Stephen A. Smith is rarely quiet, especially when it comes to quarterbacks and the NFL. That’s why his reaction to the Seattle Seahawks’ playoff run was very surprising. Instead of sticking to his earlier opinion, Smith admitted he was wrong.
What Did Stephen A. Smith Say About Sam Darnold?
In the weeks leading up to the playoffs, Smith repeatedly questioned whether Sam Darnold could be trusted in high-pressure moments.
While he acknowledged Seattle’s strong regular season and defense, he made it clear that none of it would matter unless Darnold delivered against elite competition when the stakes were highest. For Smith, that standard came down to one matchup: a playoff showdown with the Los Angeles Rams and Matthew Stafford.
Appearing on First Take, Smith revisited his earlier comments after watching Darnold perform against the Rams. This time, Smith changed his opinion on the topic.
“But wait, let’s see what happens when he goes up against those boys,” Smith said. “I thought that Sam Darnold would fold against Matthew Stafford when it really, really counted, and he didn’t, which is why I had to stand down. I had to give it to him. I was wrong.”
All season, Smith often brought up Darnold’s playoff struggles from the previous year, especially his collapse against the Rams. That game kept coming up, making people think the Rams were Darnold’s toughest mental challenge and the team he couldn’t beat.
He mentioned Seattle’s 14–2 season and said Darnold got help from a strong defense that made things easier for him. Still, Smith insisted that true confidence in Darnold would only come if he proved himself against top teams in the playoffs, not just during the regular season.
In the Super Bowl on Sunday, Darnold finished the game 19-38 for 202 yards and 1 touchdown to finally exorcise the ghosts that once haunted him against this same opponent.
The Seahawks became the first team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl without a single turnover during the postseason, which is a testament to Darnold’s play.
In PFSN’s NFL Quarterback Impact Metric (QBi), Darnold finished the regular season ranked as the 13th-best quarterback in the league. He posted an impact score of 78.7 and a letter grade of C+.
During the regular season, he completed 67.7% of his passes for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Additionally, he rushed 35 times for 95 yards, without a touchdown.
In three playoff games, Darnold completed 61.5% of his passes for 672 yards and five touchdowns. Tonight was the worst of his three playoff performances, but it did not matter.
