Rating the NBC announcers for Vikings-Colts
Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and sideline reporter Melissa Stark will have the call for Sunday night's game.
Having covered the sports TV-radio beat for the Star Tribune for eight years, I found there was plenty of interest in that side of the business.
We tune into games to watch the action, but the viewing experience either can be enhanced or taken away from by those describing what is going on.
Thus, each week I’m planning to do a brief analysis of who will be in the booth to call the Vikings’ game and whether the assignment is a good or bad one.
Network and broadcast team: Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth will have the call on NBC at 7:20 p.m. Sunday. Melissa Stark will be the sideline reporter.
Rating the duo: 7.5 on a scale of 1-10.
Why that rating? Tirico, who replaced Al Michaels in 2022 as the voice of “Sunday Night Football”, is one of the best when it comes to calling games. Collinsworth remains a good listen, although he no longer has the fastball he possessed at one time. Collinsworth’s need to praise coaches and players can be over the top.
The 65-year-old was expected to sign a contract extension through the 2029-30 season with NBC about a month ago.
The NFL flexed this noon start to prime time a few weeks ago, replacing the Jacksonville-Philadelphia game. The Vikings weren’t originally on the Sunday night schedule, but their 5-1 start (now 5-2 after a loss to the Rams) changed that.
NBC’s production will give this a big-game feel with several more cameras than it would have gotten as a noon kickoff for a game aired to a regional audience. This will be the Vikings’ second consecutive prime-time game. Their next five are scheduled for noon.