The Dallas Cowboys are 3-4-1 and coming off a 44-22 blowout loss to the Denver Broncos, but that’s good enough to have Stephen A. Smith dreaming about a championship.

First Take’s Monday morning Cowboys segment centered around whether Jerry Jones needs to make a trade. And according to Smith, the right move on defense can have Dallas playing in their first NFC Championship game since 1996.

“Literally, a middle of the road defense could propel the Dallas Cowboys to their first NFC Championship game in 30 years. That could happen!” – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/upmZYIGICK

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 27, 2025

“Literally, a middle of the road defense could propel the Dallas Cowboys to their first NFC Championship game in 30 years,” Smith claimed, arguing they should trade for Trey Hendrickson or Maxx Crosby. “That could happen! Okay? So, the point I’m making is knowing that is the reality, why do you not take that chance if you’re an 83-year-old Jerry Jones.”

It’s been just over a month since Smith went on First Take and declared the Dallas Cowboys’ season “over.” At the time, Dallas was just 1-2. So, what have they done since then to convince Smith that a championship appearance could be on the horizon? They went 2-2-1. With a record like that, who could blame Smith for believing?

Smith teased bringing First Take and The Stephen A. Smith Show to Dallas next week ahead of the Cowboys’ Monday Night Football matchup with the Arizona Cardinals and offered to meet with Jones to discuss trade options. But Damien Woody still couldn’t get over the magnitude of Smith buying into the fact that Dallas could get to a championship game as soon as this season.

“Yes! With that offense, if they could get a decent defense, not an elite, just a decent middle of the road defense, they got a chance,” Smith continued. “Don’t stand pat, you gotta go out there and do something. Get Trey Hendrickson, Maxx Crosby, somebody. You gotta get somebody that could get to the quarterback.”

The irony is the fact that Jerry Jones already traded away the type of player they now so desperately need on defense when they sent Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers right before the season kicked off. But this was a predictable play for Smith and First Take. They were never going to treat the Cowboys like a non-factor, even after declaring their season dead in September. And what better time to hype the Cowboys as a contender than the week before Stephen A. Smith brings First Take to Dallas?