Had them in your top five': Stephen A. Smith celebrates the Cowboys' Week 1

After the New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-20, Stephen A. Smith shared a message on X. He posted, “1-down……16 to go!!!!!” and could be seen laughing as he celebrated a prediction on video.

In the same clip, Smith asked, “How many times will I be right? How many times am I going to be right?” He then said, “Just be patient. They won’t let you down.”

Smith also previewed a guest for the next day. “Michael Irvin will be in the house tomorrow,” he said. “Perfect timing. Perfect time. See y’all in the morning.”

Cowboys fans split over the post. Some agreed with Smith’s reaction. Others brought up what he had said about the team heading into the season.

One commenter said Smith had ranked Dallas highly before Week 1. The fan wrote, “You literally had them in your top five list going into the season and said that they’re gonna win the division and make the playoffs.”

Another commenter said Smith was not covering the league fairly. The fan wrote, “You’re supposed to be a sports reporter if that’s what you call yourself, but all you are is a Cowboys hater. Such criticism of Smith’s fairness is not new, as his on-air disputes with players like Jaylen Brown have also drawn scrutiny. If you took more time reporting entire NFL besides hating, the sports world might take you seriously. Until then, you are who you are: a hater and a horrible sports reporter.”

A different fan also pointed back to those earlier remarks. The fan wrote, “Bro, you said we was winning the NFC East you said we was a top 5 team on ESPN this week bro. Stephen A. Smith has faced criticism before, such as when Michael Wilbon claimed he isn’t a journalist. You gonna be getting flamed tmr.”

One more fan kept the reply short. The fan wrote, “One day he won’t be laughing.”

Dallas opened the year with a defensive showing that again allowed 28 points. The unit had given up an NFL-high 30.1 points per game last season, even after the team added talent.

The Cowboys were also flagged eight times for 85 yards. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer described the night as “humbling” and said the team played poorly.

The Giants won in John Harbaugh’s first game with the franchise. Jaxson Dart threw three touchdown passes, and Isaiah Likely caught two of those scores.