The Big Lead

Stephen A. Smith compares himself to Patrick Mahomes, and the 'First Take' response is hilarious

By J.P. Hoornstra

Dec 21, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Stephen A. Smith , American sports television personality, waves to the crowd while walking the field before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium.
Dec 21, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Stephen A. Smith , American sports television personality, waves to the crowd while walking the field before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
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For Super Bowl Week, Programming Insider asked me to predict the total number of viewers for Sunday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. The other survey respondents and I submitted our numbers blindly.

As it turned out, my prediction of 111.2 million came in on the low end of the spectrum; the predictions ranged from 90 to 128 million. Like many, I cited viewer fatigue around the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes beginning to take hold.

Is Mahomes' dominance "annoying"? If you're not a Chiefs fan, quite possibly. Stephen A. Smith chimed in on this Tuesday on ESPN's First Take.

"I would know something about that," Smith said. "I'm considered one of the most annoying people in television."

Molly Qerim did a spit-take upon hearing Smith audaciously compared himself to the Chiefs' quarterback.

Mahomes has a couple legs up on Smith that might come up in negotiations if Smith asks ESPN to match Mahomes' 10-year, $450 million contract.

In his first Super Bowl appearance, in 2020, Mahomes led the Chiefs to a 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, earning MVP honors after a second-half comeback.

The following year, Mahomes and the Chiefs were defeated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-9, with Mahomes struggling under pressure from a dominant Buccaneers defense.

Mahomes bounced back in 2023, guiding the Chiefs to a thrilling 38-35 win over the Eagles. His performance earned him his second Super Bowl MVP and further solidified his legacy as a clutch quarterback.

To some, the rematch would be sweeter if the Eagles can get revenge. As Stephen A. can attest, plenty of folks would like to see Mahomes knocked down a peg.

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