwin. They didn’t have Godwin. They lost Evans. You’re down two offensive linemen. I’m looking at all of that, too. And that’s what I’m saying. Again, I understand that the Lions are who they are. I’m just saying that Tampa Bay Buccaneers team is not who we expect. Yeah, they’ll be better. I agree. Irving coming back will be a massive addition. He really will. The Evans injury, he ain’t coming. guy when I don’t know if he’s I mean he he may come back but he’s obviously playing one game like he’s banged up like he is he going to be that same kind of threat even if he does get on the field this season or is it more hey projection the next because that was a nasty injury Lions also 13 and three in prime time games Tampa two and eight light saying yeah Tampa Bay not a complete team last night but they have been doing well even though they have not been complete taking on the Texans Seattle beat Houston 27 19. However, it was a Seahawks defense that was the star of the show. They held the Texans to 254 total yards and sacked CJ Stra three times. Jackson Smith and Ja also got in the end zone for a touchdown and became the first player in Seahawks history with at least 100 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in three straight games. Chris, I’ll start with you. Are you higher on the Seahawks or lower on CJ Strad after what you saw last night? Ooh, I’m probably going to go higher on the Seahawks. And I know the perception of this team is a little bit different just because of the last name on the back of the jersey for the quarterback, but people need to get the New York Jets version of Sam Donn out of their mind. And they got to move past what they saw from Sam Donn at the end of last season against the Minnesota Vikings. This dude is leading the NFL in explosive plays in the passing game. He’s got more 20 plus yard completions than anybody in all of football. And a big reason why is because he’s got number 11, Jackson Smith and Jiggle on his feet. JSN is leading the league in receiving by damn near 200 yards. This dude is special. He accounts for 46% of the yardage in the passing game for the Seattle Seahawks. And Sam Donn has a 96.6 QBR when targeting him. So they’ve got a special connection. And then that defense for the Seattle Seahawks led by Byron Murphy the second their first round draft picking from a year ago that that is a dominant dominant unit. Yes, we’re talking about lights out. Yes, they they are number one in stopping the run in the National Football League. They get after you like nobody’s business. They’re top five in pressures. That is a unit that is championship caliber. So, when we have the conversation about the contenders in the NFC, hell, if you just want to boil it down to the NFC West, which is the most competitive division in all of football, let’s not discount the Seattle Seahawks. Absolutely. Just because they’re arriving right now. Yeah. Yeah. What they Everybody’s five and two, three, five and two teams. Correct. Correct. I mean, this is a tough question for me and and honestly, like it’s I’ll probably lean the same way with the Seahawks, but I’m disappointed in in the Houston Texans. like and and like we’re going to put everything at the feet of of uh Straoud, but the reality is they’re not helping him. I mean off Yeah. And and and Nico Collins has a big drop early in the game coming across the middle where he you know there was there was a wide open. Now Shout didn’t play well either. I’m not trying to take I’m not resolving him of of how he played. But this is I expected more from this team I guess than what it’s showing. And I don’t feel like they have any semblance of a of a good run game. Seattle got after them the same way we talked about the Lions getting they they physically, you know, took control and dominated this football game. Darnold’s first or or pass to uh JSN for the touchdown. He’s getting hit right in the teeth against a really really good Houston Texans defense in my opinion. Yeah. And and number one scoring defense. I mean, they are and he defense out lights it up like puts the ball right over the top. JS for the touchdown. I just I I think when you you’re putting so much on the Texans defense, they just can’t find right. They’re not getting finding enough ways for Straoud in this offense. It just looks totally discombobulated on the offensive side for the Texans. I don’t know what their identity is. This is simple for me. Nick Chub in their rushing game rushed 15 times for 31 yards. Yeah, man. They average 2.1 yards a carry. Your offensive line is ranked 29th in the league. So, you ain’t protecting the quarterback. You’re not run blocking. Okay. So, that to me says the whole story about the offense because CJ Strad has shown up shown us enough in his career for us to know he’s better than this. Oh, for sure. He’s better than this. So, if you don’t get like you just finished talking about, if he can’t protect your quarterback, if he got to dance in the pocket, if he can’t find a comfort spot, if he can’t be out there, if he can’t perview the landscape, I mean, come on now. What do you expect him to do? So, that’s the situation with them right there. Here’s what I would tell you about Seattle. M mm- I’m not rolling with you on that. I’m talking about Sam Donald. Here’s what I’m saying. This This is me talking. Yeah. Yeah. I saw the season finale of the regular season game after you were 14 and two last year. I ain’t let I ain’t letting that go. You ain’t doing that, CC. You ain’t doing that. You ain’t You ain’t going to recall with a Joe Burrow and everybody and their grandmama everything they did months ago or last year, but we gonna get to Sam Donald and Chris Candy going to sit up there and say, “No, forget all that. