"You were expecting them to get stomped": Stephen A. Smith jokingly rips Michael Irvin over Cowboys icon's bold praise on Jerry Jones' team

Jerry Jones' Dallas Cowboys had every reason to allow the Green Bay Packers to walk over them in primetime. The Cowboys defense, without Micah Parsons, has struggled, and the offense was forced to play without its best receiver. However, the Cowboys managed to pull a tie out of what was seen as an obvious blowout situation.

Former Cowboys star Michael Irvin gave his thoughts on the team that showed more fight than many expected on a Sept. 29 edition of "First Take." Irvin's positivity about his team set off Stephen A. Smith, accusing Irvin's stance as a facade. Irvin spoke as a virtual guest on the show instead of making an in-person appearance, a point Smith used in his rant.

"I'm real proud of the fight the boys showed up without No. 88 (CeeDee Lamb) and showed what they had in them," Irvin said.

"You make me sick. You really, really do. ... If you were really that damn confident, you'd have been here this morning in studio instead of down there in Big D," Smith said. "You didn't fly your a** up here because you knew. You were expecting a loss. You were expecting them to get stomped. You were expected to sit up there and have their epitaph written. You knew what was coming."

In Smith's mind, Irvin's actions spoke louder than words. Smith believed the writing was on the wall, and the former Cowboys star was able to read it, but was pleasantly surprised by the game against Jordan Love's team that went 70 minutes instead of the typical 60 minutes.

Jerry Jones receives big win in Packers-Cowboys tie

Jerry Jones at New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys - Source: Imagn

Over the last month, since Micah Parsons was traded to the Green Bay Packers, fans had the Week 4 Dallas Cowboys-Packers showdown circled on the calendar.

With the Cowboys teetering at 1-2 heading into the game, the stage was set for fans to blame Jerry Jones for allowing Parsons' exit to help doom his team in the postseason chase.

Such a talking point could have followed Jones into the offseason. Instead, by the Cowboys tying the Green Bay Packers, he has a defense against trading Parsons he otherwise would not have had. The pass rusher managed to net a sack, but was far from the game-changer many had expected heading into the contest.

One can argue that Jerry Jones' Dallas Cowboys defense has taken a noticeable dive in 2025 without Parsons, but with the Packers giving up 40 points on Sunday Night Football with Parsons, it can be argued that his presence didn't change the overall effectiveness of the unit.

Future games can chip away at the position Jerry Jones has established for himself, but now he has a foundation to make his case.