FIRST TAKE| Where’re Cowboys? – Stephen A.’s Top 5 NFL Team: #1 Seahawks #2 Pats #3 Broncos #4 Bears

FIRST TAKE| Where’re Cowboys? – Stephen A.’s Top 5 NFL Team: #1 Seahawks #2 Pats #3 Broncos #4 Bears

Yeah, yeah, yeah. What’s going on, y’all? I’m here in Atlanta, GA. You know what I’m saying? I’m I’m on the road. My man CC, my man Sergeant Friday, aka Jeff Sat is in studio with my girl Shane Cornet. But the bottom line is this. I’m still here to do the A, the A-list. Okay, approach week. I’m still here to do the A-list. Keep in mind, the list is fluid. The list is fluid. It’s very, very important today that y’all understand that joke Saturday. Don’t mess with me. It is fluid, okay? And it will absolve me from nonsense. Give me number five on that list, please, right now. Bam. Just so everybody knows what time it is. It’s the Los Angeles Rams. They are coming off a loss. Okay. I don’t like the way they look in that loss. But let’s keep it a buck. It’s an aberration. We don’t ever need to expect Matthew Stafford to throw a couple of interceptions again and turn the ball over three times. They still had a chance to win the damn game. The Los Angeles Rams has an elite defense. Obviously, Carolina caught them on an off day and they got the best of them. But that’s not something that we could say is more than an anomaly. We know what the Rams bring to the table from their coaching to their quarterback to their skill positions, etc. They’re a top five team in the National Football League right now, despite the loss. I dropped them to five, but I wasn’t dropping them out of the five. They just ain’t top four right now. Give me number four on the list, please. Right now. Bam. There you have it. It’s right there for you to see. That’s for you, Shay. They moved up a spot from last week to stroll into Lincoln Financial Field on the road and not only beat the reigning defending Super Bowl champions, but beat them up, stirring all of all kinds of controversy in the mix because now we’re looking at everything about the Philadelphia Eagles. We’re looking at the quarterback. We’re looking at the running back. We’re looking at the offensive coordinator who, by the way, unfortunately, got his house. vandalized. Bunch of people threw a bunch of eggs on his house and stuff like that because they’re so disgusted with how the offensive still not justifying that. People need to know, but nevertheless, it speaks to the eyeire that the Eagles are experiencing right now because of their fan base is completely and utterly disgusting with them. The Bears didn’t hurt didn’t help the Eagles one bit, but they certainly helped themselves. Put everybody on notice. Their number one ranking in the NFC in terms of record and being a division leader is no joke. They are no fluke. They are a team to be reckoned with. Credit to Ben Johnson, obviously Kevin Warren, and of course Caleb Williams, the quarterback. Major major props to them and an opportunistic defense. They just ain’t top three though. Give it to me right now, please. Bam. There you have it. It’s right there for you to see. The Denver Broncos at some point in time. We just have to acknowledge, damn it, they keep winning. They keep winning. And when it’s called upon to do so, Bo Knicks makes some good throws, man. The brother can play. No doubt about that. The defense stepped up, gave up a touchdown, but didn’t allowed a two-point conversion to to to come through. They won that game. The commander shoted up with Marcus Mariota being the quarterback, but they still handled their business. They won with consistency. They’re four games ahead of the ninetime AFC West division champions in the Kansas City Chiefs. They deserve a top three spot right now. Just not top two. Give it to me right now, please. Bam. Right there for you to see. You watched them last night. It’s the New England Patriots. When you win 10 straight when Drake May’s an MVP candidate when Braves got them coaching the way that they do, I brought up their strength of schedule or lack thereof. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that the road through the Super Bowl in the AFC to the Super Bowl is obviously going to have to come through Foxboro, Massachusetts. my man Robin Crab. Very, very happy for him. Obviously, you’ve got your quarterback of the future. They’re a complete team. Like y’all said, not necessarily great at any position, but a lot of good in a lot of different places. The New England Patriots deserve our credit. They just ain’t the number one team right now. I’m going to go with these boys right here, the Seattle Seahawks. That defense is something to behold. And not only that, I’m looking at them right now and I’m standing on just slaughtered the Vikings. We saw that. That defense is no joke. Treated the Vikers the way they were supposed to be treated. I don’t even know what the guy’s name is. Bosmer, is that his name? That quarterback. One of the most awful pick sixes we’ve ever seen being being given. But nevertheless, Seattle’s just a superior team. They’re tough from top to bottom. Well coached as well. And nobody, I repeat, nobody wants to go to Seattle to have to play a