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. come to me week 16 and 17 and say that not week seven. Oh, no, no, no. Sam Donn looked spectacular last year. Okay. Spectacular last year, leading the Vikings to a 14-2 record before he nose dived. I’m saying to you, I need to see I need to see what you going to do as the season wings. San Francisco and LA is right in that division. Puka Noola didn’t play the other day. They still trounced Jacksonville. I’m looking at San Francisco finding a way to win games with M. Jones and I’m saying to myself, you should be able to win this. You should be able to do your thing. If you that dude, Sam Darn, you should be able to do it. Let’s see what you going to do week 15, week 16, week 17, because we know it’s going to come down to that in the NFC West, right? Let’s see what you going to do in the playoffs as well. We ain’t going to throw, we ain’t going to just ignore all of that from last year. We’re not doing that, Cece. Let’s hold on to I’m glad you because if if he would Here’s the thing. If Sam Darnold plays good in those two games, he’s still a Viking. You and I both know he plays good in the final game and the playoffs he got sacked what nine times. Like at some point if that dude plays decent he’s still a Viking. Okay. So we’re going to discount the impact that the Christian Darasaw injury had on Sam Don in the version of him we saw late last year. Absolutely not. Okay. But fair. It’s fair. The the the Bucks had an offensive line issue. They had a a center playing left tackle early this season. Yeah. Not great. Not great. Okay. But he’s playing out there, right? Patrick Mahomes had a guard playing like there’s going to be situations where the quarterback has to overcome those. So for the Sam Darnold is is he that guy? I think if he was that guy, they would have kept him in Minnesota. So I agree with Steve A on that. He’s playing like he’s MVP right now in that conversation of the NFL. Yeah, there’s a it’s a long season and you got to finish a big especially in a in a competitive division like we’re saying three five and two teams. That’s going to be tough, man. Yeah, but here’s the thing. Seattle’s offensive line is playing really, really well in terms of protecting the quarterback, right? And all quarterbacks are not equal when it comes to how they handle pressure. Sure. So, as long as they’re keeping Sam Donn clean and as long as number 11 is healthy, I’ll take my chances with Sam Donn under seven. I don’t mind you taking my chances, especially with that defense backing him up. I’m not asking not to take chances. I’m saying I’m saying I’m saying don’t look at us and tell us to forget last year. Don’t do that yet. That’s all I’m saying. You’re talking about the NFC West conversation and you’re talking about San Francisco. They the 48ers, not the 49ers. All the guys, they got hurt. Why? Why are you sitting there saying, “Are you have any kind of belief in what the San Francisco 49ers are going?” I I didn’t even I’m only mentioning them because they in the division. I’m not trying to imply a belief in the San Francisco. I believe in LA more than I believe in San Francisco. What I’m saying to you, however, you hold on to that bad. Hold on. Don’t come on. Don’t come on. Don’t hold on to that bad. What bad? That bad? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yes, I am. You Yeah. Yeah. I ain’t going to hold on to that. I believe in Stafford. I believe in Stafford. But what you’re not going to do is come to us in week seven and telling us to forget what we saw at the end of last year. You ain’t doing that. You ain’t doing that. We want We want to see what he does as a season. Stephen A. What I am telling you is more quarterbacks than not are products of their environment. And Sam Donald is in the right environment and he’s got a team that is being led by their defense. Their defense is the catalyst and they’ve got a good I saw Justin Jefferson. I saw Hogan said I saw these brothers in Minnesota. He had some weapons last year. Yeah. I’m not I’m not saying he didn’t have weapons, but it don’t matter if you can’t keep the quarterback upright. Okay. Jeff Saturday just told you he got sacked nine times in a playoff game. Come on, Stephen A. That’s true. The quarterback against Detroit and a bunch of reserves. A bunch of dick. Look, I can’t put lipstick over, man. Come on, man. [Music]

Stephen A. Smith, Jeff Saturday and Chris Canty join Amina Smith on First Take to react to action from Monday Night Football.

0:00 Stephen A. is on the IR
1:47 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Detroit Lions
2:43 Lions ready to win the NFC?
6:05 Lions’ expectations
10:10 Houston Texans vs. Seattle Seahawks
10:54 Lower on C. J. Stroud or higher on Seattle?
14:07 Stephen A. on Sam Darnold
17:10 Can’t forget last season

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