DETROIT – You know the Detroit Lions have earned some national attention when Stephen A. Smith starts talking about them, and that’s exactly what happened Monday on ESPN.
During First Take, host Molly Qerim asked Smith which team is the best in the NFC. He spent the next two minutes making a compelling case for the Lions.
Here’s the full quote from Smith, on ESPN.com:
Believe it or not, my brother -- remember, the list is fluid, the list is fluid -- I’m going to go with the Detroit Lions for the moment -- for the moment. I’m going to go with the Detroit Lions.
The Lions, one playoff victory since 1957. One. These guys right now, at 5-1, 13-3 since Week 9 last season -- second-best record in the NFL to the San Francisco 49ers.
Jared Goff, have you seen the way he’s been balling? I mean, this is the dude that quarterbacked the Rams when they went to the Super Bowl, mind you. This is that guy, OK?
You’ve got Jameson Williams back. You saw him come back after the whole gambling thing. This brother is something. He can ball.
We know that they’ve got a defense this year. Top-five team in both total offense and scoring offense. A top-10 team in total defense and scoring defense. Jared Goff (has) 28 touchdown passes against four picks during the stretch since Week 9 (of last year). We talk about the importance of the quarterback position. I’m just saying.
Have we seen the Lions? Have we seen the Lions? I mean, I understand that San Francisco is San Francisco, because obviously that’s who I’ve got coming out of the NFC. But I can’t ignore what I’m watching. I can’t ignore the culture change that Dan Campbell has instituted. The roughriders that he’s got -- they’re playing physical, they’re playing with a level of physicality that usurps those of the opposition, and we knew the hype coming into the season about them, and we said, ‘They need to show us, what have they done?’
What have they done since then? They’ve shown us. I’m just saying, for the moment -- for the moment, especially with Deebo (Samuel) and Christian McCaffrey hurt -- we’ve got to look at the Detroit Lions right now.
Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's First Take
He’s not the first national analyst to acknowledge the Lions. After Detroit’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, the Football Night in America crew called the Lions a “legit Super Bowl contender.”
The NFL has also openly showcased the team’s ascent, not only featuring them in the opening game of the season against the defending-champion Chiefs, but most recently flexing Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers to get it in front of a wider national audience.
The Lions are tied for the best record in the NFL through Week 6, and it seems like everyone is starting to buy in -- not just in Detroit, but around the country.