Stephen A. Smith sure knows how to kill the buzz of New England Patriots fans.
The ESPN analyst predicted Monday the Patriots will fail to reach the NFL playoffs because they have a losing record and tough games remaining on their schedule. Smith offered his prophecy hours after the Patriots routed the New York Jets 54-13 in their Week 7 matchup, which improved New England's record to 3-4.
"Well they could (make a run), but I would say no they're not going to the playoffs," Smith said on "First Take." "Just from a scheduling perspective and the fact that they're not the most-talented group in the world. I think Bill Belichick is a great coach that is bringing them along. I see the development of (rookie quarterback) Mac Jones week-to-week along with the personnel pieces that they have, but in the end it comes down to two things: your record and your schedule.
"... You've got a road game against the (Los Angeles) Chargers up next. I believe that's a loss. You've got a road game against (the) Carolina (Panthers), you could potentially win that. You've got (the) Cleveland (Browns) after that, which I think could potentially be a loss, even though that's at home. You've got a game against (the) Tennessee (Titans), two against (the) Buffalo (Bills) and the Indianapolis Colts coming up. I see at least four more losses on their schedule. Best-case scenario I see for the New England Patriots is a 9-8 record, and because of that, I say no playoffs."
Smith's sobering view assumes the improvement the Patriots showed against the Jets is an outlier. Will New England soon will revert to something close to its previous form, or was the emphatic win over New York a sign of a revival?
The coming weeks will reveal whether the Patriots have taken a forward leap and give them a few opportunities to make Smith eat his words.
