Heading into Week 7, the Lions were looked upon as one of the best teams in the NFL, sitting atop the NFC North with a 5–1 record.
After winning four consecutive games by double-digit margins, many fans and pundits were buying into Detroit as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Among those was ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who went as far as to power rank the Lions as his top overall team on First Take.
However, after suffering a 38–6 thrashing at the hands of the Ravens, Smith has quickly reversed course on the latest episode of his podcast the Stephen A. Smith Show, calling the Lions "fraudulent."
“It’s fraudulence. When you look for the definition of fraudulent, that’s what Detroit showed,” said Smith. “You got a top-four offense. You got a top-nine defense. You got Jared Goff, who was an MVP candidate. They were 13–3 since Week 9 of last season. You look at the Detroit Lions and you’re saying excuse me even on my A-list on ESPN’s First Take last week, I had them as the No. 1 team in the NFL.”
The Lions: Fraudulence pic.twitter.com/xDBpPyPhzU
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) October 23, 2023
The Lions’ lack of effort against Baltimore left Smith yearning for the squad that was becoming known for grit and determination, as opposed to the franchise that has only won one playoff game since 1957.
“What happened to biting kneecaps, Dan Campbell? The Lions reminded us they’re just another team,” Smith said.
The Lions, who still hold a two-game lead over the Vikings for first place in NFC North, will look to rebound on Monday night when they host the Raiders at Ford Field.
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