Mike Tirico is preparing for his 21st consecutive season as the lead play-by-play announcer for “Sunday Night Football,” bringing nearly three decades of NFL coverage experience across various roles. The sportscaster, who turns 60 in December, recently called Super Bowl 60 and served as a prime-time host for the Winter Olympics in Milan, while also contributing to broadcasts of the Kentucky Derby and NBA playoff games. Tirico’s versatility extended to golf as well, where he acted as a spotter during Bryson DeChambeau’s second-round drop at The Open Championship. In May, he earned a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality in the play-by-play category.
The NFL’s 107th season kicked off on September 9 with a rematch of the previous Super Bowl, featuring the Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” will continue to broadcast on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo, starting with a 7 p.m. ET pregame show ahead of the 8:20 p.m. kickoff. The broadcast team, led by Tirico in his fifth season, will incorporate an expanded graphics package, including the wind metrics introduced during Super Bowl 60, according to coordinating producer Rob Hyland. Mike Tomlin, former head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, joins the “Football Night in America” pregame show as a new analyst.
Tirico emphasized that his approach to game commentary adapts over time, balancing analytic depth with storytelling about players’ personal journeys. He noted evolving viewer preferences as a factor in how broadcasts are shaped, explaining that “fans want more off-the-field stuff about players within a broadcast, or do they want more analytics, or what’s the balance between the two?” This flexibility allows the program to appeal to both casual fans and those seeking detailed analysis.
Looking ahead at the NFL landscape, Tirico identified the Dallas Cowboys as an under-the-radar team poised for improvement. After finishing the previous season with a 7-9-1 record and missing the playoffs for a second straight year, Dallas produced a strong offense, ranking second in yards and seventh in points scored, but ended last in scoring defense by allowing 511 points. Tirico noted the team’s offseason was unusually quiet, lacking the typical controversies around contracts or holdouts, which could signal stability heading into the new campaign. He suggested that if the Cowboys can bolster their defense, they have the potential for a significant turnaround.
The broader NFL season promises intense competition, with defending champion Seattle among the favorites and the Los Angeles Rams strengthening their roster after acquiring defensive player of the year Myles Garrett and eight-time first-team All-Pro Aaron Donald. Other teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles following their trade for wide receiver A.J. Brown, also figure prominently in preseason discussions. Yet, given the relative lack of buzz surrounding Dallas, Tirico advised fans and analysts alike to keep a close watch on the Cowboys as a possible breakout team in the coming months.