playoff game. Right now, those are my top five teams in the National Football League. the Seahawks, the Patriots, the Broncos, the Bears, and the Los Angeles Rangers. All right, I get to go first here because I never get to go first. Uh, so it’s not a bad list. What I’ll say about the Seahawks, they played the Vikings who were terrible and their offense looked asleep in the first half. I don’t care what the final score was. They also gave up four sacks and they barely got better in the second half. Worthy of number one, you also have criticized Sam Darnold to the nth degree for all the turnovers that he’s given up this season. So, I don’t know if there’s And they’re winning in spite of Sure. So, they’re not right. Adam number two last week. Uh I’m happy my Bears move up, though. And you’re finally seeing the light. Thank you. Go ahead. Uh I I I think this I I don’t like the list at all. I think the se the Seahawk I would put the Packers I would put the Patriots at one. I would put the Packers at two. Did you Did you watch the Packers just play? Did Did you just watch their defense when they hit seven sacks? Did you Did you see that part? Jordan Love, who I’ve given all kinds of grief to, absolutely lit it up. Yeah. The Packers would be two, Broncos three, Seahawks would be four, and then the Bears five. I would have the Rams sitting at six because of the loss to the Carolina Panthers. I like the Rams. You could split that. You can split the difference at five and six. But but I would tell you, the Packers need to be in your top five beir. Defense can absolutely get after you. And that that should scare you. They’re they’re as good as the Seahawks defensively in my opinion as well. All right, so I I hate the list, but I’m going to start with the positives. I like Seattle as a top two team. They have the number one point differential in the NFL, and that defense is absolutely legit. The three losses that they had, I mean, they lost to the LA Rams, they lost to the San Francisco 49ers, and they lost to the Tampa Bay Bucks by combined nine points. Yeah, by combined nine points. So, that’s a legit team. Denver Broncos, the strength of this team is the defensive side of the ball. here. They gave up 30 first downs to a backup quarterback in Marcus Mario. Got to take you off the list. Uh the LA Rams, I’m concerned about this team. That defense is not the same when they’re not playing with a big lead. Yeah. Okay. Their ability to run the ball, stop the run, a bit concerning. That got exposed against the Carolina Panthers. I’d put the Dallas Cowboys here as as the number five team. I don’t think there’s a team in football that’s had a better three weeks than them. And then I would probably bump the Chicago Bears up just slightly just because of how great that run game looked. Ben Johnson carved Vic Fangio up when it comes to the X’s and O’s. So I got to give major props to them. Bears and our Bears at one. So you got the Bears number one and I’ve got the Green Bay Packers in there at three. So yeah, look at that. You buried the lead. You got the Bears at number one. Yeah. Yeah. No, I haven’t. Here here’s why I put the Here’s why I put the Bears at number one. When you look at their floor, when you look at the consistency that they’ve been able to show, I think this has just been a steady team. And again, their passing game hasn’t even taken off yet. It hasn’t, but my point is this. They’ve got the run game. Their defense specializes in being able to get takeaways. They execute in critical moments. Five fourth quarter comebacks. Hey, listen. Where would the Patriots on Chicago the Chicago Bears are legit. I think Patriots were two on Canty’s list. I’m with you. It’s Packers week. I’m nervous though. I mean, come on. The P that you got the Bears three spots above the Patriots have won 10 games in a row, man. Yeah. No, no. It’s No, no, no, no. I appreciate the Bears list is worse than mine. Yeah, that you’re crazy. You’re crazy. You’re crazy. The Bears three spots were ahead of the Patriots. Patriots at one. Yeah, I got Patriots at one. Patriots at one. Patriots at one. Patriots at one. I had Green Bay at two. I love to see the Bears in the top five. All right. Uh your list. What we grading it? I’d give it an A minus. Not bad. I’ll give it I give it a B. I give it a B+. You only got three of the five teams left. Well, why you giving it? I’m giving him a C. C. I give him a a C. Don’t you don’t you don’t even need to give a grade for jump. I give you. He’s like the teacher that lost the key. He like lost the key to the test. He had it. No, no, no. Here’s the thing. Here’s the thing. Stephen A has yet to appreciate my genius. I told him about the Denver Broncos a month ago and he laughed at me for having the Broncos in the top five. Now he got him third. But it’s fluid. That was a month ago. That’s a month ago. You just caught up. You just ain’t caught up yet around ago, sir. I’m trying to help you out. The list is fluid. Pretty good, Stephen. A not bad. Just love this very enough to flush it.

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. Smith Top 5 NFL Teams: #1 Seahawks #2 Pats #3 Broncos #4 Bears #5 Rams