Stephen A Smith
If there was one team which won hearts all over the States by the end of the 2021-22 NFL Season – it was Cincinnati Bengals. This team not only rose on the grandest stage as supreme underdogs but showcased the spirit of courage in the playoffs. Ahead of the start of 2022-23 season, Stephen A Smith seems to have picked his new ‘Bengals’, which might be a surprise for some.
The Bengals won the organization’s first playoff game since 1991 and notched two road victories at top seeded Tennessee and at Super Bowl favorite – Kansas City Chiefs, before they eventual fell prey to Los Angeles Rams in the finale. While Joe Burrow threw for over 4,600 yards and 34 TouchDowns, with Ja’Marr Chase running in his own godly league (81 catches for 1,455 yards), Bengal showed everyone that they had arrived.
On the same note Stephen A Smith did not waste much time before to name his feel-good team for the 2022-23 season – Los Angeles Chargers. Yes! A team who not only missed the 2021 playoffs but did so in excruciating manner.
On the latest episode of ESPN’s First Take, panellists discussed, ‘Who will be this year’s Bengals?’ To which Stephen A Smith responded by stating, “To me it is going to be the Chargers. I’m not saying that they are going to go to the Super Bowl but that’s the team I’m most high on, other than the Buffalo Bills.
“I just believe in Justin Herbert…I think he is in a position where he can capture league MVP honors. I think they are going to win the AFC West. I’m not talking about them making it into the Super Bowl like the Bengals, but I’m talking about Chargers to be coming out of nowhere to ascend to a point where they are a legitimate threat.”
It is not only Stephen A Smith, but plenty of other analysts do think of the LA Chargers being strong contenders for the playoffs in the upcoming seasons. Firstly, because the offense has familiar names – Justin Hebert, Austin Ekeler and receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Not only that, but this time around the Chargers are bulked up on the defensive end too with Khalil Mack, Austin Johnson, J.C. Jackson and Sebastian Joseph-Day. But will it be enough for the Chargers to stand still on Stephen A Smith’s expectations? Remains to be seen.