Steve Smith Gets the Last Word, Burns Aqib Talib in Postgame Interview

Jaw jacking. Trash talking. Trolling.

Call it what you want, but it was going on all Monday night between Panthers wideout Steve Smith and Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib.

The veteran wideout was lined up opposite New England’s star cornerback, and the two men spent most of Monday Night Football making each other’s lives as uncomfortable as possible.

Shoes were grabbed.

Helmets were ripped from heads.

The two also held a brief, Greco-Roman grappling competition in the end zone. 

GIF via GIFD Sports

It was a night of high drama at the Bank of America Stadium, and while both men can be commended for their “scrappiness"—or whatever term pundits liberally paste onto these types of encounters—there can only be one Highlander. 

Last night’s Highlander was Smith, who outlasted Talib and walked off the field with another hard-fought W in his cap. 

And what a walk it was.

As he left the field, Smith dropped the line of the night during a postgame interview with Albert Breer, which was picked up by Will Brinson of CBS Sports (h/t Mike Foss of For The Win). 

“What happened between you and Talib earlier in the game?” Breer asked.

“I don’t know. You’re gonna have to ask him, ‘cuz he didn’t finish the game,” Smith said. “Ice up, son! ICE UP!”  

You smell that? Something’s burning. It might be Talib, who got lit like a WoodWick candle with that line. Smith even went as far as calling Talib "another notch in the bedpost," according to Brinson.

Bedroom euphemisms aside, Talib had a strong showing against the Panthers. After sitting the last three games out with a hip injury, the Pats corner only allowed Smith to catch one 42-yard bomb. He blanketed the veteran wideout well before pulling up lame in the fourth quarter with the same hip issue. 

It was a valiant effort on Talib's part, but rain, sleet and pass-interference controversies won’t keep Steve Smith from basking in a hard-fought victory over the Patriots.

Here’s to hoping Smith doesn’t retire before these two squads meet again. 

Are you gonna bark all day, little doggy? Or are you gonna ice up, son?

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