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Winner goes to the NFC title game, and Stephen A. Smith is making one thing clear--he doesn't trust Sam Darnold. A passionate Smith ranted on ESPN's First Take ahead of the San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks battle Saturday night.
Smith is predicting a Seahawks victory, but hammers home how trust in Darnold performing well is not a sure thing. "I'll be damned if I'm not concerned [about Sam Darnold]... You know he can ball...but he can also hurt you and lose a football game for you."
The doubt stems from Darnold's tendency to crumble in big pressure moments. Like his "meltdown" in the playoffs last year as part of the Minnesota Vikings.
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More: ESPN Insider: Why 49ers fear a Sam Darnold Seahawks repeat
Despite the Seahawks entering as favorites, Smith warned that San Francisco's pass rush is designed to exploit Darnold’s worst instincts. “He has a tendency to get rattled,” he noted. “If he starts seeing ghosts out there today, he will turn the football over and gift-wrap this game for the 49ers.”
However, in a classic twist, Smith isn't jumping off the Seahawks' bandwagon just yet. While he believes Darnold has the potential to "blow it" for Seattle, he expects the new "conservative" approach to play-calling should limit the chance for errors. Mike Macdonald's elite defense can then pull them the rest of the way.
“I think the Seahawks win this game in spite of the mistakes Sam Darnold is likely to make,” Smith concluded. For Seahawks fans, the hope is that Darnold proves the "ghosts" are a thing of the past.
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