Stephen A. Smith says 'we've seen this before' with the Dallas Cowboys
Known Dallas Cowboys hater Stephen A. Smith came on to ESPN’s Get Up firing on Monday morning following the team’s 40-0 shutout victory over the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football.
Not wanting Cowboys fans to bask in the glory of the win for too long, the long-time First Take host told the Get Up desk, “We’ve seen this before.”
“I’ll say this to you, we’ve seen this before, we’ve seen this before,” Smith said. “I just want you to know, everybody’s hype today, I said Rex Ryan’s already got them as the best defense in the league. They’re the gift that keeps on giving. This is what happens You don’t want them plummeting now, it’s early. Go ahead get your hopes up and then BAM! It’s coming.”
Although Smith talked a big game on Monday morning, his post on X on Sunday night probably best captured his true feelings about the Cowboys’ dominance. Dallas may very well peter out of Super Bowl contention again this year, but it’s hard to deny that they put a strong product on the field for Week 1.
Cowboys post historic Week 1 win
As much as Smith may want to downplay the Cowboys’ performance, it was historic in more ways than one, including the way that it began.
The Cowboys started the game with a special teams score, spearheaded by two defensive newcomers, Juanyeh Thomas and Noah Igbinoghene, then Trevon Diggs knocked a ball loose for DaRon Bland to snag and score to put the team up 16-0.
The sequence marked the first time in Cowboys history that the first two touchdowns of the season came from defense and special teams. It was also the first time in the NFL since 2016 that a team had their first two touchdowns of a season on special teams and/or defense.
On top of that unique stat, Thomas became the first Cowboys player to block a field goal in his NFL debut in the last 25 years. It was also the first time since Brent Urban for Baltimore in 2015 that a player blocked a field goal in his league debut.
The blocked ball returned for a touchdown by Igbinoghene was the former Dolphins’ first touchdown as a Dallas Cowboy and his first touchdown in the league as well.
The 40-0 win also marked the Cowboys’ biggest shutout win, surpassing a 38-0 win over the Baltimore Colts in 1978. Dallas also recorded a new record shutout against the Giants, beating the previous biggest deficit of 35-0 in a season opener in 1995.