It seems it’s been awhile since the Detroit Lions suffered an embarrassing defeat. Before their Week 7 debacle versus the Baltimore Ravens, the Lions’ most lopsided loss was to the New England Patriots in 2022 with a 29-0 defeat.
But after getting ran out of Charm City with a 38-6 defeat at the hands of the Ravens, a detractor came out in full force: Stephen A. Smith.
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Stephen A. Smith Calls Lions ‘Definition of Fraudulent’ in Podcast Rant
Speaking on his own podcast released Monday, Smith ripped into the Lions.
“It’s fraudulence. You see, when you look for the definition of fraudulent, that’s what the damn Detroit Lions showed you today,” Smith began.
Smith then went scorched earth on the league’s top surprise, who fell to 5-2 after the Ravens win — by realizing his admission in believing in them before the Ravens romp.
“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,” Smith argued.
“Damn it, I’m stuttering and tripping because it came out of my damn mouth. And to get your ass kicked so thoroughly, so embarrassingly, so profoundly.”
He even called the franchise “perpetually disgusting” and dove into their history of playoff failures.
MORE: Week 8 Power Rankings
His next harsh criticism was directed toward head coach Dan Campbell before giving the Lions one more definition.
“What happened to biting kneecaps, Dan Campbell?” Smith vehemently asked. “The Lions reminded us they’re just another team.”
The Lions: Fraudulence pic.twitter.com/xDBpPyPhzU
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) October 23, 2023
What Was Dan Campbell’s Response to Lions Loss?
The Lions went from brimming with confidence during their 5-1 start, including going 3-0 in road games, to needing to regroup from their wound-filled loss.
Was Campbell just as blunt as Smith was on Sunday? Campbell was honest about the way the Ravens played in his postgame presser with reporters.
“Those guys, they played well. They kicked our ass,” Campbell said of the Ravens. “It’s a credit to them.”
The Lions were bottled to 337 total yards, now a new season-low for them. The six points was also the fewest Detroit scored in a game since Oct. 23, 2022 versus the Dallas Cowboys — which was ironically a week after the Patriots loss.
A loss like the one Detroit endured often leaves a psychological imprint on a team’s mind. But for Campbell, he believes the Ravens humbling the Lions will get his team to have a new set of focus.
“It’s here, it happened, it’ll motivate us moving forward,” Campbell said. “The shame would be if we don’t use this to get better for next week and it bleeds over into the Raiders. That would be the ultimate shame.”
