{"id":18396,"date":"2025-01-11T07:17:28","date_gmt":"2025-01-11T07:17:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396"},"modified":"2025-01-11T07:17:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-11T07:17:28","slug":"alert-stephen-a-smith-warns-lamar-jackson-ahead-of-crucial-steelers-ravens-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;ALERT: STEPHEN A. SMITH WARNS LAMAR JACKSON AHEAD OF CRUCIAL STEELERS-RAVENS SHOWDOWN!&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dek prose mb-2.5 italic text-secondary\">Stephen A. Smith doesn&#8217;t want to hear any excuses from Lamar Jackson and the Ravens if they lose to the Steelers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flex-row flex-wrap items-center text-primary\">\n<div class=\"author-link mr-2.5 flex items-center text-sm\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aspect-video w-full max-w-full object-contain object-center px-4 lg:px-0\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-news-Stephen-A.-Smith-issues-warning-to-Lamar-Jackson-before-Steelers-Baltimore-game.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"Stephen A. Smith on one side breathing fire, Lamar Jackson on the other side with the big eyes emoji over his face\" \/><\/p>\n<article class=\"article-body prose max-w-none pb-7 pt-5 prose-figure:max-w-full prose-ol:pl-10 prose-img:max-w-full prose-video:max-w-full md:prose-ol:pl-6 [&amp;_iframe]:m-auto [&amp;_iframe]:block [&amp;_iframe]:max-w-full\">The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/clutchpoints.com\/nfl\/baltimore-ravens\">Baltimore Ravens<\/a>\u00a0are set to begin their playoff run on Saturday night when they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFC North battle. Once again,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/clutchpoints.com\/ravens-news-lamar-jackson-versatility-bonkers-nfl-record\">Lamar Jackson will be looking to lead the Ravens<\/a>\u00a0to the Super Bowl, and ahead of this contest against the Steelers,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/clutchpoints.com\/tag\/stephen-a-smith\">Stephen A. Smith<\/a>\u00a0sent a warning to the talented dual-threat quarterback.<\/p>\n<div class=\"aspect-video w-full\">\n<div class=\"not-prose flex aspect-video w-full items-center justify-center\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/clutchpoints.com\/nfl-mvp-power-rankings-afc-north-win-likely-seals-deal-for-lamar-jackson\">Jackson enjoyed another MVP-caliber campaign<\/a>\u00a0with Baltimore, but at this point, none of it matters unless he wins a Super Bowl. With the team being heavily favored to beat a slumping Steelers, Smith made it clear that there are\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ClutchPointsNFL\/status\/1877752242289160625\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">no more excuses<\/a>\u00a0for Jackson, especially in his upcoming matchup against Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_1_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-sticky-container adthrive-content adthrive-content-1 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,120193976\/AdThrive_Content_1\/5e90daf19f500876e949a3d9_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cHe better not struggle,\u201d Smith said on \u201cFirst Take.\u201d \u201cI don&#8217;t wanna hear that. This is a two-time league MVP that is all-world\u2026At some point in time, there is nothing wrong with validating and authenticating your greatness by simply saying, \u2018You got it done when it counted&#8217;\u2026It&#8217;s not that he&#8217;s not great. It&#8217;s because of his greatness that we need the expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"not-prose flex w-full flex-col items-center overflow-hidden px-5 h-auto\">\n<div class=\"react-tweet-theme tweet-container_root__0rJLq\">\n<article class=\"tweet-container_article__0ERPK\">\n<div class=\"tweet-header_header__CXzdi\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/ClutchPointsNFL\/status\/1877752242289160625<\/div>\n<div>\n<article class=\"article-body prose max-w-none pb-7 pt-5 prose-figure:max-w-full prose-ol:pl-10 prose-img:max-w-full prose-video:max-w-full md:prose-ol:pl-6 [&amp;_iframe]:m-auto [&amp;_iframe]:block [&amp;_iframe]:max-w-full\">\n<h2><strong>Stephen A. Smith fully expects Lamar Jackson, Ravens to beat Steelers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3203560\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3203560\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3203560\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-quarterback-Lamar-Jackson.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-quarterback-Lamar-Jackson.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-quarterback-Lamar-Jackson.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-quarterback-Lamar-Jackson.jpg?resize=768,511 768w, https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-quarterback-Lamar-Jackson.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-quarterback-Lamar-Jackson.jpg?resize=150,100 150w\" alt=\"Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) on the field after the game against the Cleveland Browns at M&amp;T Bank Stadium.