Stephen A. Smith made big mistake while talking about Sam Darnold

Dec 18, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith broadcasts before a game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Stephen A. Smith has officially delivered his first whiff of 2025.

The leading ESPN personality Smith drew attention online this week for the mistake that he made during a Thursday episode of “First Take.” Smith was previewing the upcoming game between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, which will determine both the winner of the NFC North as well as the overall No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

During his remarks, Smith made the claim that Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold had failed to produce any 300-yard passing games recently.

“We’re talking about Sam Darnold, and again, he deserves credit, we know he’s had a stellar season, etc. etc,” said Smith. “The man hasn’t thrown for 300 yards since November 24th against Chicago … Let’s not act like he’s the second coming of Dan Marino.”

"We're talking about Sam Darnold…The man hasn’t thrown for 300 yards since November 24th against Chicago…Let’s not act like this is the second coming of Dan Marino." – Stephen A. Smith
pic.twitter.com/bWaw0QUqjl

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 2, 2025

The problem is that Darnold threw for 377 yards just last week in a win over the Green Bay Packers. He also went for 347 yards in a Dec. 8 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Apparently, Smith missed both of those games.

The longtime sports host Smith is ESPN’s single busiest (and borderline overexposed) personality, so some mistakes are inevitable from time to time. But Smith’s mistakes, particularly when he is talking about baseball, tend to be especially embarrassing given how confident he is in his delivery.