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3203560\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At this point, Jackson has accomplished pretty much everything possible, aside from winning a championship. Whether it be due to injuries or struggles against top-tier opponents, Jackson hasn&#8217;t been able to put all the pieces together in the postseason, but Smith believes that this is his best opportunity to win it all, and he won&#8217;t hear any of the excuses he&#8217;s let slide over the past couple of the years if they ultimately come up short again.<\/p>\n<p>It may seem like Baltimore is a sure bet to beat Pittsburgh, but that isn&#8217;t necessarily the case, as Jackson has struggled against the Steelers throughout his career. The two teams split their season series with one win apiece, and with a trip to the Divisional Round on the line, you can bet both teams will put their best foot forward. If the Ravens end up coming short, though, Jackson may end up getting an earful from Smith.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stephen A. Smith doesn&#8217;t want to hear any excuses from Lamar Jackson and the Ravens if they lose to the Steelers. The\u00a0Baltimore Ravens\u00a0are set to begin their&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&quot;ALERT: STEPHEN A. SMITH WARNS LAMAR JACKSON AHEAD OF CRUCIAL STEELERS-RAVENS SHOWDOWN!&quot; - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&quot;ALERT: STEPHEN A. SMITH WARNS LAMAR JACKSON AHEAD OF CRUCIAL STEELERS-RAVENS SHOWDOWN!&quot; - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Stephen A. Smith doesn&#8217;t want to hear any excuses from Lamar Jackson and the Ravens if they lose to the Steelers. The\u00a0Baltimore Ravens\u00a0are set to begin their...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-11T07:17:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-news-Stephen-A.-Smith-issues-warning-to-Lamar-Jackson-before-Steelers-Baltimore-game.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"673\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396\",\"name\":\"\\\"ALERT: STEPHEN A. SMITH WARNS LAMAR JACKSON AHEAD OF CRUCIAL STEELERS-RAVENS SHOWDOWN!\\\" - 24\/7 News America\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-news-Stephen-A.-Smith-issues-warning-to-Lamar-Jackson-before-Steelers-Baltimore-game.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-11T07:17:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-11T07:17:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-news-Stephen-A.-Smith-issues-warning-to-Lamar-Jackson-before-Steelers-Baltimore-game.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-news-Stephen-A.-Smith-issues-warning-to-Lamar-Jackson-before-Steelers-Baltimore-game.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":673},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"&#8220;ALERT: STEPHEN A. SMITH WARNS LAMAR JACKSON AHEAD OF CRUCIAL STEELERS-RAVENS SHOWDOWN!&#8221;\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"24\/7 News America\",\"description\":\"Breaking Stories, Real Insights&quot;\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\",\"name\":\"Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\"ALERT: STEPHEN A. SMITH WARNS LAMAR JACKSON AHEAD OF CRUCIAL STEELERS-RAVENS SHOWDOWN!\" - 24\/7 News America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\"ALERT: STEPHEN A. SMITH WARNS LAMAR JACKSON AHEAD OF CRUCIAL STEELERS-RAVENS SHOWDOWN!\" - 24\/7 News America","og_description":"Stephen A. Smith doesn&#8217;t want to hear any excuses from Lamar Jackson and the Ravens if they lose to the Steelers. The\u00a0Baltimore Ravens\u00a0are set to begin their...","og_url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396","og_site_name":"24\/7 News America","article_published_time":"2025-01-11T07:17:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":673,"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-news-Stephen-A.-Smith-issues-warning-to-Lamar-Jackson-before-Steelers-Baltimore-game.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396","name":"\"ALERT: STEPHEN A. SMITH WARNS LAMAR JACKSON AHEAD OF CRUCIAL STEELERS-RAVENS SHOWDOWN!\" - 24\/7 News America","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-news-Stephen-A.-Smith-issues-warning-to-Lamar-Jackson-before-Steelers-Baltimore-game.jpg","datePublished":"2025-01-11T07:17:28+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-11T07:17:28+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-news-Stephen-A.-Smith-issues-warning-to-Lamar-Jackson-before-Steelers-Baltimore-game.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Ravens-news-Stephen-A.-Smith-issues-warning-to-Lamar-Jackson-before-Steelers-Baltimore-game.jpg","width":1200,"height":673},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18396#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"&#8220;ALERT: STEPHEN A. SMITH WARNS LAMAR JACKSON AHEAD OF CRUCIAL STEELERS-RAVENS SHOWDOWN!&#8221;"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/","name":"24\/7 News America","description":"Breaking Stories, Real Insights&quot;","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914","name":"Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Admin"},"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18396"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18398,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18396\/revisions\/18398"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}